NEW POLE FOR NEW HEIGHTS AFTER EQUIPMENT CHANGE, VAULTER'S SEASON LOOKING UP.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Jill Reynolds takes a pole more than 2 1/2 times her height and lifts it high above her head, then sprints toward the bar and pole-vaults with a strength and power that don't seem possible in her 5-foot-1 frame. This year, Reynolds has made the leap from a 12-foot pole to a 13-foot pole with a weight rating of 140 pounds, 20 more than necessary. She thinks the bigger pole will help take her to new heights for Valencia High this season. ``A longer pole gives me more pop and throws me higher in the air,'' Reynolds said. ``Moving up in size is all about timing.'' Reynolds already has cleared 11-6 in a dual meet against Hart, one inch off her personal best of 11-7 set last year. With important midseason meets Arcadia and Mt. SAC coming up in the next two weeks, Reynolds could soon hit 12 feet and put herself in the elite class of prep pole vaulters. Last year, Reynolds practiced with the 13-foot pole but never felt comfortable enough to take it out during competition. Another offseason of intense workouts changed that. One reason Reynolds has improved by about two feet a year is that, since her sophomore season, pole vaulting pole vaulting: see track and field athletics. is the only sport on which she has focused her energy and time. Reynolds does her drills with Valencia pole-vault coach Todd Sprague year-round. She also spends the fall lifting weights with the football team. Once the track and field season starts, she works on her speed. It takes all three - technique, power and speed - to conquer the big pole and high bar with her small body. ``It's not a matter of how tall you are, it's a matter of how much you want it,'' said Sprague, a former collegiate pole vaulter for Fresno State. ``She has one of the best plants in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, from what I've seen and she adds just pure power. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if there is a limit right now to the pole she could use.'' Reynolds already holds the school record at 11-7. If she can reach 12 feet soon, it would likely catch the attention of college coaches. Michelle Rivera from Birmingham of Lake Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). had a personal record of 12-3 two years ago and got a scholarship to UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . ``One of my goals has always been to earn an athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. They are common in the United States, but in many countries they are rare or non-existent. ,'' Reynolds said. ``They want to see what I can do my senior year, and I think 12 feet is right around the corner.'' Sprague already considers Reynolds capable of vaulting vaulting Gymnastics exercise in which the athlete leaps over a form that was originally intended to mimic a horse. At one time, the pommel horse was used in the vaulting exercise, with the pommels (handles) removed. 12-4 if she does everything perfectly. Reynolds was proud of the one inch she grew over the past year. The optimum height The height of an explosion which will produce the maximum effect against a given target. for pole vaulters is 5-6 to 5-8. However, Reynolds comes up big for Valencia not only in the pole vault pole vault Track-and-field event consisting of a vault for height over a crossbar with the aid of a long pole. It became a competitive sport in the mid-19th century and was included in the first modern Olympic Games. but in other events when needed. In the meet against Hart last week, she won the pole vault, long jump and triple jump to help Valencia to a seven-point win. ``She can do it all,'' Valencia track and field coach Mike Pontius said. ``It just depends what we need. But if we don't need her against certain teams, I won't risk it. She has bigger things to do this year.'' Matthew Kredell, (818) 713-3607 matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Valencia's Jill Reynolds, whose personal record is 11 feet, 7 inches, has set 12 feet as a goal. (2) - Jill Reynolds Valencia High pole vaulter Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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