Jade Batstone article (CA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2006/ ... tory06.txt

Learning to go high
By Mark Foyer--[ markf@hmbreview.com ]
The spring athletic plan was simple.

Jade Batstone, a Montara resident, was going to participate on the track and field team at St. Ignatius in San Francisco.

Since she had run cross country in the fall, making it on the varsity team, and ran on the cross country team at Cunha Intermediate School, she figured she would continue to run the long distance events for the Wildcats.

All this changed near the end of her freshman basketball season.

"My coach told me I had the skills to be a pole vaulter," Batstone said. "He said I should try it. I did and I fell in love with it."

The pole vault is one of the most popular events in track and field. Some people only attend track meets to watch the pole vault.

Batstone had seen the pole vault during the Olympics two years ago.

"At first, the pole vault was foreign to me," Batstone said. "I wondered who did that. I have only seen Olympians do it. I have never seen it in high school."

Girls' pole vault in high school started to get popular in the early 1990s. In 1995, the women's pole vault competition was held as an exhibition sport at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento.

The event was formerly contested at the high school level in 1997. Vanessa Yebra of Gonzales won the first Central Coast Section title in that event, clearing 10 feet, 6 inches.

Women's pole vault made its first international debut at the 1997 World Indoor Track and Field Championships. Its first outdoor world championship was held in Seville, Spain, in 1999. It made its Olympic debut a year later when American Stacy Draglia was the winner of all those events.

Batstone didn't know of the history of women's pole vault. She decided to give it a try because it looked different and fun.

"I have never done anything like this before," Batstone said.

Most of the events offered by track and field can look easy. How hard is running, jumping or throwing, an observer might say.

But the pole vault doesn't look easy - and isn't. It requires an athlete to have speed, strength and agility to be successful.

Some pole vaulters, including Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson, wear a helmet while competing.

In practice, vaulters go over a flexible bungee cord. It's easier than putting back the bar.

Batstone spends a few hours each day at practice under the watchful eye of her coach, Yakov Lozovatskiy.

He's a very demonstrative coach, showing Batstone how to hold the pole, how to jump and how to go over the bar. His daughter Liza is also a pole vaulter. A senior, she has the third-best mark in the Central Coast Section. She will continue her pole vaulting ventures next year at the University of Pennsylvania.

Though a rookie, Batstone has been impressive, clearing 7-6. She has come close to clearing 10 feet in practice.

"It's obvious that she loves it," Yakov Lozovatskiy said. "She has a good work ethic. She's very enthusiastic about doing the pole vault."

To be a successful pole vaulter, Batstone knows she can't just put away the poles when the high school seasons ends.

Not only will she continue to workout under the watchful eye of Lozovatskaya, but other people as well. She will be attending pole vault camps in the summer, including one in the central coastal community of Atascadero.

"I'm excited to be going to that camp," she said. "I have never done anything like this before."

Atascadero is a hub for girls' pole vaulting in the state. It's a pretty safe bet to see someone from Atascadero always competing at the California State High School Championships.

"I'm interested to see what other techniques there are," Batstone said. "I'm looking to collect more information."

Batstone has been doing the pole vault for nearly two months. Her season at St. Ignatius ended last week when she finished second in the West Catholic Athletic League JV Track and Field Championships with a clearance of 8 feet.

"Every practice, I learn something new," Batstone said. "I love doing this. It's now one of my favorite sports, along with basketball."