Dominic Johnson's New Challenge

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http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/columnists/257540.php

Opinion by Greg Hansen : Pole vaulter's new challenge
Opinion by Greg Hansen
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.14.2008
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UA and Amphitheater High School grad Dominic Johnson returned from his third Olympiad a few weeks ago full of uncertainty about the rest of his life.
"I've been training (in the pole vault) for the Olympics ever since I left high school," said Johnson, 32, who competed for his native St. Lucia in Beijing. "I talked to a lot of the Olympians in China and many of them face the same questions that I face."
Johnson earned a UA degree in anthropology. He is married with two young daughters. In order to make ends meet while training, he has remodeled older houses and worked in the landscaping industry.
What comes after the Olympics is a lifestyle/financial issue that confronts almost all Olympians whose names aren't Michael Phelps. In other words, how do you find a real job after 15 years as a basically unpaid athlete?
"I've applied to the International Olympic Committee for a position in the Olympic Solidarity Program in Lausanne, Switzerland, which is basically helping younger athletes get scholarships," said Johnson. "And I'm looking into the possibility of returning to St. Lucia to work in the ministry of sports, among other things."
Yet Johnson believes he still has his best pole vaulting years ahead; he has cleared 18 feet 10 inches and thinks 19 feet or more is possible. He continues to train with UA coach Sheldon Blockburger and two-time NCAA decathlon champion Jake Arnold.
"Ironically, a few years ago I was invited by the IOC to Switzerland for a conference on the transition of Olympic athletes to life after sports," he said. "And now here I am, in that position myself."