Rapsis surprises self with win

MERRIMACK – Victoria Rapsis thought her shot at first place in the pole vault was gone.

The Nashua High School South was down to her final attempt at 9-feet, 6-inches during Friday’s Class L track and field championship and the odds were stacked against her.

Although she’d cleared the height in practice, Rapsis had never cleared 9-6 in a meet. Add on that she was breaking in a new pole at a track that she didn’t usually perform well at and . . .

“I thought I was done,” she said. “It’s stressful coming down to that last jump. I was kind of bummed out, but then I listened to my coach, who told me to bring my hips up more and bring my head back. I went in and went over. I wanted to cry, it was so exciting.”

And just like that, Rapsis had reached a new height in the pole vault.

“I usually don’t do my best at Merrimack,” Rapsis said. “I was kind of nervous. I’m using a new pole. I was really bending my 120 pole, so I moved to a 130. I felt 10 times better after I did a couple of jumps.”

With a previous best of 9-1, which had her seeded second in the meet, had resigned herself to finishing in the same spot. Even without a win in the pole vault, she’d still make it to the Meet of Champions, and that was all right.

“If I got second again, I’m going to move on to the Meet of Champions, so I’m not really that worried,” she said. “When we hit nine feet, there were a bunch of us who were tied for first place. I had skimmed the bar when I went over 9-6, so I was shocked that I made it.”

And to make the win more meaningful, it came on her mother’s birthday.

“I didn’t even know what to expect and I was so excited,” Rapsis said. “It was pretty amazing.”