Maggie Soars to NY State Indoor with Warsaw Club Vaulters

WARSAW, New York -- Storybook heroine Maggie Steele will be traveling to the New York State Indoor meet this weekend with eight vaulters who are ready to soar.State qualifiers from the Warsaw Pole Vault Club (PVP) received copies of Maggie Vaults Over the Moon as motivational awards in their state meet travel packages.The NYPSHSAA State Indoor will be held Saturday, March 1, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.In the young adult novel by Grant Overstake, a gutsy farm girl from tiny Grain Valley, Kansas overcomes hardships and soars to new heights as a pole-vaulter. The novel climaxes at the Kansas State Track and Field Championships, the largest track meet in the nation.The story has been endorsed by US Olympians and coaches for its inspiring message to young people, including Warsaw Club Coach Michael Auble, who liked the story so much he wanted all of his state qualifiers to have a copy."I can't think of a better book to put in the hands of a state-bound pole vaulter," Overstake said. "After reading about Maggie, I know these athletes will be ready to soar."According to Coach Auble, all of this year's indoor qualifiers are school record-holders at their respective high schools, and finished in the top three to qualify for the state meet. In fact, Warsaw Club vaulters dominated the sectional competition!

In section 5, the club took five of six possible spots. In Section 6, it took three of six possible spots. In all, eight out of 12 of the best vaulters in Western New York are Warsaw Club vaulters.  (Two of the the other section 6 qualifiers have also trained at PVP but are not currently training due to the long winter drive).

"I'm incredibly proud of this group of kids-quite possibly one of my favorites due to the cohesiveness, coachability and work ethic," Auble said. "This whole pole vault adventure has introduced us to some wonderful people.  Much like Maggie, the journey has been filled with ups and downs, but it's an incredibly rewarding ride."

Over the past decade or so, more than 300 pole-vaulters, including the 2014 state indoor meet qualifiers, have found their way to the Warsaw Pole Vault Club's "Pole Vault Playground" located in the Auble family's backyard on Lindwood Street in the Village of Warsaw, in Western New York."While Warsaw, New York is a much different setting than Grain Valley, Kansas, it's the kind of place where a pole-vaulting farm girl like Maggie would feel right at home," Overstake said."Maggie braved some pretty cold winter weather to pursue her dreams," he added. "But like the Warsaw Club vaulters, she found a place to vault indoors in the winter months. Come spring, I know Maggie would love to vault in the Pole Vault Playground, for sure."Maggie Vaults Over the Moon has been endorsed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) and is available in paperback and ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound. (See links at right).