BITTER BUILTPERFORMANCENOAH BITTER / FOUNDER & COACH
From feeling overlooked to competing on the NCAA stage. This is the journey behind a simple belief: your starting point doesn’t get to write your whole story.
Let’s talk about your story ↗
IN MY OWN WORDS
MIAMI, FLORIDA
I grew up in Miami and competed at John A. Ferguson High School. As a junior, I finished sixth in the state in pole vault. I had ambition, but I wasn’t a headline recruit. At times, I felt like a nobody trying to figure out how to become somebody in my sport.
Then COVID cancelled my senior season. The year I wanted to use to show how far I could go was gone. My route forward didn’t look like the one I had pictured.
POLE VAULT MIAMI (PVM)
Pole Vault Miami was at my school. That access gave me the opportunity to keep showing up, train consistently, and learn from David Chandler and PVM. Their coaching, together with the consistency I built there, was a big reason I improved when I did.
I did not develop on my own. Having guidance close to home and returning to the work again and again helped me build the foundation for what came next. That experience is why I care so much about helping athletes understand the work and build habits they can sustain.
TIFFIN, OHIO
I left Miami for Tiffin University, a Division II program in Ohio. It meant leaving home, adjusting to a different environment, and working through difficult stretches while holding onto my goal of competing at Division I.
With the help of great coaches, I reached the national top 25 in Division II pole vault during my freshman indoor season. I cleared 4.98 meters, but missed the mark I needed for nationals by just two centimeters. I knew what it felt like to work for something and come painfully close.
TAMPA, FLORIDA
I kept developing and ultimately transferred to the University of South Florida. Coming back to Florida as a Division I athlete meant more because I knew what it had taken to get there.
At USF, I reached top-100 NCAA Division I status in pole vault in two consecutive years and competed in the NCAA East First Round in 2024 and 2025. I became part of four American Athletic Conference championship teams and won my own conference pole vault title in 2025.
BACK TO THE PURPOSE
The result is only part of the story. So are the missed opportunities, uncertainty, adjustments, and people who kept teaching me. I know what it’s like to feel overlooked and still believe there is more ahead.
My coaches helped me understand things I couldn’t see on my own. I want to pass that on: the explanations I was fortunate to receive, and the clarity I wish I’d had earlier. You should understand the purpose of the work, how to approach it, and what the next step could be.
THE WORK BEHIND THE STORY
Individual progress. Team success. Experiences that now inform the way I coach.
5.25m personal best; first place in USF’s conference podium sweep.
Third place with a 5.11m indoor personal best.
Silver medal with a 5.15m clearance.
Conference silver medal.
Qualified and competed in consecutive outdoor seasons.
Reached national top-100 status in two consecutive years.
Member of USF’s men’s indoor and outdoor championship teams in both years.
Freshman indoor pole vault season; 4.98m best and an NCAA DII provisional qualifying mark.
NO ONE BUILDS ALONE
I’m grateful to the coaches and mentors who invested in my development. Their guidance is part of what I carry into my own coaching.
David’s coaching and having PVM at my school helped me train consistently—a major part of why I improved when I did.
My coach during the Division II chapter of my development.
My pole vault coach and mentor at USF.
The track and field program leader I trained under at USF.
Part of the strength and conditioning foundation I learned at USF.
These are acknowledgments of my own coaching background. Bitter Built Performance is an independent business.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU
I want you to feel comfortable asking why. To understand a cue instead of just hearing it. To know how a session connects to your goal. And to leave with more clarity about what you’re working toward.
Whether you’re an adult learning to lift, a young athlete finding confidence, or a competitor dreaming about college, your goal deserves attention and an honest conversation. My path won’t be your path. Let’s discover what yours could look like.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS HERE
What would it mean to reach that goal? Tell us what you’re dreaming about, what’s getting in the way, and where you want to go. Let’s talk about the possibilities.
Call Noah ↗