During her senior season this spring, Gatto broke a 19-year-old school record. Then, she broke it again. And again. And again. And again. In early April at War Memorial Field, she didn’t break Emily Thomas’ 2005 record of 9 feet, 6 inches once, but four times. Gatto vaulted 9-7, 10-1, 10-7 and 11-1. She broke her own record a month later — vaulting 12 feet in winning the 38-team Altoona Mt. Lion Classic at Mansion Park.

She finished second at the District 10 2A meet at Slippery Rock University to advance to the PIAA meet at Shippensburg University.

All of these accolades wrapped up in a ball equal great. If you add in the fact she did it in only her second year of pole vaulting — and coming off of ankle reconstruction surgery, her progress was astounding.

Her pole vault coach, Joe Sanford, has been coaching since 1979, and claims he’s only seen such a “rapid rate of improvement” once before.

Submitted photo Warren’s Laney Gatto will compete at the collegiate level with Westminster College.

It almost didn’t happen. How different would things be if Gatto didn’t give pole vaulting a try after her sophomore year? She certainly wouldn’t be competing for Westminster College’s women’s track and field team beginning this fall.

“Coach Sanford asked Laney a few years ago to try pole vault when they met at (Laney’s brother) Jude’s basketball game,” said Alicia, Laney’s mom.

Sanford has been called “the godfather of McDowell track and field” by the Erie high school’s succeeding head coach Joe Yuhas. McDowell’s head track and field coach from 1989 to 2010, Sanford brought his pit and poles to Warren, in part, to work with his grandchildren, Leyton and Luci Salvatore.

“Warren didn’t have a pole vault program,” said Sanford. “They do now.”

At first, Gatto said no, according to Sanford.

“Since WAHS didn’t have a pole vault pit and coach, she told him she wasn’t interested,” said Alicia of Laney. “Once she learned that he was joining the coaching staff, she jumped right in.”

Laney had a late start as she was focusing on diving on WAHS’ swim team during the winter season of her junior year. She earned a fourth-place diving medal at the D10 meet.

“When I decided to give pole vault a try, I joined other athletes at Coach Sanford’s ‘Vertical Village,’ where he and ‘Mrs. Coach’ had a pole vault pit and training equipment set up in their yard,” said Laney. “At that time, I was recovering from an ankle reconstruction following a significant gymnastics injury where I tore three ligaments. I was limited to certain fundamentals since I was still wearing a boot and a brace. After a handful of practices with Coach, it was time to begin winter sports. It was then I decided to join the swim team as a first-time diver. When diving ended and spring sports began in the spring of 2023, I decided to direct my focus on pole vault, especially since my longer sprinting and jumping events caused too much strain for my ankle.”

Despite the late start, Coach Sanford saw “potential there,” especially with Gatto consistently showing up to practices even before she was cleared to jump.

“Because she couldn’t jump, she did drill after drill … non-running drills,” said Sanford. “It told me an awful lot.”

With all of her drive and determination, she pushed forward.

“The pole vault is unlike any other athletic venture,” he said. “There are corrections that are made after every jump. There are affirmations that are made after every jump.”

While Gatto already had speed and an ability to jump high, “the take-off, plant, they were going to take more time,” said the pole vault coach.

“After ending my junior season with a personal best of 9 feet, I continued to work with Coach Sanford throughout the summer and into the fall of my senior year,” said Gatto. “By then I was quite determined to achieve new goals, so instead of diving again, I chose to practice with Coach Sanford at the HUB (in Russell) during the winter months. Coach spent numerous hours traveling for practices and then for my indoor meets at Edinboro and Youngstown State University. I achieved my indoor personal best at YSU with a 10-6 jump, giving me even more reason to ‘stay hungry,’ as Coach would always remind me.”

Sanford would also tell her that “great pole vaulters are made during the summer … She bought in, big-time.”

From strength training to practice after practice, “what I saw was an improvement in the technique that was needed,” said Sanford.

That technique included advancing from a 12-foot to a 13-foot bendable pole.

“There wasn’t any let-up in her,” said Sanford. “She’s a tenacious competitor … You can tell by the attitude what the altitude is going to be.”

One of Gatto’s biggest goals was to break Warren’s pole vault record.

“Since I began vaulting late in high school, I only had one more season left to break the school record and achieve my goals,” she said. “I knew I had to stay super focused and work really hard. I was prepared to dedicate a lot of time to training, which included lifting weights and following Coach Sanford’s organized and methodical vault schedules. Coach and I also reviewed the videos of my jumps I took at practices and meets. This allowed Coach to break down each jump and correct my mistakes while always emphasizing what I did well.

“When I thought about breaking the record, I didn’t want to clear it a little, I wanted to go much higher,” added Gatto. “I became aware of the school record during my junior year, and I wanted to break it before I graduated. On April 9, we had a meet against Union City. This was a special meet because Coach Sanford and I practiced and competed at indoor meets with Union City’s Lucas Myer and his dad, ‘Coach Daryl.’ They have also been extremely supportive of me and I am grateful for their friendship. When I made the record-breaking jump of 9-7, I honestly had no idea because I wasn’t even paying attention to the height. After that, I went on to clear 10-1, 10-7 and 11-1. After this meet, I was unable to vault to my best ability for about two weeks. I persevered and kept working toward my new goals of higher heights. I was finally able to accomplish the next goal at the Altoona Invitational on May 3 when I cleared 12 feet. I felt relieved and excited to be able to PR again after those difficult couple weeks.”

