USA Senior Women - Stu. 4.65, Johnson 4.60, Dragila 4.55

[rainbowgirl28]

Women Pole Vault
==========================================================================
Bar Progressions: 4.20/4.35/4.45/4.50 +5 cm
Five alive until 12 left
World: W 5.05m 8/18/2008 Yelena Isinbayeva, RUS
American: A 4.92m 7/6/2008 Jenn Stuczynski, adidas
Hayward: S 4.92m 2008 Jennifer Stuczynski, USA
Name Year Team Finals
==========================================================================
Finals
1 Jennifer Stuczynski adidas 4.65m 15-03.00
4.20 4.35 4.45 4.50 4.55 4.60 4.65 4.70 4.75 4.80 4.85 4.86
PPP PPP PPP PPP XO O O PPP PPP PPP PPP XXX
2 Chelsea Johnson Nike 4.60m 15-01.00
4.20 4.35 4.45 4.50 4.55 4.60 4.65
PPP O O O XXO O XXX
3 Stacy Dragila Nike 4.55m 14-11.00
4.20 4.35 4.45 4.50 4.55 4.60
O O O O XO XXX
4 Jillian Schwartz Nike 4.45m 14-07.25
4.20 4.35 4.45 4.50
O XO O XXX
4 April Steiner Bennett unattached 4.45m 14-07.25
4.20 4.35 4.45 4.50
PPP XO O XXX
6 Melinda Owen unattached 4.35m 14-03.25
4.20 4.35 4.45
O O XXX
7 Alicia Rue Minnesota 4.35m 14-03.25
4.20 4.35 4.45
O XO XXX
8 Lacy Janson Nike 4.35m 14-03.25
4.20 4.35 4.45
XO XXO XXX
9 Katie Stripling Arkansas 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
O XXX
9 Jenny Soceka Wisconsin 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
O XXX
11 Becky Holliday unattached 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XO XXX
12 Carrie Kayes Akron 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XXO XXX
12 Melissa Gergel Oregon 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XXO XXX
12 Katherine Morgan California 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XXO XXX
12 Kylie Hutson Indiana State 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XXO XXX
12 Katelin Rains unattached 4.20m 13-09.25
4.20 4.35
XXO XXX
-- Katherine Viuf unattached NH
4.20
XXX
-- Natalie Willer Nebraska NH
4.20
XXX
-- Brysun Stately Southern Cal NH
4.20
XXX
-- Brianna Neumann unattached NH
4.20
XXX
-- Vera Neuenswander Indiana NH
4.20
XXX
-- Mary Saxer unattached NH
4.20
XXX

[rainbowgirl28]

FloTrack and I got a great interview with Chelsea Johnson, and I think they got some clips of Stacy too. Jenn was rushed through the tent earlier on her way to the medical tent and did not do any interviews. She missed the medal ceremony. She said she would come back to the media tent, but we'll see. So my guess is all the stories in the press will have quotes from Stacy and not Jenn.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.usatf.org/about/leadership/offTheRecordBlog/

"Off The Record"
A Blog by Jill M. Geer

More musings from Eugene

Sunday, June 28, 2009

A few more of my favorite athletes had performances worth writing about on Sunday.

Future first-ballot Hall of Famer Stacy Dragila made the team for Berlin by placing third in the women's pole vault, jumping 4.55 meters/14 feet, 11 inches. I've always been a huge fan of Stacy, who, at just seven months younger than yours truly, is a former world champion, Olympic gold medalist and world record holder.

There are many things I love about Ms. Dragila, who first was known as a former goat roper who took up pole vaulting. (She's also a former gymnast and heptathlete.) Somewhere along the way, she managed to shed that rodeo moniker and instead simply became known as the original, and most dynamic, pioneer in the women's vault. She won the first world title in the event. First Olympic gold medal. Set boatloads of world records. Etc etc.

The event couldn't have had a better ambassador. Over and over, she told her fans and the media about her first scary attempts over a pole vault bar, about the friendships she made along the way, and about her hopes for the women's pole vault. Crummy luck and an ill-timed Achilles injury in 2004 took her off the top of her game, but she has come back, at least for 2009, to possibly end her career on a positive note. Earlier in 2009 she had spoken openly about how this, at age 38, would be her last year, but in Eugene on Sunday she hedged just a bit, saying she's having an awful lot of fun.

