Article on Ohio girl

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/sports/s ... warren.asp

Warren vaulter Bailey aims high


By RON JOHNSTON



VINCENT, Ohio - Sinda Bailey is determined to do better - much better.
Warren Local's senior pole vault standout and all-stater cleared a girls' high 10 feet in Saturday's 11th annual Fairweather Relays at Warren High School, and with partners Kylee Swaney (8-6) and Brittany Eddleblute (6-6) easily won the event.

The pole vault triumph also helped the Warriors defeat the Marietta Tiger thinclads, 98-90.

''It's not a bad start, but I was hoping for a 10-6,'' said Bailey, who is University of Akron-bound to compete in the pole vault after she graduates this spring. Last Nov. 25, 2003, she signed a national letter-of-intent to go to Akron and study early child education.

If Bailey had gotten a 10-6, she would have broken her own school record of 10-4, which she cleared twice last year, once at the state meet.

''I guess I'm a little disappointed in 10,'' said Bailey, smiling. ''I can live with it, but I'd still like to get 10-6, especially before the next meet.''

Warren is scheduled to compete in the Bulldog Relays at Athens High in The Plains at 4 p.m. Friday.

Actually, Bailey has even loftier goals. First, she wants to clear 12 feet before the end of the season, and then she not only wants to return to the state meet, but also wants to win the event this year.

Last spring, in Bailey's first trip to state at Dayton's Welcome Stadium, she celebrated her dad's (Stan Bailey) birthday (June 7) by equaling her personal best of a vault of 10-4.

That was good for a third-place tie in Ohio Division II with Ottawa-Glandorf's Jenni Rosselit and all-state status.

''With my misses, I would've been second place,'' recalled Bailey. ''But the girl (Middletown Madison's Jenna Nance) who got second place had one less miss than me, so I got third.''

Ashley Dennison of London Madison Plains cleared a meet record 10-8 to claim the pole vault event. She is now attending Ohio University.

Bailey has come a long ways, though, in a relatively short period of time. She was just a sophomore when the pole vault became an event for girls in 2002.

On the urging of Warren boys track and field coach Al Riffey, who supervises the technical instruction for the Warrior vaulters, Bailey gave the new event a shot, and discovered that she had a knack for it.

That first year, Bailey set a school record of 9 feet in the pole vault, but was not able to qualify for the state meet. Ironically, her teammate, Swaney, did advance in the pole vault event and competed in Dayton, where she finished 14th.

Last year, Bailey, of course, was able to shake off the disappointment of her sophomore season, and finish as an all-stater at the tournament in Dayton.

Bailey was able to bounce back, because she was a tireless worker in the weight room - and still is.

''Pole vaulting is all about speed and upper body strength,'' Bailey said. ''And I work out every day.''

 ''I've had to move off my 135 pole to a 140, and it's helping me a lot, I believe,'' the Warrior thinclad continued. ''I'm bending the 140 more and waiting on it - and actually trying to go through the techniques of going higher.''

An all-around athlete, Bailey also runs the shuttle hurdles, does the long jump and is a member of the 4 by 400 relay team.

During her sports career at Warren, she's also played basketball and volleyball. In volleyball, she played in the District 13 all-star match at the University of Rio Grande on Nov. 9, 2003.

But there's no question where Bailey excels at the school.

''I want to go as high as I possibly can,'' said Bailey of competing in the pole vault event. Bailey is the daughter of Stan and Kathy Bailey of Marietta

[C-townvault]

I'd be willing to bet that Kilma or Jenna Nance(pretty sure its the same middletown massie girl) will be the first ohio girl to clear 12'. These two girls were impressive at JJ's centerville camp. Nance has an awesome coach. I'm sure anyone who has ever been to camp and remembers Tate will vouch for me on this.