When Allison Stokke was just 17 years old, a photograph changed the course of her pole vaulting career, and her life. We all want to be recognized for her hard work and determination, but her sudden fame was completely out of her control. You won’t guess what she had to do to get her life back together and start to believe in herself again.
Growing up Athletic
Allison Stokke was like any other high school athlete in a small town. She grew up in an athletic household with her parents and older brother. Her brother David was a competitive gymnast, so her parents assumed that she would delve into that sport as well, but that wasn’t the case.
A Passion for Pole Vaulting
Allison’s passion for pole vaulting was unexpected, but welcome. She started competing locally by the time she was 13-years-old and she soon beat school records that were accomplished by students much older than her.
She Wowed the Crowd
Stokke became one of the youngest pole vaulting stars of her time. With practice and dedication, she was able to set a record by 15 years old, vaulting 12 ft 6 in and winning the US title in return.
Modeling on the Side
Stokke’s natural beauty also helped her earn some extra cash during her senior year of high school. Her fit physique lead her to nab some work with popular athletics brands and sports photographers.
A Broken Leg Didn’t Stop Her Career
After beating a national record, her vaulting career continued to soar to new heights. But, in her junior year of high school, she broke her leg, which caused her to lose some practice time. Surprisingly, she was quick to regain her pace and beat her own record with a vault of 13 ft 6 3/4 in.
‘With Leather’ Sought Her Out
In 2007, With Leather was a popular sports blog that had a pretty substantial male fanbase. The viral site was known for its objectification of women, particularly in the sports arena, and Stokke was next on their list of targets.
The Photo That Started it All
"I feel like me and that picture are two different people," Stokke said. "I feel it has taken on a life of its own. It's like that picture is my alter-ego and sometimes I feel like I use it for a positive force, and sometimes I just choose to leave it out there and not engage with it."
Spread Like Wildfire
In 2007, the photo of Stokke was taken by a journalist for a California track and field news site. That is the photo that soon found its way onto the sports blog and immediately caught the attention of its male audience.
She Got Tons of Followers
Stokke became the subject of a tribute site, which posted several images of her in pole vaulting competitions. From there, the images spread through social media, and fan sites cropped up that garnered thousands of followers.
Her Guess Was Wrong
Allison’s family hoped that the focus on her daughter would soon start to die down, but with time it only strengthened. Even though the internet’s typically has a short attention space, their fight against the onslaught of negative attention seemed to never end when weeks and months passed without a change.
The Photo Keeps Circulating
Not only did her photo catch the attention of internet audiences around the world, but it soon started to be reported on by reputable news organizations, as well. Publications from around the world, including small German newspapers weighed in on the story. Within a few weeks, Stokke no longer had any anonymity.
Her Fans Crossed a Line
A million search engine results. Numerous fan sites devoted to Stokke’s physical appearance. Emails and photo requests. Stokke had become an unwilling sex symbol, and for some internet fans, obsession became the next logical step.
She Needed Help
The problem soon became widespread enough that her family needed to seek outside help. Stokke’s mother hired a media consultant to help the situation and keep Allison’s public image safe from scrutiny.
This Video Only Made the Problem Worse
To shift the focus away from the viral photo, Stokke participated in an interview on pole vaulting techniques. The video soon gained hundreds of thousands of views, worrying Stokke and her family again that the attention may be misplaced.
The Comments Told a Different Story
Unfortunately, the comments section of Stokke’s YouTube interview remained in a very dark place. Rather than a discussion on her abilities as a pole vaulter, the majority of the comments instead focused on her sexual desirability.
Her Father Stepped In
Allan Stokke, Allison’s father, soon became involved in a big way. He scoured the comments being made about his daughter to try and find something that could potentially bring about the litigation he felt his daughter deserved. He also attempted to shut down the fansites that only doted on his daughter’s looks.
CBS Ran Her Story
To change the narrative and bring Allison’s opinions on the matter to light, CBS aired a story highlighting her experience and bringing attention to people who are unwillingly sexualized on the internet.
She Found Herself in the Same Position
Stokke never asked to be a sex symbol, and she unwillingly found herself in that exact position. She found the constant leering “creepy” and “scary” and felt the need to ensure doors were locked behind her.
Allison Got Angry
Stokke simply wanted her audience to focus on her athletic abilities, not her looks. The unwanted attention felt belittling and demeaning to Stokke, so she focused her attention on her studies and tried to stay out of the way of more public attention for a while.
Freshman Year
Although her life changed significantly during her athletic career, Stokke continued to compete through high school and college. During her first year at UC Berkeley, she broke a school record with a vault of 13 ft. 5 ¾ in.
Maintaining Her Privacy
By junior year, Stokke took a more academic focus on college. While she continued to compete athletically, by her senior year at Berkeley, she only came in eighth again at the Pac-10 Championships and didn’t even qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Olympic Dreams
Sadly, her personal best of 14 ft 3 1/2 in wasn’t enough for her to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 2012. In the years that followed, her career wavered and Stokke continued to compete, but she couldn’t reach the heights that she used to.
On Her Own Terms
In the following years, Stokke continued to compete but she also began to focus more heavily on her modeling career, doing campaigns for brands like Nike, Uniqlo and GoPro. Her modeling background gave her experience in front of the camera and her incredible strength gives her a perspective on athletics that few have.
She Found What She Was Looking For
In 2017, Stokke began dating professional golfer Rickie Fowler. Like Stokke, Fowler was something of an athletic prodigy, having been ranked the number one amateur golfer in the world for 37 weeks before hitting his 20s. The two became engaged in June.
She’s Still Active
Even though the attention she received early on in her career may have changed the course of her life, it didn’t stop Allison from fulfilling her goals and achieving some great milestones including placing third in pole vaulting at the 2017 Austin Longhorn Invitational.