Brenda Bumgardner setting bar high (W42)

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http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_12830270

Arvada teacher setting bar high
World record in pole vault her goal
By Irv Moss
The Denver Post
Posted: 07/14/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

Brenda Bumgardner, 42, is hoping to soar in her age group at the State Games of America, which start July 30 in Colorado Springs. (Aaron Montoya, The Denver Post)

Brenda Bumgardner knows she's in a race with the clock.

With enhanced competition on the way soon, the 42-year-old believes her time is now to become the world-record holder in women's pole vaulting for the 40- to 44-year-old age group. She knows she will have to clear 12 feet for the world mark, which she hopes to do at the State Games of America, July 30-Aug. 2 in Colorado Springs.

Her reason for being anxious? Women first competed in the Olympics in pole vault in 2000 and they were involved competitively only five or six years before the Athens Olympics in 2004. Bumgardner believes some of the early pioneers will be moving into this age group competition in the next few years.

"The records are going to go up a ton," Bumgardner said. "I'm in a race with the clock to stay ahead of that group."

Bumgardner took up the sport three years ago, and after a private lesson at Pat Manson's pole vaulting camp in Boulder, she broke the American record for 40- to 44-year-olds in her first competition in a meet at the Air Force Academy. She holds American age-group records of 11 feet, 3 1/2 inches indoors and 11-2 1/2 outdoors.

"Pole vaulting is the most challenging and hardest sport I've ever tried," Bumgardner said. "You have to have good running speed on the approach, and it's super technical. Don't get into it if you have a fear of going upside down. A lot of things can go wrong in pole vaulting."

When Bumgardner has her feet on the ground, she's an elementary school teacher in Arvada.

She was a heptathlete in college at Northern Iowa from 1985-89 and played professional women's football for the Colorado Valkyries, who played in Thornton, in 2000 before the league folded after one season.

"I've wanted to see how good I could become in competition," Bumgardner said. "I did whatever struck my fancy and in any sport my brother played. I always wanted to play football."

She found football to be taxing as well.

"I played wide receiver, and I was the smallest player on the team," Bumgardner said. "They told me I was going to get hit hard, and they were right."

Getting involved in pole vaulting was easier. She was introduced to Manson, a Colorado state champion in 1986 at Aurora Central High School and a leading pole vaulter in men's competition in the 1990s, by a professor at Northern Colorado, who competed in masters track competitions.

"I lot of my friends think I'm crazy for doing this," Bumgardner said. "But I can't think of a better challenge mentally, physically, technically than pole vaulting."

Bumgardner plans to continue chasing records at least for the near future.

"I like being an athlete," Bumgardner said. "It's more fun being an athlete than a coach. I don't know what the next challenge might be. Maybe boxing, I don't know."

Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com