Throughout her long career, and through all the success, Stacy has always been the same person: a down-to-earth, focused and personable athlete from Auburn, Calif., who made a name for herself in Pocatello, Idaho. She now resides in the San Diego/Chula Vista area with her fianc, discus thrower Ian Waltz (that's EYE-an, not EE-YAN). Through the years, I have hosted more press conferences with Stacy than either of us can count. She always answers any question earnestly and directly, without the canned, media-prepped answers that some of her contemporary, world-famous athletes sometimes exhibited in the past. Through it all, she has always been Stacy.

One of my favorite times with Stacy was at the 2004 Team USA Olympic Training Camp on the Greek island of Crete, where we had the chance to hang out and just chat about the kind of stuff that 30-something, independent-minded women chat about. Not about track, or boys, or parties, or even bills. I couldn't even tell you what we talked about, to tell the truth. It was just two gals having a convo on a beach in Greece.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports/story/767360.html

Chelsea Johnson makes Team USA; Sharon Day qualifies in second event
Tribune staff

Chelsea Johnson lived, learned and now has some measure of redemption.
Johnson, a former Atascadero High star who set the NCAA women’s pole vault record at UCLA, was primed for a trip to the Beijing Olympics last year but had a sub par performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials and did not make the team.
On Sunday, Johnson did the next best thing, securing a spot on Team USA for the World Track and Field Championships by placing second in the women’s pole vault at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.

“This is definitely redemption to me,” Johnson said by phone Sunday. “I felt I should have made the team last year. I definitely learned from that day, and today, I was just mentally tough the whole time. And I’d say the game plan worked.”

Johnson cleared 15 feet, 1 inch — the same height she cleared to set the NCAA women’s poly vault record in 2006 — for her best mark of the season. She was second behind Jennifer Stuczynski, who cleared 15-3. Stacy Dragila rounded out the three-woman team with a third-place finish after clearing 14-11.
After narrowly missing the 2004 Olympics and falling out of contention as the No. 2 seed at the 2008 Trials, Johnson was proud of this accomplishment
“I’d say it’s probably second in line,” Johnson said. “Obviously, you want to make the Olympic team. I didn’t make that. I had a bad day last year. This ranks pretty high up there. Making an Olympic team, making a world team. When I set the collegian record, that was pretty cool, too.”

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/817595.html

Dragila, a nine-time U.S. outdoor champ and 2000 Olympic gold medalist, cleared 14 feet, 11 inches to take third in the pole vault. She plans on retiring at the end of the season but won't leave quietly.

"I'm not retiring yet," Dragila said, laughing. "I still have the summer, then I am retiring ... I feel great."

Former Vandal Melinda Owen also competed in the pole vault, finishing sixth.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/717908.html

Jenn Stuczynski pole vaults during Sunday's competition at the USA Track and Field National Championships.
Getty Images

06/28/09 11:32 PM
Stuczynski vaults to another national title
Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. — Despite a bunch of nagging injuries, American record holder and Fredonia native Jenn Stuczynski held off the field for her fourth straight national outdoor title in the pole vault at the U.S. track and field championships on Sunday.

A gritty performance, for sure.

"If it was Thursday, Friday or Saturday I would have pulled out. I have so many nagging injuries going on," said Stuczynski, who cleared 15 feet, 3 inches. "Today I was able to compete. I am glad it worked out. Now it's time to move on and get healthy. ... I'm just happy to place and go to Berlin" [for the world championships].

Joining her on the team are Chelsea Johnson and Stacy Dragila, who's making this her last season of competition.

"I'm not retiring yet," Dragila said, laughing. "I still have the summer, then I am retiring. ... I feel great. We are taking a great team. Chelsea is ready to jump well. Jenn is ready. It's fun to be on a great team like this."

Stuczynski, who won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, set the American record of 16 feet, 1 3/4 inches last year at the Olympic Trials.

[vaultmd]

Some of us were grumbling up in the stands that Jen got a run-through well after competition started (according to USATF rules, no run-throughs are allowed after the start of competition) so I checked with some (very reliable) sources. Apparently, the Games Committee (and they have the right to make up any rule they want) insisted on using the NCAA rule for run throughs.

[Decamouse]

332.3(c) - allows run thru after three hgts - but that is in Masters Section - believe NCAA is 1 Hr - so if the Games com decided because of Field size to all - unless specifically prohibited - has precedence in USATF Rules (ok in Masters Section)