Caitlin Thornley 12'4''

[polevaulter08nw]

Jumped 12'4'' today! go Caitlin, i will have the vid up soon!

[vaultman18]

That's great!!! Can't wait to see the video.

[polevaulter08nw]

it should be here tomorrow due to slow internet, haha so i will get it up here asap!

[jaxvaulter]

what school does she go to?

[polevaulter08nw]

ragsdale, here the vid.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... 985754&n=2

[vaultman18]

It doesn't look as though this was in a meet. Was it?

[polevaulter08nw]

yeah it was a meet.

[jaxvaulter]

is ragsdale 3a or 4a?

[vaultman18]

3A I believe you can find all the classifications on nchsaa.org

[polevaulter08nw]

yes, she is 3 a

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /605140324

Pole vaulter tunes up with record attempt

By Kellie Dixon
Staff Writer
JAMESTOWN -- Ragsdale's Caitlin Thornley pointed her pole and her left foot skyward. She leaned back on her right foot and focused on the pole vault pit during the 3-A Midwest track regionals on Saturday.

Thornley already had won the event. She qualified for states easily during the regionals when she cleared heights a foot higher than her competition.

But the now four-time state qualifier wanted to keep going to see if she could beat her own state record of 12 feet, 4 inches, which she set earlier this season.

Thornley didn't join the regional competition until the bar was set at 9 feet because her qualifying height was 12-4.

That 9-foot height, although daunting for most of her regional competition, is easy for her to clear. Most of her 10 competitors qualified for regionals at heights of 8-6 or lower. That meant only a few pole vaulters remained by the time she joined the event.

But when the bar was 11-6, Thornley was competing against herself. She raced with high steps down the runway. She wasn't thinking about past successes, although she's racked up quite a few during her high school career.

Last year, Thornley took second place in the 3-A state meet, clearing 11 feet. As a sophomore she took first with a 9-6 height. Her freshman year -- her first year of pole vaulting -- she finished fourth when she cleared 8 feet.

She also wasn't thinking about the 3-A state championships, which will be held Friday at N.C. A&T. She could claim another first-place title.

Thornley just focused on her breathing with each stride she took down the runway. When she reached the end, she jammed the pole into the box and took off.

The pole bent slightly and she used the momentum to spring her 5-foot-6 frame high into the air.

There's no fear for her when she gets that high. She loves the event that first intrigued her as a sixth-grader during gym class. Of course she didn't get to try it as a middle schooler. She had to wait until her freshman year at Ragsdale to test out pole vaulting.

Now a senior, Thornley has spent four years practicing and improving. Some of those practices included gymnastic drills, which helped with her form.

She said her form still needs some work. A slight tweak here or there can make a lot of difference. For instance, she worked on her plant this year and it boosted her jump by 10 inches in one meet.

"I've just worked real hard since I was a freshman," Thornley said. "I've been real dedicated to it."

If she clears the height, she doesn't hear the quiet thud she makes when she lands against the mat. Everything seems quiet until she stands up.

There was a quiet thud when she cleared 11-6.

But after failing to clear 12-6 for a third time, both her and the bar collapsed onto the mat.

Breaking her own state record would have to wait.

[polevaulter08nw]

awsome, im glad she finaly got an article!