Community Champion: Sarah Dovenbarger

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Eastlake Falcon, Sarah Dovenbarger, will stay in the Sun City to continue her track and field career at UTEP.

The 18-year-old started pole vaulting when she was a sophomore in high school. Dovenbarger translated her extensive experience in gymnastics to pole vaulting.

Eastwood didn't own a pole vaulting mat which meant each season Dovenbarger would have to travel half an hour to an outdoor practice facility on Sundays to get her pole vaulting practice in.

All the hard work and sacrifice was worth it.

"It feels like a big accomplishment," Dovenbarger said. "Nobody else in my family has done this before so it's new to us and it's a very happy moment in my life. I knew I wanted to do athletics further on in my life but I didn't know it was going to happen until I started to get to where I am right now."

Dovenbarger has big hopes and dreams to take her skills to the Olympic stage.