Kristin Brinkman Article (IL)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/Sports/Stories/55542.asp

Working for the weekend
Brinkman’s goal: Make it to Saturday at state meet in Charleston

By ROBERT BURNS
STAFF WRITER

CHATHAM - So why is Kristin Brinkman the way she is, that is to say, one of the top high school pole vaulters in the area?

One thought is that it's simply in the genes.

Her brother, Tim, was a linebacker on Chatham Glenwood High School's Class 4A state champion football team in 1998.

There's the belief that she's put herself in the position she's in today by simply outworking everyone. Brinkman comes into today's Class AA Track Sectional at Memorial Stadium as the one to beat as she attempts to three-peat in regards to qualifying for the state meet.

The only difference is that after vaulting only on Fridays in Charleston, she wants to discover what the medal round the following day is all about because she has never reached the finals. Brinkman holds the school record of 11 feet and the conference record of 10-6.

This from a girl who started the sport without a clue as a freshman.

Pointing out that pole vaulting was a male-only competition in junior high, she figured her gymnastics background would serve her well in a sport where coordination of all body parts while using a foreign object is paramount.

She said her father, Todd, encouraged her. Her mother, Diane, took the cautious attitude on the thought of her daughter flying through the air, propelled by a fiberglass pole.

"I just thought it was cool," Kristin said. "Then, one of the first times I did it, I went 7-6. I've just never thought of it as being dangerous. If you know what you're doing, it's all right."

Assistant coach Len Onken, who oversees the pole vaulters, has no doubt about the validity of the theory on hard work bearing fruit. He suggests Brinkman should have two days of work to do next weekend.

"She's got a lot of confidence right now and that goes hand in hand with the courage she's always had," he said. "She accepts challenges and she's got goals and aspirations."

Displaying a controlled self-confidence, Brinkman, who also participates on the Titans' three speed relays, admitted her previous times at state involved dealing with herself as much as dealing with the competition.

"The first year was just nerve-racking," she said with a laugh. "You have to stand in line and wait and wait until they check your pole. They make such a big deal out of it. By the time I got (to the competition) I was a wreck."

Head coach T.J. Jumper recalled Brinkman in her first appearance at O'Brien Stadium. As a former Class AA state champion in the high jump at Lanphier his senior year, Jumper began his state meet run as a sophomore.

"She's standing there her sophomore year, they weigh her in and that just shook her up," he said. "By the time she started going, she was emotionally drained."

Last year in Charleston, Brinkman managed only an 8-6 vault. She actually did better her sophomore season, going nine feet, albeit with the same outcome. Learning from her experiences, Brinkman hit her senior year focused and determined not to be her own worst enemy.

Starting at the first significant meet of the season at the Spartan Invitational at Southeast, Brinkman has consistently moved the bar upward. She set a personal best with an 11-foot effort late last month at the Palatine Relays.

Jumper first coached Brinkman as a junior high basketball player.

"Her dedication has made her better, she's a good all-around athlete," he said. "The pole vault is so technical and she struggled last year, but I told her it would come. She's the kind of athlete that would be good in anything she did."

With the graduation of Edwardsville's Renee Marchand, who won the sectional title in Chatham last year as Brinkman finished second, Brinkman is the top returnee and the cautious favorite.

"(Onken) is always on me about being aggressive," Brinkman said. "With him, I've improved tremendously. It's good to have a good coach. But he also likes to make fun of me when I do something stupid."

[izzystikchik]

Well, she's gonna have some stiff competition down in Charleston, those girls are T.O.U.G.H.!!!