Despite a nagging injury, Dragila's career isn't over

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/st ... 1322c.html

Track and field beat: Despite a nagging injury, Dragila's career isn't over
By John Schumacher -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C2


Stacy Dragila isn't ready to store the poles and call it a career, thank you.
Yes, the thought has crossed her mind, but she keeps thinking there's more out there in the event she helped define.

So the women's pole vault pioneer from Placer High School in Auburn tries to keep the frustration in check as she waits...and waits...and waits... for an injured right Achilles' tendon to heal.

She has talked with enough doctors to make her head spin, the varying opinions simply adding to her frustration. Despite all the setbacks, Dragila hopes to jump in the USA Outdoor Championships, set for June 21-25 in Indianapolis.

"In the fall, I was like, What am I doing?" Dragila said while watching the recent Modesto Relays. "Is God telling me, Just be done, nicely? But then I started doing things again, and it felt good and I was excited.

"Then you have setbacks again....Yeah, it's been frustrating. It's really testing me. But I really feel like I have something to do. My practices show that I'm fit. I just need to be on the runway and taking jumps."

Dragila, who won the Olympic gold medal in 2000 and set the American record of 15 feet, 10 inches in 2004, has left coach Greg Hull in Phoenix and rented an apartment in Pocatello, Idaho, to train under her former coach, Dave Nielsen. That move came after she won her ninth U.S. Outdoor title with a 14-71/4 clearance in Carson last June and then failed to clear that same height in qualifying in the world championships in Helsinki, Finland.

"Right after Helsinki I had to really make a choice," said Dragila, 35. "Things were good when I first went down there (Phoenix), and it was nice to have a change and hear it differently from Greg. But Dave and I have such a history together.

"He's a more holistic coach for me. I can trust him with everything. He just knows me. He knows my quirks, my kinks. It's just been really good to get back up there."

Even if the Achilles' isn't cooperating. Dragila, a heptathlete at Yuba College, did get in a 19-4 1/4 long jump in a meet in Pocatello on Feb. 4 and planned to add a hurdles race the following week. But she injured a calf muscle going over the third hurdle. She recovered in 3 1/2 weeks - doctors told her

some scar tissue simply had pulled away - and remembers feeling she had more range of motion in her Achilles'.

After "a pretty good jump session" five weeks ago that included a full run with no pain, Dragila woke up the next day with the Achilles' totally inflamed.

"Could barely touch it," she said.

Dragila has been receiving shock-wave therapy at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. She also has consulted a doctor in Boise, Idaho. And she has talked with German vaulter Tim Lobinger about a treatment available in Europe that's not approved in the United States. Sounds like a vaulter with more bars to clear.

[vault3rb0y]

I think shes smart enough and committed enough to recover from it. THere are things that can be done to keep her jumping, and i think she will do what needs to be done. Good luck to her!

[pole bender]

35? shes done. she should coach some other girl vaulter.

[vault3rb0y]

35? shes done. she should coach some other girl vaulter.

just like the guys in masters are done eh? hehe

[pole bender]

35? shes done. she should coach some other girl vaulter.

just like the guys in masters are done eh? hehe

first of all women dont last as long in an event as demanding as the PV. her legs are trashed. shes comming up on 40. trust me shes done. and yes, she should be a coach/agent just like many other famous t&f athletes are doing now. mho.

[bvpv07]

is that h standing for honest or humble?

[pole bender]

is that h standing for honest or humble?

humble.... she was great in her time. but that was 5 years or so ago. hang the spikes up ms.d. 16' isnt going to happen for you. find a talent, train them...........say goodbye too issy!

[bvpv07]

Ok, it is true that Dragila isn't as young as she once was when she was setting WRs every other meet...but you're talking to a bunch of optimists.

My opinion is that if she keeps on vaulting because she wants to and/or thinks that she can improve and keep on going, by all means let her vault!

There's no reason for someone to stop vaulting just because they're not going to beat Isi...if that was the case, there would only be a few elite women vaulters out there. They keep vaulting because they still love doing it. Once her body definitively tells her that it's time to stop and start coaching the next big pole vaulting star, then I'm sure that she will.

Until that time, vault Stacy vault!

[Soar Like an Eagle]

is that h standing for honest or humble?

humble.... she was great in her time. but that was 5 years or so ago. hang the spikes up ms.d. 16' isnt going to happen for you. find a talent, train them...........say goodbye too issy!

Pat Manson and Jeff Hartwig are still jumping very high and they are in their late 30s. It is my understanding, she has injured Achilles tendon. She can still jump very high when she gets healthy. If a pole vaulter has a bad wheel, it can be difficult to pole vault to one’s potential because of their speed. Bubka had trouble in 1996 due to his Achilles, but came back in 1998 jumped pretty well in Athens (19’8â€Â

[pole bender]

is that h standing for honest or humble?

humble.... she was great in her time. but that was 5 years or so ago. hang the spikes up ms.d. 16' isnt going to happen for you. find a talent, train them...........say goodbye too issy!

Pat Manson and Jeff Hartwig are still jumping very high and they are in their late 30s. It is my understanding, she has injured Achilles tendon. She can still jump very high when she gets healthy. If a pole vaulter has a bad wheel, it can be difficult to pole vault to one’s potential because of their speed. Bubka had trouble in 1996 due to his Achilles, but came back in 1998 jumped pretty well in Athens (19’8â€Â

[cdmilton]

sorry, dont mean to come off as a jerk. but the thing is that she will never be able to beat issy. its just not going to happen. of course i support any athlete , but there comes a time when an athlete must realize their time has passed. i wish her all the luck in the world.

You seem so [sarcasm]positive[/sarcasm] in every one of your posts. I would really think about what you are saying before you type. You have a pretty strong opinion about what our elite vaulters are capible of but what proof do you have?

[Skyin' Brian]

she was great in her time. but that was 5 years or so ago.

her personal best of 483 was set in 2004! she was the 2005 usa outdoor champion! if you are going to talk shi* about great athletes, at least get your facts straight.

should all vaulters that in your opinion aren't capable of setting the world record simply give it up??? i guess most of us should have quit a long time ago.