Andrea Bader Article (OH)

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http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/app ... 006/NEWS01

Champs deserve a rest

By Jon Spencer
News Journal


Daniel Melograna/News Journal

Crestview senior Andrea Bader runs the 100-meter dash during Friday's portion of the Division III state track and field meet in Columbus. Bader was fourth in that event as well as the long jump, and won the 200.


Daniel Melograna/News Journal

Angela Foss of Lucas celebrates with her father, Rick, after winning the pole vault during Saturday afternoon's portion of the Division III state track and field meet at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
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COLUMBUS -- Crestview senior Andrea Bader plans to kick back with some friends. Lucas junior Angela Foss plans to kick back with some fish.

However they choose to celebrate their state track and field championships, they certainly deserve the down time after uplifting Division III performances Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Bader medaled in three events, winning the 200-meter dash in a where's-everybody-else time of 24.93 seconds. Foss medaled for the second time in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet for the second week in a row with a PR of 11-3.

Girls have made tremendous strides in the vault, staged for just the fourth time at the state level. While there have been obvious advances in equipment, it still bears mentioning that Foss' winning height Saturday bettered the gold medal efforts of the first two Olympic champions -- William Hoyt of the U.S. in 1896 (10-10) and Irvin Baxter of the U.S. in 1900 (10-10).

"A lot of people say girls aren't strong enough (to vault). I think they are," Foss said. "Last year, you could get to state from our regional at 9-4. This year you had to make at least 10-4. Girls have gotten so much better. Some girls improved this season by two feet. It's amazing."

Rick Foss may have looked a bit like Mary Poppins, holding the umbrella that shielded the sun from his daughter during Saturday's competition. But he's more than that. The former 13-foot vaulter for Lucas is her inspiration and coach.

"I started vaulting my freshman year. I wanted to do it because my dad did it," Foss said. "I watched the Olympics and Stacey Dragila (first women's gold medalist in 2000) and it looked like fun. I want to be like her someday. I've had success so far."

Foss, who was already hearing from colleges all over the country before her state title, is looking forward to a fishing trip with her family -- she has four brothers -- to upper Michigan later this month.

Her prize catch is a 27-inch northern pike. Or was until Saturday's gold medal.

"I like to set high goals for myself," said Foss, who will take aim at her father's PR next season. "My goal last year was to get 10-6 and I got 10-9. This year my goal was 11-0 and I got that.

"I tell myself it's just me and the runway. Don't worry about the other girls because they can have a bad day."

Bad days were few and far between for Bader during her stellar high school career.

She'll never forget false-starting the first time she toed the line in the 200 as a freshman at the state meet. But that just made Saturday's 180-degree reversal of fortune all the more poignant.

"The tears flowed that day she false-started," Crestview coach Bob Staley said. "But (Saturday) was her day after a long, long journey. That makes it even sweeter."

With fourth-place finishes in the long jump and 100 meter dash serving as tune-ups, Bader fired out of the blocks in the 200 and kept picking up steam all the way to the finish line. Everybody else was gagging on her exhaust.

"I could have sworn she hit another gear ... and it was probably more out of fear," Staley said. "Any of the other girls could have come on. It seems like they get quicker by the race anymore, not the meet. But Andrea had them by the time she came off the curve. It was just beautiful.

"You could see on her face a look of relief. It was a long, long struggle, with ups and downs, and for that to be her last event was just special."

Bader's triumph came on the 20th anniversary of Crestview's state runner-up finish under then-girls coach Forest Pruner. Kim Wagoner (formerly Yost), the school's boys coach this season after serving as Staley's assistant, won the 3,200 meters that day.

"Andrea's first two years she was growing up and was very green," Wagoner said. "She was very talented and hard-working, but things didn't come together.

"The pressure at state is stressful, but I think this venue (the meet moved from Dayton back to Columbus last year) has been great for her. She seemed more relaxed.

"Last year she missed the friendship of not having her relay mates here with her, but this year I think she was fine with it. She made friends with her competitors. That made her relax and gave balance to her weekend."

The Tiffin University-bound Bader agreed with that analysis.

"This just seems like a more down-to-earth facility, and I think it does make you relax," Bader said. "The girls down here in these races were like the best group. We even prayed together before our races. Yeah, it was competitive, but everybody was friendly. It makes everything so much fun."

Once the 200 started, all those friendly rivals saw was the pink No. 13 on the back of Bader's jersey. Lucky 13.

"She qualified for state in 13 events (during her career) and the 200 was her 13th event, but none of it had to do with luck," Staley said. "She worked hard for everything (including eight state medals) she earned."

Still, there's something magical about Bader's uniform number, one most athletes would avoid like the plague. How else do you explain No. 13 winning 13 Firelands Conference titles in her career?

"It's almost scary isn't it?" Staley said. "It started when she was a freshman and couldn't have the number she wore in basketball. I said, 'How about No. 13? Let's see how that goes for you.' There was nothing deep about it. But I did wonder over the years if we were doing the right thing.

"We changed this year from black, red and white uniforms to black uniforms with pink numbers. It turns out we had the right number all along ... just not the right color."