Maggie Soars to Sunny California for Valley Vaulters Halloween Vault
Storybook heroine Maggie Steele is winging her way West for the fourth annual Valley Vaulters Halloween Vault this weekend in beautiful Murrieta, California.
The event, sponsored by the Valley Vaulters pole-vault club will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26th at Murrieta Valley High School.
It promises to be an awesome experience for Maggie, who'll share the sun-drenched awards stand with some of the Golden State's most talented young athletes.
Copies of the inspiring novel, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon will be presented to the top finishers in the fun-filled event.
"Maggie has been all over the country and the world," said author Grant Overstake. “But she's never been to sunny Southern California, which is a hotbed for pole-vaulting, especially at the Valley Vaulters club.”
Maggie Vaults Over the Moon is the story of a gutsy Kansas farm girl who overcomes hardships and soars to new heights as a pole-vaulter. Her inspiring story has been endorsed by US Olympic vaulters, school counselors, teachers, and many top coaches — including Valley Vaulters' Coach Charles Chapman.
"We are very excited to have 'Maggie' join us for our Halloween Vault," Coach Chapman said. "There are a growing number of youth in our area showing interest in the vault and I believe 'introducing' them to Maggie at our event is an excellent idea."
Athletes at the Valley Vaulters club get excellent instruction from Coach Chapman. They also make annual trips to the Stacy Dragila Pole Vault Camp held at the nearby Olympic Training Center in San Diego.
In a recent newspaper interview, Coach Chapman said pole-vaulting is a lot like life: "The bar represents the problems out there, and they have these tools to overcome that bar."Which, of course, is music to Maggie's ears. Kirkus Reviews calls Maggie's story, "A fine young adult novel about perseverance in sports and in life."
"It's remarkable to consider how much Coach Chapman's attitude about the sport mirrors Maggie's," Overstake said. "He has been a huge Maggie fan from Day One."If you visit the Valley Vaulters Facebook page, you'll see that he always makes room for Maggie's posts and photos, which has been so important to her great success in the pole-vault community.The Chapman family has had some remarkable "Maggie Moments" of its own. The coach's son, Peter, struck California gold by winning the State Championship in 2012, soaring to a height of 16-4, making him the first Murrieta Valley High School state champion in the school's history.Peter then signed with South Dakota University where he's coached by Olympian Derek Miles at one of the best programs in the nation. Peter capped off his freshman campaign last season by winning the Summit League outdoor pole vault title with a vault of 16-8.
Murrieta, located in southwestern Riverside County, is one of the fastest growing cities in the Inland Empire region. The region boasts outstanding youth sports programs, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, street hockey, cheer leading. and golf.The weather is almost always perfect for outdoor activities, with average highs of 77 to 91 degrees. Despite all the other outdoor activities to choose from, pole-vaulting has become one of the most popular sports. So popular, that Coach Chapman holds three different workouts for vaulters of various abilities, year-round at Valley Vaulters.
