The smallest change in wind can cause problems in pole vaulting, especially outdoors. Even a slight breeze on approach can cause a vaulter to bail.

Having to deal with the elements and other challenges has been a common theme for Katelyn Welsh, 21, a graduate student, athlete and a person. Welsh is DePaul’s first female pole vaulter since the university added women’s track and field in 1982.

“I don’t want to disappoint the people who invested so much into me, and I want to be a good teammate, and I want to be able to contribute,” she said. 

Welsh’s interest in pole vaulting came as a surprise to her. She may have chosen a different sport had it not been for a crush she had on a boy her freshman year of high school.

“I had been a diver, a gymnast, and I did the high jump,” Welsh said. “So I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll try it,’ and I realized pretty quickly that I was pretty good.”

Welsh attended the University of Rhode Island for her undergrad. Looking to pursue book publishing as her major, she said there were not that many schools that offered it. So she started searching deeper, eventually sending an email to a coach at DePaul asking, “Do you want a pole vaulter?”

“The reason I chose DePaul was because it was the only program that I could vault at,” Welsh said. 

But the publishing side was just as important to her. She noted that love of reading and writing inspired her desire to get a job in publishing.

“My mom used to have to take away my books from me at night,” Welsh said. “And she felt like she was being a bad mom for having to take my books away.”

Welsh is now a graduate student who is pursuing a master’s in writing and publishing.

David Thompson, a DePaul track and field coach, received Welsh’s email along with some videos of her performances. He said he saw something in them.

“You’ll see a lot of different things that pole vaulters and jumpers may do outside of their primary sport and track and field, so getting that video gives you a bigger picture of what type of athlete they are,” Thompson said. 

Once he received the video, he knew Welsh was someone he wanted to recruit.

The connection between coach and athlete was established early on, as both Welsh and Thompson are Washington natives who lived near Seattle.

Thompson was aware that recruiting a “first” athlete of any kind would come with some struggles. But as the recruitment process progressed, he felt confident that Welsh would thrive with that title.

“She’s really mature for her age. She’s had a lot of experience,” Thompson said. “She can handle this type of new experience that DePaul is undertaking.”

That maturity showed early on, when Welsh graduated from high school early. She then participated in a program that allowed her to attend college earlier and finished her undergrad at  age 19.

There were challenges when preparing for a pole vaulter at DePaul. Thompson had to consider the budget and logistics for the poles that Welsh would need to compete.

Welsh said that Thompson knew what she needed for equipment and drills to run. “He knew what workouts worked best for me,” she said. DePaul had also worked out a plan to shuttle Welsh to the facilities that provided her with space to practice her sport, like Gately Park and Chicago Hope Academy.

Now, after starting at DePaul in the fall quarter, Welsh’s days are a constant balancing act between school, work and being a Division I athlete. Her mornings often start with her job at a coffee shop, where she opens the store as a barista.

“I wake up at 5 a.m. to go to work and take the bus back to campus to change and get ready for practice,” Welsh said. “We jump for an hour and a half, head back to campus to lift, do homework, and have class at night from 6 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.”

This hard work doesn’t go unnoticed by her teammates.

Amelia Barrington, a junior at DePaul, is a high jumper for the track team and sees Welsh as a positive influence on the team.

“She’s truly such a wonderful friend and person,” Barrington said. “She always puts people above herself.” 

They’ve also bonded over a love of books. Welsh’s most recent read was “The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai, while Barrington is currently reading the second in Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” series, “Iron Flame.” 

Barrington said she appreciates how Welsh celebrates her teammates’ achievements with them.

Even with all the positives, it hasn’t always been easy. Welsh said she suffered from a mental block from the pressure of being DePaul’s first-ever woman pole vaulter.

“It really hit me at the beginning of the year, especially because they had bought me all new poles,” Welsh said. “It obviously costs money to ship poles to meets. It costs money to have us at a facility where we can jump.” 

This pressure affected her results in the field as well.

“It was not a very good mindset to be in, because at the end of the day, everyone wants you to do well.”

Her coaches recommended that she speak to a sports psychologist, and Welsh said that it helped both “for thinking positively” and for being more aware of her body position when she wasn’t clearing her first jumps.

Welsh said the psychologist “got me in the right place to just jump for fun, because that’s why I’m here.”

It’s not unlike the wind Welsh often faces when getting ready to jump. But Thompson is proud of the adjustments she continues to make.

“It took us some time to get there and get over the hiccups,” he said. “But I think it says more about her mental makeup and approach than anything.” 

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