Mendham siblings top pole vault (NJ)

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Mendham siblings top pole vault
Jan 19, 2013

Written by
Jim Hague
For NJ Press Media


Mendham senior Adam Mszanski said he believes that it takes a special breed of individual to participate in the pole vault.

“You always try to get kids interested in the pole vault,” Mszanski said. “You have to be crazy enough to want to do it.”

Mszanski has been participating in the pole vault since his sophomore year.

This year, he was able to convince another athlete to try the sport – namely his younger sister, Julia.

“I watched Adam do it once and I decided right then that I wanted to do it,” said Julia Mszanski, a freshman at Mendham. “I did gymnastics for about 10 years, but I saw the pole vault and decided to quit. I didn’t have it in me to do gymnastics anymore. The pole vault seemed like something I would like. Adam always looked like he was having a lot of fun.”

While Adam Mszanski had achieved some decent success in the pole, Julia felt comfortable.

“Honestly, at first, I figured this was alright,” Julia Mszanski said. “I figured I could do it.”

“My sister stepped up to the plate right away and did it,” Adam Mszanski said. “I knew she was going to be a stud.”

Sure enough, both Adam and Julia are tearing it up in the pole vault pit this season.

Adam has cleared the bar at 14 feet even, the second best height reached by a local vaulter this season. Jordan Pacheco of Morris Hills set the county record this year at the Morris County Relays, clearing 15 feet.

Julia has also enjoyed success. She recently broke the freshman county record by clearing 9 feet, six inches, a mark that places her second among local competitors. Only Monica Benz, a sophomore at Villa Walsh, has cleared a better height this season than Mszanski at 10 feet even.

So both Mszanski brother and sister have a good chance to win gold medals Wednesday, when the annual Morris County Championships are held to close out the winter season at Drew University.

“It’s a dream to be the best,” said Adam Mszanski, who missed most of last year with two bouts with mononucleosis. “I’ve put a lot of hours in to get this chance. I had to work harder to make up for the time I lost.”


Both Mszanski siblings travel three days a week to train at Apex Vaulting in Oakland. It’s quite a journey from Mendham to northern Bergen County.

“It’s about a 40-minute ride,” Adam explains. “Julia usually sleeps on the way. But it’s good to have someone to go with on a regular basis. I’m really happy with it, because it’s good to have someone who knows what you’re talking about. She has a long road to go. I’m on the way out. Julia has just gotten so much stronger. Not many people realize that she’s just a natural at it.”

Julia Mszanski is fortunate to have her own personal coach who shares her own living room.

“Adam is such a great motivation for me,” Julia said. “I really am so glad to have him as a brother. I’m really happy with what I’ve been able to do right away. It was exciting to set the (freshman) record. I didn’t even know it.”

Mszanski cleared 9-6 at both the Morris County Freshman-Sophomore championships last Monday and at the Wayne Valentine Invitational Wednesday. She attempted 10-1 Wednesday and almost cleared the bar with the attempt.

Needless to say, it’s going to make both pole vault competitions very exciting — and could make both a total family affair.