Tri-Valley pole vaulters qualify for JOs (OH)

[Bruce Caldwell]

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/ ... 69923.html


Raising the bar
Tri-Valley pole vaulters qualify for National Junior Olympics
By JOHN KERR
Sports Writer

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CHRIS CROOK
Tri-Valley's Brian Mozena and Jessica Schlaegel have each qualified for the Junior Olympic Nationals in Portland, Ore., held later this month.








DRESDEN -- Brian Mozena and Jessica Schlaegel keep raising the bar to new heights.

Tri-Valley High School track standouts Brian Mozena, 17, and Jessica Schlaegel, 16, have each qualified for Junior Olympic national competition in Portland, Ore. , the week of July 26.

Mozena, who has cleared 13-feet, 6 inches, finished second in the Junior Olympic regional meet in Farmington, Mich. Schlaegel, who has raised her top vault by 18 inches to 9-6 in the past three months, also took second in Michigan.

"This is a great opportunity in front of them," said Jim Fleming, pole vaulting coach for Mozena and Schlaegel. "This is the biggest track meet (in numbers) in the world. This is a heck of an honor for them to qualify for such an event."

Mozena caught on to vaulting soon after he started in eighth grade, when he won the Muskingum Valley League title at the junior high meet despite not knowing much about the event.

With Fleming coaching Mozena for two years, the Tri-Valley senior has broken the school record of 13-0 1/2 set by Jeff Smith and nearly qualified for the state tournament this past high school season. Mozena isn't concerned about where he finishes in the age 17-18 division in Oregon, just that a personal best can be set.

Schlaegel, who began vaulting as a freshman, has a personal best vault of 9-6. She shattered the school record of 7-6 set by Brian's sister Erin Mozena in 2002, the first year of pole vaulting for girls in Ohio high schools.

Schlaegel improved her vault from 7-6 to 9-0 at the districts, with Fleming coaching her just two to three weeks. Her opportunity at making the state as a sophomore was derailed when she severely twisted her ankle vaulting on a Wednesday, just three days prior to the regional.

Schlaegel is undecided about Oregon, based on cost of the trip.

Mozena and Schlaegel don't have workouts like one would expect. They spend an estimated 90 percent of their pole vaulting work on preparation, and 10 percent on jumping. Most of their practice jumps are done without a bar to clear.

"The competition is between you and the pole, not the bar," said Fleming, a former pole vaulter.

Precision on the runway is necessary for a vaulter to have an opportunity at success. According to Fleming, if a vaulter speeds down the runway 150 feet and is even a few inches off their landing spot, results will be sub-par. Vaulters must maintain the same speed each run "because when you run faster, you generally take smaller steps," Schlaegel said.

One big adjustment for a vaulter is a change in poles. A larger pole means an adjustment on the runway. But the vaulter must have confidence in the new longer and heavier pole that can take them even higher. Heavier polls are stiffer. When the pole stiffens up, it throws you higher.

Mozena and Schlaegel are each in the process of changing over to new poles, which Fleming believes can raise them another foot to 18 inches. A change in poles requires a re-positioning of the vaulters start on the runway, maybe by as little as the length of one-half a shoe.

One practice technique used by Mozena and Schlaegel is a 'bungee cord' hanging down from the ceiling in an area Tri-Valley wrestling uses.

"Bungee cord is the most important thing I do," said Schlaegel, who works on 'shooting and turning' on the bungee, since pole vaulters don't really pull themselves upside down.

"You can't do 50 vaults a night," Fleming said. "You can do 50 bungee cords a night; they are low impact."

Mozena and Schlaegel usually make about 10 vaults in a practice, 15 at the most.

"I'd rather them spend time working on doing other things," Fleming said. "I want them to make quality jumps. A typical high school vaulter may make 40 jumps a practice, but they are not quality. As soon as quality falls, we stop. Even if it's after five or six jumps, we stop."

Fleming encourages his vaulters by telling them what they did correctly, then asks them what they did wrong so they have a greater understanding of the necessary adjustments. He also likes to joke around with his students.

One area Fleming has Schlaegel working to improve is to keep her center of gravity high to the end of her run on the runway and not lower her quadriceps the final few steps.

"You keep your center of gravity high. Once it gets low, you can't get it back up," Fleming said. "If it feels right, it's usually wrong. If it feels wrong, it's usually right."

Schlaegel's background is right up a pole vaulter's alley. She was in cheernastics, which combines gymnastics and cheerleading, and has grown up with sprinter speed.

"All sprinters are pole vaulters afraid of heights," Schlaegel said.

Fleming, who grew up in West Lafayette, has coached at Muskingum, Wheeling Jesuit and Mount Union, where he helped guide a Malone College pole vaulter named Tim Mack, who was without a coach. Mack vaulted his way to first place at the U.S. Olympic Trials this past Sunday. Fleming had Mozena talk with Mack on the phone just a day before the Trials finals for inspiration.

"When we go to meets, (Fleming) knows everyone," Mozena said.

Fleming has a saying "Every time we do a drill, I say 'it's money in the bank ... So on game day, you can make a major withdraw."

Mozena, who has tremendously improved his time in 150-meter sprints at the end of practice, would like to think he can make a large withdraw late next high school track season.

"I'd like to think I can be competitive at the state next year," Mozena said.

Even bigger things might be on the near horizon for Schlaegel.

"If she wins the state her senior year, I have to shave my head. If she doesn't win it, she has to shave her head," Fleming said with a laugh.

Those wishing to donate to help fund the trip can do so at Unizan Bank, in care of the Junior Olympics fund, account 30836670.

jkerr@nncogannett.com

450-6763

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Originally published Sunday, July 18, 2004

[vaultmom]

I love this meet ! good luck to those vaulters. All my kids have competed through the years at this meet in hurdles, vault and the decathalon !