Jane Farrell Article (Brandeis)

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http://www2.townonline.com/lincoln/scho ... eid=302439

Grad finds new heights in pole vault
By Mike Lopez/ Sports Correspondent
Thursday, August 11, 2005

When she first tried the pole vault during her freshman year in college, Brandeis soon-to-be senior and Lincoln-Sudbury 2002 grad Jane Farrell found the perfect way to apply her physics major outside the classroom.

"I can understand why it makes sense to be doing certain drills or to use different techniques," said Farrell, who is majoring in mathematics as well. "I can't say it is necessary, but it certainly makes the subject more interesting."

With three years under her belt, the studying and vaulting has paid off.



A dean's list student, Farrell was an All-American last winter after a fifth place finish at the Division III national championships, and she followed it up in the spring with an 11th place showing.

"Jane understands the complexities of the event," said her event coach Jeff Robbins. "On both an intellectual and physical level. The intellectual part comes natural to her."

A three-sport athlete at L-S, Farrell took her time before mastering the physical component of the pole vault.

For one, before Brandeis, Farrell had never competed in the event.

"I saw a group of girls practicing my freshman year," Farrell recalled. "And I thought it would be really fun to try."

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. In the first week of training, Farrell sprained her ankle, an injury that kept her out of action for the next several months.

"It took me a while to try it again," said Farrell. "I was a little tentative, but I definitely had to try it again."

Her coach said that it is this high level of patience that he enabled Farrell to succeed.

"She has as much patience as any athlete I have ever coached. And because of that, her progress has been a steady climb."

It's a climb hasn't stopped since Farrell's sophomore year. In her first full athletic season of the event, she won the University Athletic Association (UAA) pole vault title in a meet at Carnegie Mellon University, setting a stadium record with a jump of 11 feet.

This past winter, she improved to 11-7, good enough for fifth place at nationals. She jumped to 11-8 over the course of the spring.

" She knows what to do in the air naturally, which a lot of people don't," said Robbins, who has set a goal for Farrell to average 12 feet during her senior season. "So when she develops speed and can get her step pattern consistent, there is no telling how high she is going to go. Because she is so new to the event, its something she can look to continue after college."

Farrell, whose brother Greg competed in track at L-S and Brandeis, admits it has not been an easy ride.

"It is a lot of work, I'll definitely agree with that. I had to commute about 45 minutes to some practices this past year from class. You struggle to manage your time, but to do well in both, you have to be dedicated."

And in the pole vault, Farrell has found an event she can commit herself to. Her passion was rewarded this past season, as Farrell was team captain.

"I like the way the kids are, the way our coach teaches us, and the atmosphere of the sport itself," she said. "The pole vault combines running, body position, and gymnastics moves, and I like all of those elements. When you are up in the air, it almost feels like you are flying."