Teddy Ratliff soaring high for Catlin Gabel track and field team

Ratliff is eyeing the school record in the pole vault and a return trip to the state championships

Catlin Gabel junior Teddy Ratliff soars over the bar in the pole vault competition during a Lewis & Clark League meet at Valley Catholic High School. / Dan Brood

BEAVERTON — This year, Teddy Ratliff has already soared higher than he ever had before.

Now, the Catlin Gabel junior wants to keep soaring higher and higher in the pole vault event.

In his quest to do so, Ratliff might have learned a valuable lesson when he competed at a Lewis & Clark League meet Wednesday under sunny skies at Valley Catholic High School. That lesson — don’t take part in a grueling running event right before the pole vault event begins.

Nevertheless, Ratliff triumphed in the pole vault, clearing 12 feet, 6 inches. But, he said, things possibly could have been even better.

“It went pretty well,” Ratliff said. “I ran the 300-meter hurdles right before I started competing, so my legs were kind of tired. Yeah, that makes it a little tougher.”

To his credit, Ratliff did run to victory in the 300 hurdles at Valley Catholic with a personal-best time of 44.16 seconds.

As fast as that was, the 300 hurdles seems to be the only thing that has slowed Ratliff in the pole vault this season — a process that started right when his sophomore season ended.

Ratliff is coming off a sophomore season in which he took third place in the pole vault event with a height of 13-0.75 at the 2024 Class 3A state track and field championships at Hayward Field in Eugene.

He’s already bettered that height this year, by nearly a foot, clearing a personal-best 14-0 at the Oregon Episcopal School Invite on April 17.

“I got 14 (feet) on my last meet. That’s a PR (personal record) for me,” Ratliff said. “That was a big meet, and the weather was super nice. I’d been chasing 14 for a long time now. I think all the little forms I’d been working on matched up. I turned a bit early; I jumped up better. It was a good day.”

Ratliff said it was hard work and consistency that led to his improvement this year.

“I trained a lot in the offseason,” he said. “I was at Willamette Striders (Track Club) all throughout the summer, fall and winter. That really helped me with consistency.”

As of Friday morning, Ratliff’s mark of 14-0 put him in a tie with Nyssa sophomore Brayden Draper and Burns senior Canon Winn for the top 3A pole vault mark in the state this season. But Ratliff is planning on going even higher.

“I’m hoping for 14-7, the school record (the record is 14-6, set by Zach Greenleaf in 2015),” Ratliff said. “For that, I think it’s going to take me getting on some big poles. I think I’m there. I think I can get onto a bigger pole, and I think I can get it — and maybe not do the 300 hurdles right before.”

Ratliff, in addition to going higher this year, also wants to place higher at this year’s Class 3A state championships.

“I think I’m going for the win this year,” he said. “I think I just need to be consistent with my jumps. I’ve struggled with consistency in past years, and I think I’m more consistent this year.”

Whether he wins or not, Ratliff said he just wants another chance to compete at the state meet.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “It’s always fun to be down at Hayward.”

For Ratliff, having fun is right up there with the pole vault and, sometimes, the 300 hurdles.

“I’m having fun. I love this,” he said.

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