C.B. West girls’ pole vaulter has the state record. Now, she wants the national mark.

“It was such an amazing feeling to know that I can throw my body 14 feet in the air.”

When pole vaulter Chloe Timberg launches, most eyes at her high school track and field meets are focused on the races.

Little do they know, a Pennsylvania record-setting athlete is soaring into a category all her own.

Timberg, a Central Bucks West High School senior, began challenging the state girls’ pole vault record last fall, clearing 12 feet, 9 inches before COVID-19 halted her progress. The state record of 13-7¼ wasn’t too far off, so she worked even harder toward breaking it. She started a sprinting and lifting program in October that helped her clear 13 feet, widely regarded as the elite mark in high school. Before the pandemic, she wasn’t on any program.

“I kind of realized this is something I can definitely do if I really worked for it,” Timberg said of her goal to set a new state record.

On April 17, Timberg vaulted more than six inches past the previous state record. She cleared 13-7½ to set the mark, then separated herself even more by hitting 14-2¼ on her next attempt.

“Honestly, that was very unexpected of me,” Timberg said. “I did not consider myself a 14-foot jumper at the time.”

Timberg’s coaches saw the potential. They may not have envisioned her setting a record, but they did see her physical and mental strengths.

She’s in her own league ability-wise in most local competitions, so everyone knows she’ll easily finish first. But that doesn’t mean she’s ever satisfied.

“I think pole vault is less of a competition between the other competitors and more of a competition between you and the bar. You’re always going to be humbled by [the bar] at some point.”

“I think pole vault is less of a competition between the other competitors and more of a competition between you and the bar,” Timberg said. “You’re always going to be humbled by [the bar] at some point, so that’s what I use as motivation.”

Physically, she’s one of the strongest pole vaulters her club and high school coaches have ever seen.

“Her general strength levels are absolutely amazing,” said Talen Singer, her coach at Philadelphia Jumps Club where Timberg has competed for about a year. “Being that kinesthetically aware of where she’s at in the air and being that strong just puts her in a different class. She’s not the fastest girl out on the runway, but she’s the strongest.”

Two weeks before Timber’s state-record jump, Paige Sommers of California’s Westlake High School set the national outdoor high school record by clearing 14 feet, 8½ inches, breaking the previous mark of 14-8¼. Timberg is aware, and has her sights on it.

Timberg will have at least five opportunities in competitions. Her career best is 6¼ inches shy of the national record, and, as Singer said, every inch is a foot in the pole vault after 14 feet.

“It’s a matter of getting my runs way more consistent and limiting the amount of variables at each meet,” Timberg said. “It helps my coaches a lot because they can focus more on the top end of my jumps and the technical details.”

The improvements will happen through practice, but back and shin injuries are limiting Timberg’s practice time.

“It’s only six inches away,” Scott Sherwood, her coach at Central Bucks West, said of the national record. “I think it’s something that we can work towards. I think it’s within her reach.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past her,” Singer said. “She’s training harder and smarter than she ever has.”