There have been highs and lows in such a short time. Her school-record mark would have been good enough for third at the PIAA meet. Bermudian Springs’ Lilyana Carlson won the state title at 13 feet.

“Although states was frustrating and disappointing for me, I was also grateful to have had the experience,” said Gatto. “I was happy to have made it with several team members, especially our 4-by-100 relay. We worked really hard to earn that trip, so it was nice to see it pay off.”

Sanford points out that Gatto ranked 13th in the state with her 12-foot height.

“Thank goodness she’s going to a place with a great pole vault reputation (at Westminster),” he said. “It’s a perfect place for her to go. I will continue to help her as much as I can.”

Gatto calls Sanford “a blessing.”

“I am so glad he started coaching Warren, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with him,” she added. “I have so much respect for Coach. He is extremely knowledgeable, optimistic, and patient, especially when some days were more challenging than others. If it weren’t for Coach Sanford, none of this would have been possible for me.

“Coach Sanford never gave up on me,” added Gatto. “He believed in me every step of the way, and always reminded me of that. I also had tremendous support from Coaches Kevin, Cody, Tanner, Mark and Michelle, as well as from my family. I would do it all over again, but the only regret I have is not starting sooner.

“I was initially introduced to the idea of Westminster College by Coach Sanford when he spoke highly of their pole vault coach, Bradi Rhoades,” said Gatto. “Coach Rhoades has received many accolades and is a well-known NCAA vault coach. Due to the complexity of the event, making a decision to pole vault in college is largely based on the coaching. I have so much faith and trust in Coach Rhoades as well as head coach Tim McNeil. I know I will be in good hands. I look forward to training and competing with talented teammates and a great coaching staff. I am excited to start working with everyone and I believe Coach McNeil and Coach Rhoades can help me achieve some big goals at the collegiate level. Although my new focus at the higher level has been pole vault, there has been some discussion about sprinting as well.”

She’s a versatile athlete.

“Laney was a competitive (USAG) gymnast for 10 years at Falconer Flyers in Falconer, New York,” said Alicia. “She qualified for states and medaled each year. More important than the medals, what she received is the incredible foundation that was built at that gym and from her coaches. She learned discipline, commitment, work ethic, and how to persevere through challenges. Physically, she trained incredibly hard over the years. Laney is the girl who wants difficult workouts, coaches and sports that challenge her. If she ever left a practice where she wasn’t ‘pushed,’ she would not be happy.”

She’s wired to be a pole vaulter.

“I love pole vault for many reasons, specifically the challenges of each jump and constantly setting new goals,” said Gatto.

“Her strength, flexibility, and body awareness contributed largely to pole vault, and the challenges of the event left her longing for more,” said Alicia. “Laney was forced to quit gymnastics after her ankle injury. I’ll never forget when her surgeon, Dr. Deimel, sat her down and discussed her future goals with sports. After discussing track and field, Dr. Deimel reassured her that she would come out stronger and faster. Little did we know at that time, sprinting was not going to be her main event. I have watched Laney face physical adversities over the years and I never doubted her ability to overcome each one. In fact, I would tell her it’s just part of her story and one day it will all make sense. I am so proud of her, not only for her success, but most importantly for her hard work and grit. While I often wish she wouldn’t be so hard on herself, I also understand that characteristic is why and how she keeps going.”

Laney’s father, Robert Gatto, said she “has an amazing ability to channel that energy methodically into her training regiments. Even now in the off-season, she makes sure her brother and I accompany her to the gym on a regular basis.”

“I am happy that my little brother, Seth, has also started working with Coach Sanford,” said Laney. “It’s great that he gets to start from a young age. His work ethic will definitely improve with Coach Sanford’s guidance.”

Coach Sanford hopes Laney’s success will inspire boys and girls in the county to compete in pole vault.

“We have watched an incredible coach-athlete relationship bloom between Coach Sanford and Laney,” said Alicia. “It’s like a rare gem. They have the utmost respect for each other and make an amazing team. Coach has played a huge role in Laney’s life by believing in her from day one, praying with her before every meet, pushing her to do better, celebrating her accomplishments and encouraging her to pursue pole vault in college. We always knew Laney would be late getting home from practice or a meet because she would never leave that track until Coach’s truck was loaded up and she had the opportunity to listen to his final recap before leaving.

“We loved going to meets and watching other coaches, vaulters and their families swarm around Joe,” added Alicia. “There are no words to describe the impact he has had on hundreds of people. It has been such a pleasure to witness.”

But, from a distance, while we witnessed a rising star in pole vault, mom witnessed only Coach Stanford’s reaction. Only moms would understand; Alicia was too nervous to watch.

“This is how I knew what kind of day she was having,” said Alicia. “The tell-tale sign of a good day? Coach’s clapping, thumbs up or his famous fist pump.”

One more round of applause for a quick study, whose professional goal is to earn a law degree. She’s also excited about her plans to study abroad while at Westminster.

And a fist pump to Coach Sanford, who helped Warren resurrect an event after 16 years.

Sanford, of Union City, had been synonymous with McDowell track and field and was inducted into the Metropolitan Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

He’ll continue traveling to Warren and working with Laney.

“They start practice again this week,” said Alicia.