This week’s Lancer of the Week is Carter Holsinger. Holsinger is a member of the Class of 2020 and participates in many activities in and out of school. He is most known for being a 2-time state champion at pole vault in indoor and outdoor track and field. He also does gymnastics and is a member of the marching band.

Holsinger first started track and field in fifth grade, when he competed at the Hugh B. Nolan Track Meet, which is held for elementary and middle school competitors across the county. He first ran the 100-meter run, broad jump, 200-meter run, and the 4×100-meter run.

Holsinger first found out about pole vault in 8th grade, when he attended the Naval Academy Track Camp and decided to try the event. He liked it so much that he decided to participate in it during his freshman year of indoor track and field. During that season, he jumped a personal record of 10’7’’, which was enough to get him to the Indoor Track and Field State Championship. However, he didn’t find his footing at states and ended the meet without a recorded height.

He came into his freshman outdoor season looking to improve on what was an outstanding indoor season. Holsinger showed major progress, improving his personal record by nearly two feet by the end of the outdoor season with a jump of 12’6’’. When he went to states, he had learned from his previous experience in indoor track and was able to jump a height of 11’6’’. That mark was his third best of the year, but it wasn’t enough for him to win the state championship.

“I went into the summer determined to get better and come back to do better than ever,” said Holsinger. And sure enough, he did. He came into this year’s indoor track season showing the ability to consistently jump 12 feet, and ramped up his performance near the end of the year with jumps of 13’0’’ and 13’5’’. But when it mattered the most, he jumped a whopping 14’0’’ in the state championship. This not only won him the pole vault state championship, but it also won the entire Linganore Indoor Track and Field team the state championship, as well as tying a Linganore School record. Holsinger also was recognized as the best field athlete in Frederick County in the Frederick News-Post.

The 2018 outdoor track season proved that not only was Carter still a dominant force in the pole vault but that he could also thrive in other events. He was very consistent throughout the season, often recording heights above 13’0’’. His shining achievements of the season were breaking the Linganore Pole Vault record with a jump of 14’1’’, and winning the state championships for the second time this year. Along with pole vault, he also learned how to do the triple jump, which is a variation of the popular long jump. In the four meets that he participated in for the triple jump, he placed in the top 10 each time with a personal record of 38’5.75’’.

Learning to perform on big stages in multiple state championship meets has been something Carter has been improving ever since his first appearance in the indoor state championship meet his freshman year. “I know walking into the meet what will be there, but I’ll never know what will happen. In practice, everything becomes muscle memory. I just have to go into the meet planning to do what I already know to do,“ said Holsinger.

Holsinger attributes much of his success in the sport to his continued practice in gymnastics. “It definitely helps me stay flexible, which is important. It also helps with spatial awareness, which is knowing where you are in the air.”

Holsinger is coached by David Bly, who is the Pole Vault Coach and Girl’s Track and Field Head Coach for Linganore. He has pole vaulted on a national level and has spent time coaching Olympic pole vaulters. Despite all the success Carter has achieved in his two years of vaulting, Bly believes that Holsinger’s ceiling has no limit. “His rare abilities of speed and power give him a huge advantage in pole vault. I feel he could be at an elite level by the end of high school and contend for the national championship.”

Carter hopes to be a pole vaulter at a collegiate level after high school track and field is over. He is interested in attending the Naval Academy and wants to serve in the Navy one day.