By: Mackenzie O’Connell
I met Kendall for the first time when our CycleHealth team was having our initial team meeting at the University of St. Thomas. I walked in with my friend, Sara Ness (another intern that you can get to know in the previous blog post, Sara Ness: Everything in Stride) unsure of what to expect. However, any nerves I may have had about the job, the “other intern,” and the summer were immediately washed away as Kendall smiled at me the moment we walked into the room. From that first interaction, as cheesy as it may sound, I knew the three of us were going to have an amazing summer.
It is now the second to last week of our internship, and it saddens me to think that in a few short days I will not be seeing Kendall every day. Over the past 3 months we have grown closer and I luckily am able to now consider her a good friend. Kendall is sweet, has a great sense of humor, is extremely hard-working and is always on top of her work. Crazily, this list only shares very few of this lady’s fantastic qualities. She is a champ at the pole vault and is one of the MIAC’s (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) best, as well as a star student with such a giving heart. As an incoming senior majoring in Public Health, Kendall has always enjoyed being around people, being active, and is constantly on the lookout for ways to help others. I strongly believe this girl is going places and in the next 10-15 years, Kendall Novak, is going to be a household name. Check out the interview I had the opportunity to do with Kendall, below.
INTERVIEW
Mackenzie: What sports, if any, have you played throughout your life?
Kendall: Growing up I played many sports, the ones I continued in high school were
softball, diving, gymnastics and track & field.
Mackenzie: When did you first get into pole vaulting?
Kendall: I went out for track my junior year of high school and had no clue what I would be good at. One day my gym teacher who was also the pole vault coach approached me and wanted me to give pole vaulting a try. I honestly was not too excited, but I did it to be respectful to my teacher. I went to a practice or two and saw no future in it, I wanted to do sprints. A meet was coming up where they needed pole vaulters and I agreed to do it, for the team. I didn’t do terrible so I decided to keep going to practices the next week. I suddenly starting PRing by a foot each meet. I was starting to love the feeling of flying through the air and clearing the bars. Those experiences started setting me up for my pole vault career.
Mackenzie: Has your experience in other sports/activities helped your pole vaulting career at all?
Kendall: Absolutely. Diving and gymnastics taught me body awareness which helps me a
lot when I am in the air during my vault. A big thing that has helped me through all my sports is learning how to work with different types of coaches. The sports I have been a part of while growing up have been very technical and there are a lot of little changes that need to be made. So listening closely to the little things and learning how to correct them quickly has really helped me in all of the sports I have done.
Mackenzie: Who is your role model when it comes to vaulting? Why does he or she inspire you?
Kendall: A professional pole vaulter that I look up to is Sandi Morris. Everytime I watch her vault it’s inspiring, she celebrates every bar she clears which I think is something we could all learn from. You can feel the energy she brings when vaulting. It is also very cool to me that she has other things she puts her time and dedication towards. For example, she has some very unique animals ranging from snakes and lizards to a dog.
Mackenzie: You are coming up on your senior year at the University of St. Thomas, what are your goals for your final collegiate season?
Kendall: A big goal of mine is to get back to nationals indoor and I would love to qualify for my first time outdoors. Something more important to me is to win conference in the pole vault so that I can help the team get more points. I also want to help lead the team in a way that I leave a mark with UST track and field. I know there are so many talented young athletes coming up and it will be fun to watch them improve this year and the years to come.
Mackenzie: What have been some of the best and toughest moments of your collegiate Track and Field career?
Kendall: The best moment of my career happened last indoor season at the University of Minnesota. I broke through a huge barrier and jumped 12’ 2”. It is always a big deal to get to the next foot so getting over 12 feet was a big accomplishment for me. This was the mark that got me into the national meet. There were so many emotions after I cleared that bar, I was so excited. Some of the toughest moments also came from this past season, I had my first no height in college. I was very upset with myself and it was hard mentally to come back from that. I struggled with being afraid of my opening heights and no heighted a few other times throughout the outdoor season. At conference I walked in with no expectations I decided I needed to just have fun. I ended up jumping with no misses until the height I got out at. That was a big deal for me and it usually doesn’t happen. It was a good way to end my outdoor season.
Mackenzie: What is some of the best advice a coach has given you to keep you motivated during an off day?
Kendall: “Be done for the day”. It is important to be both mentally and physically ready for a day at pole vault. If you are struggling with taking a vault up for the whole practice it is just time to be done otherwise you will start to form bad habits.
Mackenzie: How do you mentally stay positive after one or even a couple missed attempts?
Kendall: I try to stay mentally strong through each attempt because it’s just another time
you get to jump at the bar so there is no need to get down. It can be very frustrating when you’ve had some good attempts but can’t seem to get over the bar, but you just have to be thankful for that third attempt and do everything you can to clear it.
Mackenzie: Will you continue to pole vault even after your time at St. Thomas comes to a
close?
Kendall: There are a few meets that I have been doing for quite a few years during the
summer that I would love to keep doing after college.
Mackenzie: How do you think the lessons you’ve learned through pole vaulting will help you succeed in your future?
Kendall: I think it has taught me to be disciplined and pay attention to detail. It is also
always a conversation starter. Not everyone knows people who pole vault so they always find it very unique that I do.
Mackenzie: What advice do you have for any kids looking to try-out pole vaulting?
Kendall: Pole vault can look scary from afar, but there is no feeling like it. It’s incredible. I
recommend pole vault to anyone who is looking for a thrill or a challenge.
Mackenzie: Do you have a favorite meet day meal/snack? And how do you make sure you are fueling your body in order to be your best on the track?
Kendall: I don't have a specific meal or snack that I eat before I compete but I snack a lot
while I compete. I don’t like to vault hungry so I just keep eating little things like fruit snacks of Nutrigrain bars.
Mackenzie: Do you have any plans or goals for your next steps after graduation?
Kendall: I want to work with people and help them. I am very open minded for after college and I will see where I end up. There are so many options out there but I don’t want to be too picky when it comes to jobs.
Mackenzie: Have you learned anything during your time at CycleHealth that you found to can be applied to your life?
Kendall: Since working here at CycleHealth I have gotten the chance to see how brave
kids really are. When we started planning this triathlon with Betsy and Tony I had no idea so many kids were going to sign up, and now we are on track for 700!! That has taught me to reach out and encourage kids to do things outside of their comfort zone. They are always excited to try new things.
Kendall is the perfect example of someone with consistently optimistic, can-do attitude. I think we all can take a piece of Kendall’s advice and incorporate it into our own life to help us be more positive, loving, and hardworking individuals. Good luck with your senior year Kendall, we all can’t wait to see what you accomplish in your last year of undergrad!