Leslie Pulley Article (ID)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2004/0 ... orts01.txt

Not 'just a little girl'
Posted: Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004 - 06:40:05 am PDT
By ROD HARWOOD
Sports writer


Cheerleader-turned pole vaulter does it all for the adrenaline
POST FALLS -- "Sometimes you think, 'Oh, she's just a little girl, she can't be that good," said Post Falls sophomore pole vaulter Casey Schooley with a smile creeping onto his face.

"But then you watch her vault. Holy cow! She's so athletic it's amazing. Pole vaulting is all about attitude and adrenaline and I think that's what makes her so good."

There's a certain X-Games mentality that goes along with going over the top and at 5-foot, 2-inches, Trojan junior Leslie Pulley believes you're only as big as you feel.




Right now she's on top of the world.

She cleared nine feet as a freshman, just trying to get everything figured out. Last year as a sophomore, she went 10 feet to finish second in the 4A state track and field meet in Boise.

She's already head over heels better than at any other point in her career. Pulley won the Christina Finney Relays in March with a vault of 10 feet and cleared 10-6 down in Lewiston earlier this month.

What's interesting here is that no one thought twice a couple of years ago when Trojan assistant track coach Mike Curtis decided to turn a freshman cheerleader into a pole vaulter.

"She's one of the best athletes in the building," Curtis said. "I saw her do her tumbling routine and I said, 'Whoa, we got one here.'

"The big thing about her gymnastics background is that she's not afraid of being upside down. They manage that fear factor better than others."

So what makes this gymnast, who likes to dance to Jessica Simpson when no one's looking, want to bend the pole and go over the top?

"Adrenaline," she said with a laugh. "I think a little nervous energy helps you stay focused.

"I triple jump and run on one of the relays, but I love pole vaulting. I think it starts with my coach, he makes me want to do better."

The Post Falls vaulters are a tight-knit group and they have a lot of fun supporting each other. Curtis is the key, no matter what the motivation.

"When I cleared nine feet I was really excited. He told me if I break the school record, I'll buy ya new car," Pulley said with a laugh. "All last year, I was going eight feet and 8-6. Then at regionals, I got nine.

"So when I went 10 feet at state I was so excited I made it. I'm thinking, I'm halfway to my new car ... not really. But it was exciting and I want to go even higher."

She has worked hard to improve her upper body strength to go along with the speed and the dexterity. Now it's a matter of putting it all together with fundamentals and form.

"We did a lot of what we call 'rubber room' stuff," Curtis said. "We do a lot of swing ups on the gymnastics rings where you lift yourself upside down to work on form."

They workout together, encourage each other to reach new heights, but when it comes right down to it, it is the individual standing at the top of the runway with the pole.

So what's that like?

"Before I go, I think about not being scared. I take a deep breath, rise up on my tippy toes and take off," Pulley explained. "The higher I go, the more I want to work because I know I can go even higher.

"Vaulting is so mental. It's about confidence, but I don't think it hurts to have a little nervous energy to keep me sharp."

Pulley hasn't picked out a new Lexus yet, but Trisha Wagner's 2001 record of 11-feet-3 is certainly within reach.