Johnson's confidence vaults sky high

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Johnson's confidence vaults sky high


Johnson's confidence vaults sky high
At UCLA, Chelsea Johnson was one of the premier collegiate pole vaulters in the country. But during her first two seasons as a pro, she struggled to adjust to life without a coach. After a breakout last summer, Johnson is competing with a newfound confidence. She will look for more success at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday.
By Joe Battaglia, Universal Sports | Posted: Feb 3, 9:29a ET | Updated: Feb 3, 9:29a ET



NEW YORK -- After missing her first attempt of the pole vault competition at the Millrose Games, Chelsea Johnson just walked back down the runway, put her pole down, and began analytically running split seconds worth of action through her mind.

And she was totally fine with it.

Some pole vaulters travel with coaches, who sit in the stands, observe their athletes' attempts, and then in between offer instruction as to what adjustments might need to be made. It was a luxury Johnson had also become accustomed to during her successful collegiate career at UCLA.

But when she hit the professional circuit three years ago, and that security blanket was no longer there, Johnson really struggled being on her own.

In 2007, Johnson placed fifth at the U.S. Outdoor Nationals and finished ranked sixth in the U.S. by Track & Field News with a season-best clearance of 4.57m/15-0. In 2008, she took third at the U.S. Indoor Championships but was only seventh at the Olympic Trials.

"After college, I struggled on the professional circuit, and had trouble finding my niche," Johnson, 26, said. "You're alone a lot, barely ever have a coach with you. I'm big on team sports. I grew up playing soccer. When I was at UCLA, what I loved about it was that it was such a team sport. Even though you were competing individually, you were also doing it for your teammates. I kind of struggled with competing for Nike and myself.

"With the pole vault, there are so many different factors. You have the run, and your step could be off. You have your standards, and where you want the bar. You have your pole selection, and where you should grip. At UCLA, I think I took for granted always having my coach there at every practice, at every meet. Then you get thrown into this world where you have to decide these things on your, which is probably a good thing. It just took me a while to learn and get adjusted to jumping, thinking about what it felt like, and then trying to adjust for myself. "

Johnson didn't begin to get comfortable making those adjustments until last summer. She said the turning point came during the Golden League Meeting Areva in Paris on July 17, where Johnson battled the elements to clear 4.45m/14-7¼ for a fourth-place finish behind Yelena Isinbayeva and Svetlana Feofanova of Russia and Anna Rogowska of Poland.

"There were horrible conditions with rain and a headwind, and I ended up getting fourth place," Johnson recalled. "I just felt really tough for the first time. It was like, ‘I'm going to do this. I have no one here to help me, but I'm here. I traveled all the way to Paris and I just want to get this done.' From that meet on, I would say my confidence just soared."

So much so, that when Johnson arrived in Berlin a month later for the World Championships, she said she was confident she would be going home with a medal. She wound up clearing 4.65m/15-3 and sharing the silver with Monika Pyrek of Poland.
"I don't want to sound too cocky, but I knew that I was going to medal," Johnson said. "My confidence was extremely high. I knew that if I made every bar on my first attempt, that I'd have a really good shot at it. I would definitely say that my eyes were on the prize going into Berlin."

And they still are.

Johnson carried the confidence she gained last summer into her off-season training and this indoor season, where she is hoping to improve technically while continuing to carve out a place among the world's elite pole vaulters.

"Coming off last season, I would say that the biggest thing I need to do to improve would be translating over some of the technical things from practice into the meet circumstances," Johnson said. "Things like my pole carry on the runway, keeping it high for five lifts. Then there's getting tall at takeoff. Those are things that I have been really working on since the fall and felt like I only did about 75 percent of the time at Millrose, where my technique kind of fell apart at 4.65. I need to keep doing those things at the higher bars."

Johnson got her season off to a strong start on Jan. 29, winning the Millrose Games in her first time competing in the venerable event. Up next is the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday, where she hopes to jump higher than she did in New York.

"My goal is definitely making that 4.65m bar," Johnson, who missed her three attempts at the height at Millrose, said. "I was really close twice and I'd really like to get that under my belt before we head to Albuquerque."

After Boston, Johnson will return home to Altascadero, Calif. to train for the U.S. Indoor Championships in New Mexico on Feb. 27-28, when she will try to secure a spot on the U.S. team for the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar March 12-14.

Before World Indoors, Johnson will compete in Sergei Bubka's Pole Vault Stars meet in Donetsk, Ukraine on March 5, something she is extremely excited about

"This is my first invitation to Sergei Bubka's meet and I know I'm going to get my mind blown," Johnson said. "I'm hoping to compete like it's the World Championships because it's going to be all of the best girls in the world. Going and competing to my best and holding my own form is the goal."

The difference this year is that Johnson is confident she will be successful.

"If I stay relaxed and focused on the technical things that I need to do, I will be fine," Johnson said. "I know all of the girls and have proven that I belong up there with them. I'm confident that I'll be right there again in Doha. Any chance I get to prove myself even further is a great opportunity."