Kendall Mays soars above competition (Wash. State)

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http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/30862

Mays soars above competition
Mays looks to become an All-American this year in addition to balancing a life off the track.
Cory Whitmore
THE DAILY EVERGREEN
Published: 02/10/2010
To describe WSU pole vaulter Kendall Mays as “active” is a gross understatement.

The redshirt junior track team captain does not lead a boring life by any stretch of the imagination. Although she is quickly making a name for herself in her event of choice, Mays fills her time with a variety of hobbies.

“Well, on Mondays I watch “The Bachelor” and make dinner for a group of my friends,” Mays said. “I’m currently learning how to cook. I made Chicken Parmesan the other night. Fabulous!” Mays said that she is a sucker for “stupid” reality shows such as “The Bachelor” and on occasion, “Jersey Shore.” “I indulge in ‘Jersey Shore’ once in a while, mainly because Snooki is so freaking hilarious,” she said. “What a ridiculous show!” A lot of Mays’ time is spent with her good friends and she makes it clear that she devotes a lot of her life to this area.

“I enjoy deeper relationships with people,” she said. “A lot of my time is spent in one-on-one conversations getting to really know my friends.” Mays said she and her friends will watch a lot of movies together, and that she is a huge fan of romantic films, a weakness attributed to being a hopeless romantic.

Mays also admits that a “ridiculously large” amount of her time is spent on the computer.

Facebook is one of her big time wasters besides listening to Pandora constantly. After hearing a song that relates to her life, she then looks up the lyrics and will most likely put it into a personalized playlist.

But it was last March that Mays really looked for a huge change in her life, and she found it with the Bible.

“I just needed a change in my life,” Mays said. “I wasn’t affiliated, but I knew there was something there. Now I am clearly a Christian. I was asked to church one time, and now I go to church on the regular and Bible study groups. Things just started to change from there.” Mays was one of five children (three little sisters and one older brother) growing up in Spokane, but her large family had its fair shares of trials that shaped her and gave her certain characteristics, she said.

“My parents got divorced when I was in eighth grade, but before they split, my dad was diagnosed with malignant brain cancers and was supposed to die,” Mays said. “That’s where I think I’ve got a lot of my leadership qualities. Mom’s job regularly took her to Seattle, and so I had to take on more advanced roles with my younger sisters and sometimes Dad.” Her experience fulfilling a matriarchal role has come in handy as a team captain for the WSU Cougar’s track and field team though.

“I’m really open with my teammates and I enjoy being the one that people know they can always talk to,” Mays said. “I go out of my way to seek the freshmen out and help them. I was so lost when I was freshman, so I know they can feel.” Her openness translates to her close relationship with her coach, Matt McGee.

“Coach McGee and his family has been so good to me,” Mays said. “They’ve kind of become like a second family to me. I even used to babysit his kids. They paid me too, of course, but I would have done it for free – their kids are just so cute.” When it comes to track, Mays said she never thought about a sports career after high school.

“I wasn’t even good enough till the last month of my high school career,” Mays said. “There was no recruiting trip. McGee just contacted me after state track and offered a book scholarship. That was the first time I really considered it. That and the fact that Pullman is far enough away that I can be independent is why I chose WSU.” She played volleyball all four years of high school but fell in love with pole vault.

“The feeling of being in flight and free is just amazing,” Mays said. Mays has lofty goals for this season but is now confident in her ability to meet those goals.

“I want to hit 14-0 this indoor season, but I would really like to hit 14-4 for the outdoor season, which would give me the school record,” Mays said. “This will also give me All-American status. I’m so excited to have hit the provisional qualifying mark already.” The NCAA took its top 16 pole vaulters to the championship events last year. Mays was the 17th on the list.

This Saturday, Mays will compete at the Husky Classic.