It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s senior Noelle Childs soaring through the air, as she flies over the bar. Childs is not an easy opponent to defeat, she is at the very top of the competition. Childs recently became the NCHSAA 4A Indoor State Champion for girls’ pole vault. This was a tremendous accomplishment for Childs.

“It was very exciting. I had a great warm-up and jumped very well the whole meet. Everything I had been working on all season was clicking, and I felt confident. It felt like all of my hard work had paid off,” Childs said.
Track & field isn’t just a sport for Childs, it is a way to test her limits on the track.
“Track & Field means always pushing my physical and mental limits alongside my friends,” Childs said.
Child’s pole vaulting career has been a spectacular series of events, accomplishing multiple records, titles and even setting personal records during the seasons.
“My most memorable moment as a titan was my double PR last indoor season when I jumped 11’3”,” Childs said.
Pole vaulting wasn’t always what Childs had in mind. It took her friend’s encouragement for her to try the sport she had never done before. Little did they know she would be a champion in the sport they introduced her to.
“My friends from gymnastics and West Pole Vault alumni, Haley Hanes and Lindsay Absher, introduced me and brought me to my first practice at the vault house. A lot of pole vaulters were gymnasts before, including me, so I wanted to give it a try and I ended up loving it,” Childs said.
Childs has had a successful career at West, and her accomplishments show it. As she finishes her senior year, we expect her to keep growing.

Favorite food:
steak.
Personal goal:
Her goal for this season is to jump 11’6” and to just relax and have fun.
Favorite card game:
Spoons