There’s nothing like the great indoors. Indoor track consists of jumping, sprinting, throwing, and vaulting.

Some get into jumping because they’ve always wanted to feel like they’re flying. Running can be an outlet for people to clear their mind. Throwing gives people a surge of strength.

Pole-vaulting, however, is a dangerously thrilling task to know if you’ll make it over the bar. Only few have attempted this event.

Senior Allison Honaker has been involved in indoor track since her freshman year.

This year she is co-captain of the girls’ team and the only experienced pole-vaulter.

What’s special about Honaker as a leader is that she is also a follower: in her father’s footsteps.

Mike Honaker, Allison’s father, was on the track team in high school. He was the only brave soul to do pole vaulting, much like his daughter. He didn’t just participate in the pole vault; he performed exceptionally, making it to the 1994 Olympic Trials.

“My dad really wanted me to try pole-vaulting,” Honaker said. “I was basically volun-told to!”

Honaker says she and her father share this bond through the event and when they practice, he practices with her.

“My dad has basically shown me all I know how to do in the pole-vault,” she said. “He’s still got it.”

Honaker says the school doesn’t have a pole-vault pit for her to properly practice. You often hear people say, “Don’t try this at home,” if it’s something dangerous.

However, practice makes perfect, and when you can’t get yourself to the pole vault, you bring the pole vault to yourself.

“My dad actually went out and bought the stuff for a pole-vault pit so that we could practice together at our house,” said Honaker.

Being a part of this sport not only brought Honaker closer to her father, but other teenagers across the state as well.

“When we go to meets we get to meet new people and discuss how they exercise and bounce ideas and techniques off of each other,” she says.

Honaker says she never would’ve thought to try pole-vaulting if it weren’t for her dad, but now it’s a lot of fun.

She says she has developed relationships with her team that make her keep coming back.

“We’ve had a lot of the same team since freshman year and it’s always good to come back and reconnect,” said Honaker. “It’s like we never skipped a beat.”