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Young Pole Vaulter’s Career Derailed After a Harmless Post

Young Pole Vaulter’s Career Derailed After a Harmless Post December 9, 2019Leave a comment

Allison Stokke started her pole vaulting career when she was a teenager, but by the time she was 19, her fame skyrocketed, leading to deals with Nike and other athletics brands. But the photo that gained her unlikely fame lead to confusion from Stokke and her family.

Her Early Life

IMAGE BY: Instagram/allisonstokke

Allison grew up in California with her parents and older brother. Her parents knew that their kids were natural athletes early on and soon, both siblings found their passion in sports. Allison proved her athletic ability at an early age. When she was growing up, her brother trained to be a gymnast, and while her parents encouraged her to follow in his footsteps, she had other plans in mind.

Her Passion Took Her Family By Surprise

IMAGE BY: Instagram/allisonstokke

Gymnastics wasn’t exactly Stokke’s thing. But it didn’t take long for her to discover pole vaulting as her sport of choice. By the time she was 15, she was well on her way to setting records.

Youngest Pole Vaulter in Her League

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Allison Stokke soon became a very successful young pole vaulter and continued to stun her parents, who didn’t expect her to become one of the most successful pole vaulters in the country. Her record of 12 ft 6 in won her a US title.

Started Modeling at 18

IMAGE BY: Instagram/allisonstokke

Stokke didn’t only have a knack for athletics, she also lent her talents to the visual medium. To make some extra money in high school, she began modeling clothing for athleisure brands.

More Records Despite a Broken Leg

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By her senior year, Stokke was being recognized as a competitive pole vaulter, in spite of having broken her leg earlier in her high school career. She also beat her own record, vaulting 13 ft 6 3/4 in, and finished eighth at the national junior championships.

“With Leather”

IMAGE BY: Instagram/allisonstokke

Stokke was targeted in 2007 by the sports blog With Leather when they posted a photo of her without her permission. The male fanbase of the site immediately started to objectify her, focusing not on her performance and talents in her field, but solely on her looks.

This Photo Changed Everything

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"I've never seen this viral thing happen to a male athlete who isn't also already the best at what they do," Stokke says. "Yes, male athletes are also hailed for being incredibly attractive, but they're usually top-ranked in the world, too."

She Went Viral

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The original photographer didn’t exactly appreciate his work being used without his permission, under the headline, “Pole Vaulting Is Sexy, Barely Legal.” He threatened to sue With Leather’s owner if it wasn’t taken down, but the photo had already spread to other sites.

She Found Fame and Followers

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By the time Stokke knew about the photo, it was because it had spread to hundreds of sites after its original posting. Stokke herself became the subject of many different fan sites and tribute pages and from then on, her life changed forever.

She Was Wrong in her Assumption

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Allison Stokke hoped that this attention would be only temporary, but it showed no signs of slowing down. Soon she would learn how to navigate her newfound fame with ease, but at first it threatened the private life she had always had with her friends and family.

Her Story Made the News

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It only took a couple of weeks before the effect of Stokke’s photos were felt around the world. Comment pieces by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, the BBC, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the German weekly Der Spiegel all reflected on Stokke’s unwanted fame.

A Million Search Results

IMAGE BY: Instagram/allisonstokke

Not only was this photo seen around the world, it also prompted a huge fan base devoted to Stokke’s every move. Millions of search engine results came up when her name was searched and dozens of fan sites soon debuted online, making certain that some of her fans had crossed the line into obsession.

Her Family Hired Help

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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.

Her First Video Went Viral

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Stokke decided to try and shift the internet’s focus back from her looks to her athletic career. She participated in an interview on pole vaulting techniques that was uploaded to YouTube, where it received over a hundred thousand views.

An Unwanted Outcome

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Her family was right to expect negative attention after the release of Stokke’s new video because as soon as comments started to be posted, it was clear that the same audience who had brought attention to her photo in the first place were continuing to focus on Stokke’s looks instead of her athletic abilities.

Dad Stepped In

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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 Revived Her Story

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Keep in mind that throughout all of this, Stokke was only 17 when the infamous photo of her was first published. To highlight the dangers of young people who are sexualized over the internet, CBS aired a story focusing on Stokke and her own personal struggle.

She Was an Unwilling Participant

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Allison was quick to realize that the attention her photo was getting seemed creepy. But soon, the constant focus on her looks also made her anxious and afraid. Stokke never asked to be a sex symbol and becoming one at such an early age changed the way that she looked at the world.

The Story Got in the Way

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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.

Still Breaking Records

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During her freshman year at UC Berkeley, Stokke broke the school record with a vault of 13 ft 5 3/4 in. By her sophomore year, she had added another 4 in to her length and finished eighth at the Pac-10 Championships and seventh at the MPSF Indoor Championships.

Junior Year

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Her experience in the public eye made Stokke want to focus on academics more heavily, so in the years that followed she earned a degree in sociology and competed mainly for her school at Berkeley.

Unable to Get onto the Olympic Team

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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.

A New Start

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Stokke has since gone on to do sportswear modeling, working for big name companies like Nike in 2015 and Uniqlo in 2016. She also did a series of videos for GoPro, which have received more than six million views on YouTube.

She Found Love— And a New Sport

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In 2019, Stokke made the news again when she married professional golfer Rickie Fowler. The two obviously have a lot in common considering they both have a passion for sports and fitness. The couple seems very happy together and Stokke often caddies for Fowler during practice.

She Won’t Let Anything Get Her Down

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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.