Katie Vo sets sights on new heights (CA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 080686.htm

Las Lomas pole vaulter sets sights on new heights
'Fired up' Vo is switching to a longer pole and has gained strength through weight training
By Jennifer Starks
STAFF WRITER
All of Katie Vo's friends had a sport.

Whether it was soccer, swimming or softball, they all had an after-school activity to call their own. Sure, Vo dabbled in recreational swimming, but it wasn't the same. She wanted something she could devote herself to and feel good about.

"I didn't have a sport," Vo said. "I wanted to find one I could be good at."

Rather than join her buddies at the pool or on the soccer pitch, Vo took a rather unconventional route during her freshman year at College Park High School and took up pole vaulting. Pole vaulting?

"I tried out because only a limited number of people did it," Vo recalled. "I had no technique."

Vo transferred to Las Lomas the following year and, under coach Randy Kramasz, has since developed plenty of technique. Not only did she qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation state track and field championship meet in June, but she is fresh off a third-place effort at the Region 14 Junior Olympic Championships.

Though Vo said she had "an off day" at the championships -- she hoped to clear 11 feet, 6 inches -- her clearance of 11 feet (3.35 meters) still helped the incoming senior qualify for the Junior Olympic Nationals, which begin July 25 on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. A scheduling conflict will prevent Vo from attending, however.

"Katie got to the state meet and that fired her up," Kramasz said. "She's been working really hard this summer."

According to Kramasz, that hard work has led Vo to begin moving from a 12-foot pole to a 13-foot pole, which will allow her to jump even higher.

"Her technique is just getting too good for a 12-foot pole," Kramasz said.

Patience is a key with the 13-foot pole. The run leading up to the bar is faster and vaulters must drop their feet sooner. Vo said the adjustment will take some time, but she has purposely spent a good chunk of her summer in the weight room to gain strength and make the transition smoother.

"I'm not really used to how the pole bends," Vo said. "You just have to wait longer for the pole to do the work."

It's clear Vo has made great strides since making her first vault on a whim three years ago. The athlete who once had no technique already has her sights set on a second consecutive trip to the CIF state meet next year.

"It makes me want to work harder," Vo said. "The competition was awesome. It's so tough. But I've jumped with those girls now. I know I can do it."

[asianvaulter]

Hey, it's the article on Katie!!!!! FYI, she is misquoted in most of it.....>_< Or that's what she says. XP

[yaypolevault!]

hey! i know her!!! and i think i know the one who replied to this too! yay!