Olivia Barr is something of a fish out of water a bit when it comes to high school track-and-field.
The rising senior at Arlington’s Wakefield High School is a standout in multiple girls sports, especially track. Yet, maybe her best individual field event — the javelin — isn’t offered in high-school track-and-field in Virginia.
Once prohibited in Arlington County, pole vaulting is now allowed, and the event has become quite popular at two public high schools in the county.
With the 2026 outdoor spring high-school season now underway, a number of vaulters from Arlington schools, girls and boys, are expected to be among the best during regular-season and postseason meets.