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What would you do if, at the age of 17, thousands of people tried to form their opinion of you? That's what happened to pole vaulter Allison Stokke, but thanks to a great support system of family and friends, she was able to keep her mental health in check.
Read on to learn more about Allison Stokke and how she became a viral sensation with a controversial photo that nearly ended her career.
Who is Allison Stokke?
Allison Rebecca Stokke Fowler is an American fitness model and track and field athlete. She was a pole vaulter known for breaking many records, from her high school days to her college days.
Allison Stokke was born on March 22, 1989, so she would be 32 years old in 2021. She was born to Allan & Cindy Stokke & has a brother, David Stokke. They lived together as a family in Newport Beach, California.
WHERE DID ALLISON GO TO SCHOOL?
Allison Stokke attended Newport Harbour High School and later joined the University of California at Berkeley to study sociology on an athletic scholarship.
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ALLISON STOKKE POLE VAULTING
Allison Stokke's love for pole vaulting began at a very young age when she was born into a family that loved the sport. Allison Stokke's brother, David Stokke, was a professional youth gymnast. Allison once tried gymnastics as a sport, but it didn't work out. She then trained in pole vaulting, where she excelled, and decided to develop her potential.
As a high school freshman in 2004, Allison Stokke won the USA Championships when she broke the school record in the 15/16 age group by clearing 3.86 meters, which is 12 feet 8 inches. A national high school ranking was just the beginning of her athletic career.
In 2005, as a sophomore, she broke her own record, reaching 4.11 meters, which is 13 feet, 5.75 inches.
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No sooner had she stepped the 4.11 meters than she broke her leg one day during training because she miscounted her steps. Doctors advised taking a break to recover. As a result, Allison Stokke did not compete for six months.
She recovered well, and in her final season of high school, she came back stronger in her sport and placed 8th at the Junior Championships! She broke her own record again by clearing 4.14m, which is 13 feet 7 inches, and became the California state champion.
Many athletes recognized her pole vaulting accomplishments, and she was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of California, where she joined the California Golden Bears. In her second year, she was able to surpass her previous record by clearing 4.21m, which is 13 feet, 9.75 inches.
Allison Stokke competed in two NCAA Women's Division I Championships and earned All-Academic Region honours at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. She qualified for the United States with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She was also eighth at the PAC-10 Championships.
With a very determined soul, Allison Stokke always wanted to participate in the Olympics. Allison's final and lifetime record is 4.36m, which is 14 feet, 3.625 inches. She set the record in 2012 because he planned to compete in the Olympics.
Stokke did not qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in his attempt, failing to make the required pass that year. She competed at the US Olympics but did not clear the 4.25 meters required to qualify.
Allison Stokke's performance continued to decline until she ended her pole vaulting career and decided to continue working with brands as a sponsored athlete and model.
Allison Stokke’s Achievements From 2004-2017
Allison Stokke's journey was an upward spiral until 2012, when she failed to make the US Olympic team. His performance has begun to fluctuate since then. Below are Allison's achievements in the pole vault over the years:
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| Source: GreatestPhysiques.com |
- In 2004, she cleared 3.86 meters, which is 12 feet, 8 inches.
- In 2005, she cleared 4.11 meters, which is 13 feet, 5.75 inches.
- In 2006, she cleared 3.88 meters, which is 12 feet, 8.75 inches.
- In 2007, she cleared 4.14 meters, which is 13 feet 7 inches.
- In 2008, she cleared 4.11 meters, which is 13 feet, 5.75 inches.
- In 2009, she cleared 4.21 meters, which is 13 feet, 9.75 inches.
- In 2010, she cleared 4.10 meters, which is 13 feet and 5.375 inches.
- In 2011, she cleared 4.26 meters, which is 13 feet, 11.75 inches.
- In 2012, she cleared 4.36 meters, which is 14 feet and 3.625 inches.
- In 2013, she cleared 4.20 meters, which is 13 feet and 9.375 inches.
- In 2014, she cleared 3.95 meters, which is 12 feet, 11.5 inches.
- In 2015, she cleared 4.15 meters, which is 13 feet and 7.375 inches.
- In 2016, she cleared 4.16 meters, which is 13 feet, 7.75 inches.
- In 2017, she cleared 4.27 meters, which is 14 feet and 0.125 inches.
Famous Photo of Allison Stokke
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| Source: Sportsretriever.com |
One night in 2007, when Allison Stokke was 17 years old, she became an Internet phenomenon not because of pole vaulting, but because of a photo. Her photo was posted on a California tracking website and sports blog with a predominantly male audience under the headline "Solving is sexy, Barely Legal."
Allison Stokke's photo went viral and was shared online via almost all social media. The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, BBC, Der Spiegel, and several online search engines published comments.
The viral photo that became a viral sensation was captured by a California photographer. It was filmed at a track event in New York where Allison was captured preparing and warming up for the track event in which she was scheduled to compete. After this viral photo of female athlete Allison Stokke went viral, retweets and reposts from people around the world were the order of the week, and her fame continued to grow despite the fact that Allison was 17 at the time. Major media such as The LA Times, The Sydney Herald, and many others wrote blogs about him and invited him for interviews and photo shoots.
The purpose of the photo shoot was to accurately gauge Allison's beauty and body shape, but the photo almost ruined her career by getting unwanted attention instead. She had a hard time coping with her newfound fame as a young woman. Allison almost became depressed because she only wanted to be recognized for her pole vaulting technique and nothing else. Wherever he went, during her normal daily activities and successful high school sporting events, photographers flocked to him to take pictures of him from inappropriate angles. Even adults would start chasing her at such a young age.
The University of California said they could not post her photo under the athletic profile on the school's website because they first received several unverified emails from men requesting a signed copy of the photo.
The fame of this famous photo also brought good news to this young woman, Allison Stokke began to create as a sports model for modeling agencies and major sports brands. Her parents were very supportive of her dealing with media pressure and making decisions about who to team up with as an independent female athlete.
ALISON STOKKEN'S MODELING CAREER
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