Chelsea Johnson wins SI On Campus U-Award

[rainbowgirl28]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/s ... index.html

Chelsea's Place
UCLA's pole vaulting prodigy wins SIOC's U-Award
Posted: Thursday April 13, 2006 1:01PM; Updated: Thursday April 13, 2006 5:16PM


Chelsea Johnson didn't start pole vaulting until her senior year of high school.
Photo Courtesy of UCLA Athletic Dept.

By Laura Lane
What have you accomplished in the past few months? Maybe you caught up on the latest love triangle on The O.C. or dabbled in a recent fad like ballroom dancing (and quit once you realized that most ballroom dancers are not Stacy Keibler or Drew Lachey look-alikes). In any case, mastering a sport probably is not on your list. For most people, it takes years to be the best, but for UCLA pole vaulter Chelsea Johnson, it was merely a matter of months.

Johnson began pole vaulting during the winter of her senior year at Atascadero High School in Atascadero, Calif. By April, she had jumped 13-feet 6-inches -- just two inches shy of the United States high school record -- and was the leading high school pole vaulter in the state.

Granted, Chelsea is the offspring of pole vault legend and 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Jan Johnson, but good genes don't guarantee that an 18-year-old can pick up a fiberglass pole and launch themselves more than 13-1/2 feet over a bar -- in a matter of months, may we remind you.

"I picked it up in my senior year and there was so much improvement that I felt that I could really take it places," said Johnson, who gave up her triple-threat status (soccer, volleyball and hurdles) to dedicate herself to pole vaulting. "I really think that doing those other sports helped develop me because I am not just a good pole vaulter, I am a good athlete."

Flash-forward four years and Johnson is a two-time NCAA champion and the outdoor college record holder after jumping 15-0 at the 2004 Stanford Invitational. The UCLA senior won the 2004 NCAA outdoor championship and the 2006 NCAA indoor championship, where she recorded the third-best indoor college mark in history with a jump of 14-9, barely missing a 15-1 attempt that would have set the new record.

"Her sophomore year, she came into my office and said, 'I want to jump as good as the best boys,'" said UCLA pole vault coach Anthony Curran. "That was her dream and her desire, and I think because she had that type of an attitude, it was easier to take her to that stage."

After graduation this year, Johnson plans to compete in Europe and turn professional -- meaning she can finally earn some money.

"I've jumped in meets where the professional girls get money for each place and I haven't been able to take that money," Johnson said.

Besides raking in the dough as a pro, Johnson will begin preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a goal she has had since she barely missed a trip to Athens. She placed fourth in the 2004 Olympic Trials. If she continues to improve even remotely as much as she has in the past five years, there is no telling what goals she will accomplish and records she will break next.

"Its like (people say) 'here is Chelsea Johnson, daughter of the great Jan Johnson, you know, '72 bronze medalist' or something like that," she said. "But now it's funny because my dad said I had always been 'Jan's daughter' and now he feels like he is Chelsea's dad. It's like I'm making a name for myself, so it's kind of cool."

[trackris24]

Great article, congrats Chelsea, you're really a pole vaulting icon for women vaulters.

[TreyDECA]

does this make us even?