Pickens and Gallaher gear up for Clovis

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http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/101937.html

Skying for the bigger rush
The freedom that comes at the top keeps pole vaulters in sport.
By Lisa Houk / The Fresno Bee
08/02/07 04:19:15
MORE INFORMATION
North American Pole Vault Championships
When: 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, Pollasky Avenue between Third and Fifth streets in downtown Clovis.

Admission: Free

If you go: Last year's street vault drew 8,000 fans, so get there early and bring chairs, cold drinks and stake out a spot. Fans and youngsters are encouraged to energize the vaulters and cheer as loud as possible.







It's all about the adrenaline rush.

Skydivers get it. Snowboarders live for it. Racecar drivers can't get enough. And pole vaulters feed off it.

The rush of sprinting down a runway and launching their bodies 14 to 20 feet in the air and free-falling backward for a soft landing in the "pit" (foam mat) is what keeps the vaulters going. They push themselves to go higher and higher.

"We're addicts and people call us the pole-vault crazies," said Jessie Marie Gallaher, 22, a three-time All-American and two-time NAIA pole vault champion from Concordia University in Portland, Ore.

Gallaher's top vault is 13 feet, 91/2 inches, but it's never good enough. Her goal is to raise the bar at the North American Pole Vaulting Championships on Friday in Clovis.

This adrenaline rush pulled gymnast Andreé Pickens into the sport of pole vaulting. A 14-time All-American and two-time NCAA gymnastics champion at University of Alabama, Pickens made the transition from the uneven bars to carrying a 14-foot pole. She's still learning to relax more on the runway, but it's all sinking in and coming together.

Pickens, 27, of Jonesboro, Ark., owns a personal-best vault of 14-9 and is the North American Pole Vault Association points leader at 3,560. She has a shot at the top purse of $5,000, among the women and men, in becoming the Grand Prix title winner. The Clovis event is the final stop on the six-vault circuit.

"I've heard all about Clovis and can't wait to see that many fans next to the runway," said the 5-foot-2, 135-pound Pickens, who was born in New Orleans. "Mentally, I'll just jump the best I can jump. Overall, my mind-set is to do what I can do, and the guys will be going for their best jumps. It's anybody's game."

Meet director Bob Fraley, who is Fresno State's track and field coach, is excited at Pickens' chances at a possible title.

"If she makes a decent height, she can win it all," said Fraley, who is organizing the 13th annual event in Clovis. "She has scored the most points and can beat out the men. You'll see the women and men jumping and competing at the same time -- it's the most gender-equitable event."

Pickens' ultimate goal is to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team. Twenty-four women will qualify for the Olympic Trials in July in Eugene, Ore., and the top three go to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

"When I got hooked on pole vaulting, I said to myself, 'I'd like to be an Olympian in some sport,' " said Pickens, who's been vaulting for four years. "It didn't happen to me in gymnastics so that's my drive, I'd like to make the 2008 team."

The peak age for vaulters is 28-30, so Pickens is right where she wants to be. Her training regimen has changed from her gymnastics days.

"I have natural upper-body strength, and working on the uneven bars in gymnastics helped me control my body weight," said Pickens, who bench presses a maximum of 150 pounds. "As a vaulter, I do more power lifting and rope climbs, and I work with abdominal and medicine balls."

Pickens coaches club gymnastics year-round to supplement her income. She coaches a group of 25 gymnasts, ranging in age from 7-17. Gallaher is a pole vault and track and field club coach in Oregon.

How do these high-energy athletes unwind after 30-40 weekends of vaulting events?

"You can only come down the runway full speed, full jump, full swing so many times before you're exhausted," Gallaher said. "It's a full-engaged activity. So when I'm home, my animals are my away time. I have two huge dogs and two cats. I'll grab a book, cuddle up on the couch and they all climb on top of me."

Pickens turns to yardwork and scrapbooking as a way to relax.

These adrenaline junkies usually have more than one outlet.

"I'm falling off walls and going rock climbing when I can," Gallaher said. "I like to go wakeboarding. Anything I can go do whenever there's time, which is very rare, but anytime someone throws an off-route plan at me, I won't say no if I can make it work."

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