BLACKSVILLE — Clay-Battelle senior Addison Ammons is headed down south.
The Cee-Bees pole vaulter and hurdler made an impressive mark during her four-year stint with the program. She was featured on the 2018 Class A shuttle hurdle relay state championship team for C-B, and earned at least a top-five finish in pole vault at the state championships each season, including back-to-back runner-up finishes her sophomore and junior years.
Ammons’ talent in the pole vault played a large role in her collegiate decision. On Thursday, she signed her letter of intent to compete for the University of West Georgia. The Wolves compete in the Gulf South Conference in Division II, and Ammons said the program’s success and coaching staff in the pole vault attracted her to the school.
“I set out to find the best coaches and the best program and that was West Georgia. I have a goal to be an All-American and compete at a national level; the coach has a lot of confidence in me and a good bit of experience, and he uses methods I’m used to,” Ammons said. “They already have an All-American on the team, so I know they can train that type of athlete. They told me they think they can get me there, too.”
Clay-Battelle coach Ted Cline, who has played a role in developing Ammons since the seventh grade, believes she has the tools to become an elite athlete in the event and will do well at the next level.
“I think she’ll be an outstanding pole vaulter at that level, and if she can continue her career with the hurdles she’ll succeed there. She’s a do-everything type of kid — she’ll do whatever a coach asks of her,” Cline said. “We’ve visited camps where they’ve said she’s potentially a 12 to 14 foot jumper with her speed. She has all the ingredients to be a good pole vaulter, and she’ll do whatever they ask her to do and give it 100%.”
Ammons has based her high school career and her progression as an athlete on the hope that she’d be able to make it to the collegiate level. Now that it’s official, she said she feels better about her future than she has in awhile.
“It feels great. Its something I’ve worked up to — my entire high school career has led up to this level. It’s a relief that I feel like my future in the sport is secure and I’ve accomplished what I set out to do,” Ammons said.
“I’m really proud of her achievements over the last four years. She’s been a joy to coach, and I’m not the type of guy that would say that if she really wasn’t. I’ve coached her since seventh grade, and she’s going to be the type of kid a program misses. I wish her all the luck in the world,” Cline added.
Cline expects that she’ll play a similar role at the next level that she did at Clay-Battelle, where she set an example of what hard work, perseverance, and dedication can achieve. He calls her a “natural leader.”
“I think she’ll turn out to be a freshman leader when she goes into that program,” Cline said. “It’s a rare thing for a kid to do what she does. You see it once or twice in a lifetime. It’s the type of kid you know is going to be successful — the type of person you’d hire. She was often the first at practice and the last to leave.”
“At the college level, it’s not just seasonal. I’m going to have to train year-round and I think I’m ready to take that next step at that level. I’ve always had dedication and a big heart for the sport, and knowing that I was able to be a state medalist makes me confident going to the next level. I think that will have me ready to train at that level,” Ammons said.
