About Us



Coaching Model and Philosophy:
We take a simple and bio-mechanically compatible approach to training event specifics and pair that with holistic coaching to produce results and prepare athletes for the rest of their careers. With plenty of perfect pertinent practice, the athletes we coach find consistent improvement that leads to personal bests. Holistically speaking we value all aspects of training, not just the physical or technical elements. We believe that the mental, emotional, nutritional, and in some cases even spiritual parts of a person need to be addressed to achieve one's full potential. For athletes training with us who really want to max out their capabilities, we enjoy exploring their areas of potential improvement and helping to strengthen their weaknesses. This can consist of better eating, sleep hygiene, and performance psychology habits as well as various other topics, depending on the individual athlete's needs.

Meet our coaching staff:
Fleigle's Flyers are led by Esther Fleigle and her partner, Matthew Fleigle.

As a coaching staff Fleigle's Flyers:
33 years coaching MSHSL
7 years coaching NCAA
years USATF Junior Olympics 
3 years USATF National Junior World Qualifiers 
1 year IAAF U20 World Championships
2 MN All-Time State Records 
        Julia Fixsen, pole vault, 13'11'1/4", 2018. 
        Jarod White, pole vault, 16'8 3/4", 2022.

USATF Junior Olympics
12 Indoor State Champions
14 Outdoor State Champions
67 Regional Qualifiers
7 Regional Champions
29 National Qualifiers
8 All-Americans

USATF Junior Olympic Region 8 girls age 13-14 meet record height of 10ft 2in
USATF Junior Olympic MN State boys age 15-16 meet record height of 13ft
USATF Junior Olympic Region 8 boys age 15-16 meet record height of 14ft 7in
USATF Junior Olympic MN State girls age 17-18 meet record height of 13ft

New Balance Indoor Nationals
8 Qualifiers
2 All-Americans
USATF National Junior World Qualifiers
4 Qualifiers
2nd, 3rd, and 6th place finishes
IAAF U20 World Championships
1 Qualifier
7th place in the World!

[2018 IAAF U20 World Championships. Julia Fixsen, 2023 NCAA Outdoor Champion.]



Coach Esther Fleigle                                                              

 
Esther Fleigle
Head Coach and CEO

                 
Esther is a Concordia St. Paul alumni and the current pole vault indoor and outdoor school record holder for CSP. During her career as a golden bear, she provisionally qualified for Nationals six times and was the first Concordia track and field athlete to participate in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. Esther graduated from Concordia with a Studio Art major and a Design minor. She currently works as a freelance artist in the Minneapolis area, is CEO of Fleigle's Athletics, coaches Vertical and Horizontal jumps, and works with male and female multi-athletes. Esther specializes in the vertical jumps but also oversees all of Fleigle's Athletics operations. Esther is enthusiastic, holistic, and knowledgeable in the sport. She enjoys working with rookies to seasoned veterans. Her goal is to develop athletes to achieve their full potential. Esther aims to empower young athletes to take on their futures with confidence.

She has been coaching track and field for 10 years.

As a club, Esther has worked to develop a proven system to better not only high school students but any hardworking student-athlete with a focused mindset. With this system, Esther is working to push MN in the direction of track and field national significance. She applies this concept to not only repeat club participants but every athlete who delights in training with her. She is dedicated to building the MN Pole Vaulting and Track and Field Community.

Esther is USATF level 2 certified and is a USATF registered coach with interest in pursuing certifications in performance psychology.

During her time coaching high school, her athletes achieved;
8 All-Conference
2 Conference Champions
5 All-Section
2 State Qualifiers
2 All-State
Boys School Record 14'6" (Irondale High School)

Coach Matt Fleigle                                                                  

Matthew Fleigle 
Co-Head Coach
    
A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology and has dedicated his time to sports performance and excellence.

 Coaching Expertise

Philosophy
Emphasis on bio-mechanically compatible training methods
Holistic coaching approach for well-rounded athlete development
Focus on mental, emotional, and nutritional, aspects for optimal performance.



Certifications
  • USA Track and Field Level 1
  • USA Track and Field Level 2 (Jumps)
  • USA Weightlifting Level 1

USATF Registered Coach and Official


Professional Experience

Mounds View High School, Girls Pole Vault Coach (17 years)

Achievements:
  • Section 5AA Assistant Coach of the Year (2018)
  • Girls School Record: 13’ 9 ¼”
  • Hamline Elite Meet Record (Girls): 13’ 3”
  • Suburban East Conference Meet Record (Girls): 13’ 4”
  • MSHSL State Meet Record (Girls): 13’ 9 ¼”
Team Accomplishments:
  • 16 True Team Section Championships
  • 4 True Team State Championships
  • 8 Conference Championships
  • 8 MSHSL Section Championships
  • 1 MSHSL State Championships
Athlete Achievements:
  • 21 All-Conference 
  • 8 Conference Champions
  • 9 Section Champions
  • 17 State qualifiers
  • 10 All-State Athletes
  • 2 Individual MSHSL State Meet Champions


Fleigle’s Flyers, Track and Field Coach (6 years)


Minnesota All-Time Girls High School Record 4.25m (13’ 11 ¾”)

Minnesota All-Time Boys High School Record 5.10m (16’ 8 ¾”)


USATF Junior Olympics Athlete Achievements:

  • 12 Indoor State Champions

  • 14 Outdoor State Champions

  • 67 Regional Qualifiers

  • 7 Regional Champions

  • 29 National Qualifiers

  • 8 All-Americans

  • 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 8th place finishes


New Balance Indoor Nationals Athlete Achievements:

  • 8 National Qualifiers

  • 2 All-American


USATF National U20 World Championships Qualifiers Athlete Achievements:

  • 4 National Qualifiers

  • 1 World Championships Qualifier

  • 2nd, 3rd, and 6th place finishes


IAAF U20 World Championships Athlete Achievements:

  • 12th place finish prelims

  • 7th place finish finals

  • 7th in the World



Concordia University St. Paul, Assistant Track and Field Coach (4 years)

Achievements:
  • Men’s Indoor School Record: 4.75m (15’ 7”)
  • Men’s Outdoor School Record: 4.81m (15’ 9 ¼”)
Athlete Achievements:
  • 6 NSIC Indoor All-Conference
  • 6 NSIC Outdoor All-Conference
  • 1 NSIC Outdoor All-Conference Runner-up
  • 1 NSIC Outdoor All-Conference Champion

3 Provisional NCAA DII National Qualifiers



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