Camden Catholic pole vaulter in high spirits

Being first can be much tougher than finishing first. 

When Beatrice Daverso decided she wanted to pursue a pole vaulting journey for the Camden Catholic High School track and field team two years ago, there was no blueprint to follow. 

As the youngest of five children, no one in her family had ever tried it. No other girl in her school had done it before in an actual meet. But that wasn’t going to stop Daverso from representing the Irish in a tough event that requires a ton of training, balance, agility and determination.

On Feb. 16, the persistence paid off as Daverso took second place in the Non-Public A state championships at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River. In doing so, she eclipsed her personal best height by an entire foot by clearing the 10-foot mark.

“I just wanted to try to get a PR [personal record]. Maybe 9-6 would be good,” said Daverso, a former gymnast of about 10 years. “I just relaxed a little and had fun, and I PR’d by a foot.”

Daverso’s biggest jump came at the most important time. After she cleared 9-6 for the first time competitively, she figured 10 feet wasn’t far out of reach.

“I knew I was super close,” she said. “On my first attempt, I was over it but knocked [the bar] over. [On the next attempt], I got over it. I was super proud that I walked away in double digits, which I’ve wanted to do for two years now. That was my goal.”

Those proud moments can sometimes get a little lonely at a meet. Since Daverso is the first female pole vaulter in school history, there is no designated coach to be by her side at all times. However, head coach Anthony Harris manages some pole vault time while overseeing the whole team.

“[Harris] stays by me when I’m vaulting and takes videos and shows me how I can fix some stuff,” Daverso said.

Not far from Daverso’s home is Pivotal Training in Southampton, where twice a week, she trains there under Stockton University assistant track and field coach Todd Curll, who specializes in teaching the pole vault. 

“She’s a great girl,” Curll said. “She works hard and she never gets herself down, which can be really hard in this event. You can get kind of crushed if it doesn’t go your way. But she always stays positive. She had a really great jump, and she’s ready to go a lot higher. She’s capable of jumping well over 11 feet, and hopefully we can get her there before she graduates.”

Daverso has all the smarts and athleticism to do it. She’s an honors student at Camden Catholic, is vice president of her senior class, and was a member of the back-to-back state champion field hockey team. Her gymnast background also comes in handy when attempting a big jump. Using a pole to launch yourself more than 10 feet in the air can be scary. Not for Daverso. Even when she first started.

“I actually wasn’t too scared,” Daverso said. “After doing gymnastics and flipping backward on a beam, nothing is really scary anymore. This is just running and jumping and I don’t think about missing it. You just have to not think about it and do it.”

Courage was built from taking the bumps. During gymnastics while in seventh grade, Daverso had to overcome a few injuries including knee surgery and a broken back that she said occurred from overdoing it. Fearless on the runway, Daverso simply sees the mental aspect as the more challenging hurdle.

“It’s almost like a life skill,” Daverso said. “It’s like a challenge that you have to get over, both mentally and physically.”

Daverso will finish her winter season March 3 at the Meet of Champions at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island. She will be surrounded by talented veteran vaulters, with the winner likely ending up upward of around 12 feet. Daverso said she’s looking to soak up the atmosphere and the adventure.

“I’m just going to have fun in my last indoor meet and not worry about the height,” she said. “There’s a lot of good people there, and I’m proud of myself already. I’ll watch everyone else. They are vaulting 12, 13 and 14 feet. I love the pole vault community. We talk to each other and cheer each other on and give each other advice.”