Ricky Zamora article (NJ)

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 6495&rfi=6

Bernards’ Zamora is in pole position
By BOB GLASSMAN Sports Writer
02/01/2006
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BERNARDSVILLE â€â€

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http://www.nj.com/sports/reporter/index ... ml&coll=13

Zamora shakes off slow start to win title
Thursday, February 02, 2006
By ALLAN CONOVER
Sports Editor
PRINCETON -- Mind over matter finally worked in Ricky Zamora's favor -- with no time to spare.After almost "no-heighting" during the NJSIAA State Group 1 Indoor Track and Field Championships, Zamora came back to win the pole vault title with a 13-foot effort Saturday at Princeton University's Jadwin Gym.

"When I missed the first one, it kind of freaked me out," said Zamora, a Bernards High senior. "I'm usually really consistent. A lot of it is mental. If you get over the first one, everything else is a lot easier."

"In this sport, it's 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical," added BHS vaulting coach Carl Anthony Porambo. "We all knew he could do 12 easily."

Zamora, also the Group 1 champ last spring, was using a 14-6, 70-carbon fiber pole for just the second time in competition but missed the starting height of 12 feet on his first two attempts. But he increased his approach speed for his final try and made it over.

"After I missed the second one, I just tried to keep my cool," said Zamora, who'd used the same pole just once before, in last spring's Meet of Champions. "I may have been overconfident at the low starting height and I wasn't bringing my trail leg through enough. I just had to pull it all together."

He cleared 12-6 to clinch first place and then 13-0 to break the meet record of 12-6, set by Metuchen's Greg Lewis a year ago when the pole vault was held in state indoor meets for the first time.

"Ricky just wasn't aggressive enough on the first two tries," said Porambo.

But Zamora came up short on three shots at 13-6.

"I just wasn't feeling confident at that height," said Zamora, who's cleared 14-0 in practice with the 14-6 pole.

Zamora tried out a light 15-footer during an outdoors practice in mild temperatures Monday afternoon and was thinking about using it for an informal meet last night at Hunterdon Central. He's not certain which pole he'll go with during the State Meet of Champions Sunday, Feb. 12, also at Jadwin.

"We're working on his trail leg to keep it extended to clear the bar," said Porambo. "We know Ricky can do 13-6. He just didn't get the arc in this meet and that's fine. We've got two weeks to get it together for the Meet of Champions. Again, it's mostly a matter of him being comfortable with the new poles, which is what we're now working on."

Zamora will certainly see more than his share of competition in the MOC, where the top seed will be Haddonfield's Devon Purves, who hit a state-best 14-6 while winning the Group 2 meet Sunday. Roxbury's Dan Kline, who cleared 14-3 in Group 3, and several others who finished at 13-6 or 13-0 in the group meets will also be there.

"There's a chance I might use the 15-foot pole for the Meet of Champions, but it's not definite," said Zamora. "I know I can clear 14-0 but 14-6 would have to be a bonus, unless I get on the 15-footer. But I'll definitely be on the 15 for the spring."

Bernards junior Marco Lourenco came through with a personal-best 12-0 to take third place in Group 1 via a tie-breaker with three others who also cleared the same height.

Bernards had two other entrants finish among the top six in the Group 1 girls meet -- Caroline Prins took fourth in the 800-meter race in 2:27.03 (Whippany Park's Lauren Keller won in 2:24.5) and Molly Thomas was sixth in the pole vault at 8-0.

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http://www.nj.com/hssports/ledger/index ... xml&coll=1

Zamora steers Bernards; Union, Plainfield soar
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
BY JIM LAMBERT
For the Star-Ledger
Ricky Zamora continued his sensational season by leading Bernards to the boys title in the pole vault, while Union and Plainfield swept the girls hurdle races at the 36th East Coast Relays yesterday in Morristown.

Zamora, a senior who won the Somerset and Colonial Hills Conference championships in the pole vault this spring, cleared a meet-best 14-6 and junior teammate Marco Lourenco made 12-0 as the two combined for 26-6 to defeat runner-up Iona Prep of New York on fewer misses.