Samantha Brady continues to soar (NJ)

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Brady continues to soar at Jackson Memorial
BY CHRIS CHRISTOPHER • STAFF WRITER • FEBRUARY 21, 2008
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There's nothing like pole vaulting.

At least that's how Samantha Brady sees it.

"In what other sport can you go into the air like that?'' the Jackson Memorial High School senior asked. "It's just a cool feeling.''

Brady stars at soaring over the bar for Jackson's girls indoor track and field team.

She sparkled last Saturday in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV championship meet at the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex.

On her second attempt at 12-1, Brady broke the meet record (all groups combined). The former record of 12-0 was shared by Middletown South's Julianne Toto (2005) and Princeton's Natalie Gengel (2006).

"I felt like I was quicker,'' Brady said, "and my plant was a lot more powerful so I blew through the pole real easily. That enabled me to move my stance back a lot more than normal. That let me use my pole easily. I felt real comfortable.''

Brady's agenda for last weekend was simple.

"My goal was to win it,'' she said. "I knew I could make 11-6. My personal best was 11-9. Once I beat that, I was real excited. When I did 12-1, I could not believe I cleared it.''

Brady's 12-1 is tied for the 13th-best vault in the nation this season. It's No. 5 in state indoor history and No. 2 in the state this year. Hanover Park's Nicole Pompei leads the state at 12-3.

Brady will compete Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Meet of Champions at the Toms River facility.

"I think I can win it,'' she said. "It will be the best competition I have had all year. I am extremely competitive. If someone makes it over the bar, I feel I have to make it over. I guess I feel a little bit of pressure. I like pressure. I'm excited. I can't wait to compete and see what I can do.''

"I don't like competing to win,'' she said. "I compete to get my personal best. That is pretty much what drives me to compete.''

The John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex facility is best known as the "bubble.'' Brady has competed and practiced in it several times. Does she feel she has the home bubble advantage?

"I think it helps,'' said Brady, who also competed at the facility last season, its first. "I am comfortable with it. I see the same people in terms of the referees every weekend. I have the advantage over the girls from up north.

"Everything is new there. The track is nice. The mats are new and I don't sink into them. I like the fact that there is not a big, huge crowd around.''

Brady began competing in the pole vault one week into the spring season of her sophomore year. A gymnast since the age of three, Brady competed in the sport through her junior season.

"I didn't want to do gymnastics anymore,'' she said, "and I decided to do track.''

Word spread throughout the Jaguars that Brady owned gymnastics experience.

"One of my track coaches, Josh Bygott, suggested I take up pole vaulting,'' she said. "I said, "I want to try track.' He said, "You are a gymnast. You're going to try pole vaulting, right?' I just tried it. I didn't even know what it was.''

Brady quickly grew to enjoy the event.

"I liked it a lot as it was different and really challenging,'' she said. "It was really fun once I was able to do it. It's such a great feeling when you make it over a new height. Nothing feels like that.

"I used to love gymnastics, but I was kind of getting bored with it. I love pole vaulting because it's challenging. I love running (Brady also sprints for Jackson), but pole vaulting is just so different. There are not many people who do it. Some can't do it … or are afraid to do it. I am one of those people who is not afraid to do it.''

In a meet early in her sophomore season, Brady cleared 9-6.

"I did it out of nowhere,'' she said, "and I kept getting better. For some reason, pole vaulting seems kind of natural to me.''

Brady, who works closely this season with Jackson boys coach Steve Theobald, stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 115 pounds.

"That's not a normal height,'' she said. "My weight is normal. My coaches told the colleges (Brady will continue her career at Cornell University) that I was 5-5 as you are supposed to be a lot taller. When you are taller, you get a better plant as you are higher off the ground. The angle is better. Being short is not a problem for me.''

Nor are academics.

Ranked ninth in a class of nearly 751 students, Brady will major in chemical engineering. A member of the National Honor Society, Brady is also in the Science Honor Society, Peer Leadership, Peer Mediators and Heroes and Cool Kids.