You’ve probably seen the name floating around on social media lately, usually sandwiched between heated arguments and political firestorms. But if you actually look at the data—the real, cold hard numbers from the 2025 track season—the story of Katie Spencer and the pole vault is a lot more nuanced than a thirty-second TikTok clip suggests. Honestly, it’s one of those situations where everyone has an opinion, but very few people have actually looked at the meet results from Cumberland, Maine.
Spencer, a student at Greely High School, basically became the center of a national conversation overnight. It wasn't just about a high school sport anymore. It became a proxy battle for the future of Title IX and the definition of fairness in athletics.
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The Performance That Sparked a National Debate
Let’s get the facts straight first. On February 17, 2025, during the Maine Class B Indoor Track & Field Championship, Katie Spencer cleared a height of 10 feet, 6 inches. That specific jump secured first place. It also gave Greely High School the team title by a razor-thin margin—literally one single point over Freeport.
If you aren't a track nerd, 10'6" might just sound like a number. In the world of Maine Class B girls' pole vaulting, it's a massive height. Spencer out-jumped the second-place finisher by a full six inches. In a sport where champions are often decided by the thickness of a crossbar or a "miss" on an earlier attempt, six inches is a lifetime.
The reason this became "news" rather than just a local sports highlight is because Spencer is a trans-identifying athlete. Before 2024, she competed as John Rydzewski. The shift from the boys' division to the girls' division happened relatively quickly, and by the time the 2025 indoor season rolled around, Spencer was dominant.
Beyond the Viral Headlines: The 11-Foot Barrier
While the 10'6" jump at the state meet got the most press, Spencer actually went higher earlier in the season. On January 31, 2025, at a multi-school meet involving Cape Elizabeth and Fryeburg, she cleared 11 feet.
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That 11-foot mark is a significant benchmark. To put that in perspective, look at the national landscape:
- An 11'0" vault is roughly top-tier for high school sophomores in smaller divisions.
- It automatically qualified her for the multistate regional championships (New Englands).
- It effectively displaced female athletes who had been training for years to reach that podium.
The pushback wasn't just from random people on the internet. Local Maine representatives, like Laurel Libby, and national organizations like Concerned Women for America, used Spencer's win as a case study. They argued that the biological advantage of male puberty—specifically upper body strength and explosive power—creates an uneven playing field in an event as technical as the pole vault.
Why Pole Vaulting is Different
In most sports, you can argue about "skill" or "finesse." In pole vaulting, physics is the final judge. Basically, the event is about converting horizontal kinetic energy (the run) into vertical potential energy (the jump).
Physics tells us that a faster run and a stronger "plant" allow a vaulter to use a stiffer pole. A stiffer pole, when bent, returns more energy. This is where the biological debate gets messy. If an athlete has higher bone density and more fast-twitch muscle fiber in the shoulders and lats, they can handle a pole that a smaller-framed athlete simply cannot flex.
One former Maine coach, Allen Cornwall, pointed out that the presence of such a dominant competitor can have a "chilling effect." There were reports that other girls at Greely High didn't even try out for the team because they knew they couldn't compete for that top spot. Whether that’s 100% true or just local gossip, it highlights the psychological tension in the locker room.
The 2026 Outlook and Legal Fallout
As we move through 2026, the ripples from that 2025 season are still being felt. The Maine Principals' Association (MPA) has found itself in the crosshairs of potential federal policy changes.
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Even the political world weighed in. After Spencer’s win, there was talk at the federal level about withholding public funding from states that allow trans athletes to compete in girls' divisions. It’s a lot of pressure to put on a high school sophomore.
Here is what the record books actually show for Spencer’s 2025 season:
- USM New Year's Invitational (Jan 4): 1st Place - 10'6"
- Greely-Cape-MT Valley Meet (Jan 31): 1st Place - 11'0" (Personal Record)
- Western Maine Conference Championship (Feb 7): 1st Place - 10'6"
- Maine Class B State Championship (Feb 17): 1st Place - 10'6"
Notably, during the 2025 outdoor season, Spencer’s recorded height was 9'0", and she was a "DNS" (Did Not Start) at the Outdoor State Championships in June. This fluctuation in performance or participation often happens due to the immense public scrutiny these athletes face.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception? That this is "just" about Maine. This case is being cited in legal briefs across the country. People often assume these athletes are "pro level," but they are kids in high school dealing with complex identity issues while trying to navigate a sport they love.
On the flip side, the "it doesn't matter" crowd often ignores the reality for the girl who finished second. For the girl who jumped 10'0" and took silver, that loss isn't just a ribbon. It’s potentially a lost scholarship opportunity or a spot on a college recruiter's radar. In a small state like Maine, those margins are everything.
How to Track This Moving Forward
If you want to stay informed on where the Katie Spencer pole vault story goes next, you have to look past the "outrage" sites and check the source data.
- Monitor Athletic.net and MileSplit: These sites host the raw data. If you want to know if Spencer is still competing or if her records are being challenged, these are the only places that provide unbiased stats.
- Follow MPA Policy Updates: The Maine Principals' Association is currently reviewing their gender equity policies. Any change here will likely set a precedent for the rest of New England.
- Look at Title IX Court Cases: There are several active cases in the First Circuit Court of Appeals that could retroactively affect how these state titles are recorded.
The conversation about Katie Spencer isn't going away anytime soon. Whether you view her as a pioneer for inclusion or a symbol of the end of women’s sports, the numbers on the scoreboard remain the same. She jumped 11 feet. She won the state title. And she changed the conversation around Maine track and field forever.