Ashley Cope article (GA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/14437884.htm

Scott's younger sister, Ashley, has dominated in the pole vault this season and has come into her own in both hurdle distances. She edged teammate Morgan Johnson to win the Region 2-AAA high-point award.

And oh, Ashley Cope is 13 years old.

"She sure looks like the future of FPD track," FPD junior Suzanne Seymour said. "Ashley has potential she hasn't quite reached yet. And she's already awesome."

On the biggest stage of her career this weekend, Cope could have a shot to do something no one has ever done - win the Class AAA high-point award as an eighth-grader.

Ashley said the hard work involved in cross country - a sport she embraced before track - was something that she wasn't sure was for her.

"But I was going to Scott's meets, so I thought I might as well do it," she said.

She was so talented as a fourth-grader that she competed on the junior varsity team.

As a sixth-grader she was running the 100-meter hurdles and the mile, a disparity in distance that both Copes have been charged with excelling at.

"Rarely do you see athletes who can handle distance and sprint events," FPD coach Chad McDaniel said. "It takes a special runner and both (Cope) siblings are just that."

Ineligible in the seventh grade to compete on the varsity, Ashley was already clearing nine feet in the pole vault. She likely would have won the state title as a seventh-grader since Angela Hix and Addie Jenkins won with a height of 7-6.

"She was a phenomenal talent and you knew it early," McDaniel said. "She has
the desire to get better with each practice."

FINALLY ELIGIBLE

As Scott had a season-long rivalry in cross country with teammate Joby
Peake, Ashley drew from Scott's desire to win.

"Just watching Scott has been a huge help to me," Ashley said. "He competes so hard and gives everything he has. His success is an inspiration to me."

Ashley had her first big varsity breakthrough at the state cross country meet in October. The eighth-grader posted an eighth-place finish - second on the powerful
Viking team - to help lead FPD to the state championship.

"I was so stressed out heading into the state meet," Ashley said. "I don't think track meets are as stressful."

That was evident early in the season.

At the first track meet of the year, Ashley cleared 8-8 in the pole vault, five inches higher than the record for the state meet.

Each week, she seemed to top her personal best to start a sort of track arms race with Deerfield-Windsor's Jenkins, who cleared 10 feet early in the season.

The two would post personal bests each week, then check to see what the other did.

The week that Ashley finally cleared 10 feet, Jenkins went 10-6. Cope got as high as 10-3 at the Region 2-AAA meet.

"I looked at the newspaper the next day and saw she got 10-6," Cope said. "I just thought, alright I have to go higher."

Meanwhile, Scott has continued his dominance in the 800 meters and is the favorite to win the 3,200 meters after winning both at the region meet.

He can become just the second track athlete since records have been kept in Class AAA to win four straight state titles in the same event with a win this year and next in the 800 meters. Former Stratford football-track standout LeKevin Smith currently holds that distinction for the discus.

But even while Scott is warming up for his track events, he can't help but watch his sister soar.

"She's pretty impressive," he said. "I try to see as much as I can."

While Ashley's dominance in the pole vault - she's won six of seven meets - was expected, her performance in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles has been a bonus.

"I have long legs so I knew I could be successful in the hurdles," Ashley said. "I didn't know how successful though."

Ashley has the top time this year in both events and is the No. 1 seed in the 300 at the state meet. She faltered in the 100 hurdles and finished third at the region meet. She competed in both, and the pole vault, while fatigued.

"She's fought through that lately," Scott said. "She just hasn't had much energy."

Other than the 100 hurdles, it didn't show at the region meet. She also ran the third leg in the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

"She's a little sick and still performing like this," Seymour said. "It's almost a little funny that she's this good."

SIBLING RIVALRY

Ashley's performance at the region meet gave her something that her decorated brother doesn't own - the high-point award.

"Now I have something to strive for," Scott said with a laugh.

At the state meet, Ashley's main competitors will be Sasha Dlugolenski of George Walton and teammate Morgan Johnson. She can control her fate in hurdle races against Johnson while Seymour might be able to take care of Dlugolenski in the 100 and 200 meters.

"Winning the state high-point award as an eighth-grader is something that you never think you'd have to talk about," McDaniel said. "It's pretty amazing."

Ashley said that Scott has been supportive throughout the season, despite knowing that his younger sister can do things he hasn't had the opportunity to do.

"We've had some injuries that might've taken away a chance for Scott to go for the high-point award," Ashley said. "But he's been really been a help for me."

The siblings will get one more chance next season to go for the high-point award together, which Ashley said would be "very, very cool."

But for now, Scott says, "It's all about her."

[KYSEAMAN]

Ashley is now a freshman at Samford University, in Birmingham Alabama.