Lesa Kubishta Article

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/ ... tp9sp1.htm

04/11/04

Kubishta striving for Olympic dream



Lesa Kubishta couldn't sit down.



Her tailbone screamed in pain, but she was determined not to limp once -- not until the competition was over.

She could barely run and for a pole vaulter, the 100-foot sprint down the runway determines whether or not the full and complicated maneuver will be successful.

But before Kubishta knew it, she cleared only one bar and was eliminated from the 2000 Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. The winning height was a mark she had met five times previously that year.

"I waited in line for 20 minutes for warmups ... and my adrenaline was really pumping," said Kubishta, whose injury occurred during a practice jump when she slid down her pole and landed on her tailbone in the metal box. "I grabbed a bunch of ice, put it on the ground and sat on it.

"Then I was out ... but I vowed every day since then that I would train my hardest. I learned so much from that experience."

Four years later, the Englewood resident will attempt to make the 2004 Olympic Team during the Trials July 9-18 in Sacramento. To qualify for the trials, a vaulter has a year to clear 14 feet at a USA Track and Field sanctioned meet, with the top four qualifiers advancing to the Summer Olympics in Athens.

The difference in Kubishta now and four years ago is her preparation, training and attitude.

College

The 25-year-old first picked up the pole vault during her junior year at Point Loma Nazarene, an NAIA school in San Diego, and quickly qualified for the 2000 Trials.

"She asked if she could try it -- she's very athletic and came to us as a jumper," said Jerry Arvin, the women's track coach at Point Loma Nazarene. "She thought she might like it (vaulting) and took to it very quickly.

"She is very strong and fearless; she can bend the pole where most girls can't. Most girls can't do what she does."

During her junior year, Kubishta had foot surgery on both feet to remove excess bone. She wore walking casts that came up to her knees for six months.

After her casts came off, Kubishta went to the NAIA national meet and won her event.

"We'll never have another vaulter like her again," said Arvin, in his tenth year at the school. "We have girls who are vaulting 11 feet -- we went from 14-5 to 11 feet. She was way ahead of anything we've ever had. She has the tools necessary to get to the level to compete against the best in the United States and the world."

Kubishta set the school record in 2000 with a vault of 14 feet, 2 1/2 inches, four feet higher than the second-place finisher. She holds the NAIA record at 14-4 and was a two-time NAIA champion.

The move to Englewood

Kubishta has since moved to Englewood to train with Dave Johnston, an assistant track and field coach at Lemon Bay with more than 30 years of coaching and competing experience. In his time as a coach, Johnston said he has seen 12 of his athletes compete in the Olympic games.

The results of their short time together have impressed both teacher and student.

On Feb. 29, Kubishta cleared 14-3 1/4 -- a personal best -- to finish fourth at the 2004 USA Indoor Track and Field Championship at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxburg Community College in Boston.

"We've pulled apart and rebuilt some major steps of my technique," said Kubishta, currently ranked fifth in the United States according to usatf.org. "He's (Johnston) done more for me than I ever thought possible."

"She is good enough to make it ... and she hasn't reached her potential," said Johnston, who made college coaching stops at Florida, Arkansas State, Cal State-Northridge, Southern Methodist and Arizona State. "She is an awesome human being, the full package. Her training has been tremendous, she's gotten stronger and faster -- she's just wonderful to work with."

Johnston said that besides the hammer throw, the pole vault is the most difficult event in track and field. Kubishta added that the initial takeoff is "where it all happens."

"You have to give absolutely everything at that one moment," she said."It's such an acrobatic maneuver; it's not an easy event," Kubishta said. "Even on your best day, you could not clear a single bar if you don't have the right pole or the right grip. There are so many things that could go wrong, I'm thankful I did gymnastics -- it really helped me pick up the vault quickly."

Johnston, a small college All-American at Central Arkansas State and the 1969 NAIA Indoor long jump champion, said he concerns himself with how much adrenaline Kubishta has, how focused she is and if she has the right pole and the right grip.

"At the Florida Relays (where Kubishta took second with a vault of 13-3 1/2), she went through every pole so now we have four new poles," Johnston said. "We've just got through three great months of training. She has made improvements and gotten stronger and faster."

Training and motivation

Kubishta and Johnston train six days a week, mixing in vaulting, jumping, running and weight training. Along with her intense workouts, Kubishta also has plenty of mental motivation.

At 32 years old, Stacy Dragila sits at the top of the pole vaulting world. Dragila won the gold medal in 2000 in Sydney and took the title at the 2004 Indoor Championships. Like Dragila, a good majority of Kubishta's competition has been vaulting for several years more than she has.

"One of the things that really keeps me going is the women I'm chasing, most of them are over 30 years old ... so I still have some good years in me," the 25-year-old said. "She (Dragila) carries herself with a lot of class. I like her attitude and would be proud to model myself after her.

"She'll be retiring soon and she's a tough act to follow, but someone has to step up."

Kubishta works part-time in the customer service department at the Home Depot in Venice. She works out and swims at The Point in Englewood and is also a volunteer coach for the Manta Rays' track teams.

"I've been living here for three months and it feels like I've been here for three years -- I love it here, I don't want to leave," Kubishta said. "I feel like I have a new family and why would you leave family?"

Four years of waiting, training and dreaming are about to pay off for Lesa Kubishta. Then, all that will stand in front of her Olympic dreams is 100 feet.



You can e-mail Pete Stella at pstella@sun-herald.com.


By PETE STELLA

[Carolina Extreme]

That is a terrific article on a wonderful women and vaulter. I have been impressed with her since the first time I saw her vault at the 2000 NAIA Outdoor National's in Abbottsford, British Columbia. She has an exceptional coach in Dave. I'm looking for some great things to happen for her.

[Peepers PV]

YAY LESA! In feb., I was a high schooler in a collegiate indoor meet and she was really nice! Her coach is fun too

[belmore]

Go Lesa, that young lady is awesome, not just as an athlete but as a person. Wishing the best for her. I believe she found the right coach in Dave, I have sure learned alot from that young man. If any of you vaulters or coaches ever get the opportunity to attend a camp or clinic he is coaching at, GO! Soak up some knowledge and enthusiasm from this dynamo. