Katie James a Yr 10 student from Sturminster Newton High School has reached the qualifying standards for the ESSA English Schools' championships 2009. Katie, who was a keen athlete and already a competing hurdler started at the Pole Vault Academy run by Dave Pearson (Dorset County PV Coach) and Trudi Carter in January 2007 after she was invited to a Pole vaulting taster session by Kay Evans SSCo. She became the Junior Girls' (U15) Dorset County Pole Vault Champion that summer clearing 1m 80cm.

In 2009, in her first year as an U17G competitor, Katie decided to concentrate on 80m and 300m Hurdles and Pole Vault. Katie became the Dorset Schools Intermediate Girls' (U17) pole vault champion clearing 2m 40cm, and gained the entry standard for English Schools Championships a week later when coming joint second at the SW Schools Championships in Exeter, with an improved 2m 70cm.  

As a result this weekend she represented Dorset at Pole Vault in the English Schools National Championships in Sheffield and equalled her PB with a clearance of 2m80 finishing 12th overall. With her Personal Best now at 2m80 she has now set herself the target of 3m.

With 2012 just around the corner who knows?