Kimber Shealy 12-4 (GA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sports ... 424nw.html

Q&A / KIMBER SHEALY, Kennesaw Mountain: 'You have to get your mind in the right place'


By Glenn Lafollette
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/24/08
Cheerleading wasn't the sport for Kennesaw Mountain's Kimber Shealy. Diving didn't hold much appeal either.

But once the former gymnast settled on a sport she liked, she made the most of her commitment.

The Mustang senior set a state record in the pole vault last week, clearing 12 feet, 4 inches on her first attempt to break the previous mark by an inch.

Shealy recently sat down with staff writer Glenn LaFollette to discuss the accomplishment.

Q: Was breaking the state mark a goal of yours this season?

A: It had been my goal for a while, even since last year. So I was really excited to finally get it. My main competition last year was the [vaulter who set the previous record]. So I wanted to knock that down.

Q: What goes into a good pole vault?

A: I'm a visualizer. I get in my zone before a meet. I visualize how the vault is going to go because it's a lot of body control, knowing where you're going to end up. You have to get your mind in the right place.

Q: What do you think enables you to perform at this level?

A: I was a gymnast for 11 years. Last fall, I went back to it and just worked a lot on upper-body strength, body awareness. But I do weight training and some more event-specific conditioning. Drills, drills, drills, drills, drills. All those boring, mundane drills are definitely paying off now.

Q: How did it feel to break the record?

A: It was a mix of an adrenaline rush and a relief that I had finally gotten it. It doesn't hit you for a while that you just broke the state record. But then I ran up and jumped on my coach, gave her a big hug. She was just as excited.

Q: If that was your goal, had you been able to break the mark in practice?

A: We always put the bar way up high at practice, just so I can see different heights and aim for something higher. And so when you get to that height, you don't actually know how high you're getting. At the meet when they put it there, I said I knew I can do this. I really wasn't expecting it the first attempt.

Q: How much higher can you go this season?

A: I'm just going to keep aiming high. I'm really hoping to get 12-6 at region. Eventually, I'd like to get to 13 feet. I'm setting my goals high.

Q: Will you pole vault in college?

A: Yeah, I actually committed early to the Air Force. I looked into it a little bit because my dad is in the Air Force. Then I looked into their pole-vaulting program, and they just got a new coach. And when I went up there for a recruiting visit, I just loved it.

Q: What got you into the sport?

A: Well, cheerleading didn't really work. And I hated water, so I didn't want to do diving. So I thought about what I could use my gymnastics skills for and someone mentioned pole vaulting to me, and it fit perfectly. I loved it.

Q: Were you a natural?

A: I thought it was really easy at first. I mean, you just run with a pole and then you jump. But the first couple of times you do it, it's so awkward. I was jumping 3 feet, 5 feet. Slowly, after a couple months, it got easier.