Tori Weeks of Cabot, Arkansas cleared 14'-4" this weekend at the Arkansas Vault Club School's Out Open, a club meet held indoors during the outdoor season. The unusual setting of the clearance, though clearly outstanding, has left track and field statisticians unsure how to classify the performance.
Weeks' twin, Lexi, set the national high school record on February 22 of this year with a 14'3.25" clearance to win the USATF Arkansas Pole Vault Championship. That event was held during the indoor track and field season at an official indoor meet inside an indoor facility.
Tori's mark was held at an indoor meet inside an indoor facility, but during the outdoor track and field season. Should she be declared the indoor record holder? Or does the fact that the event was technically held during the outdoor track season preempt any record keeping?
The kicker amidst this controversy is that the real national high school record holder may not be a Weeks twin. The high schooler with the highest indoor pole vault clearance is actually Desiree Freier, who vaulted 14'-6" last spring at her Texas 5A District 3-4 Area meet. That meet was held in April as part of the regular outdoor track and field season, but the pole vault event was moved indoors due to unsafe weather conditions.
Track & Field News includes Freier's mark on the High School All-Time Indoor Top 10 List, but not as the official indoor national high school record due to question about the depth of the vault box. .
The Weeks twins graduated as co-salutatorians of Cabot High School. The Panthers' social media has publicized Tori's mark as a new national record this weekend, thereby officially recognizing Tori's indoor clearance in June as the indoor record over Lexi's indoor clearance in February.
Whoever is officially declared the national high school record holder will be a Razorback. The Weeks twins will join Freier at the University of Arkansas in the fall.
What do you think? Vote below for who should be recognized as the national high school record holder and leave a comment.
*Correction: An earlier version of this article said that Track & Field News counted Desiree Freier's 14'-6" as the indoor national high school record.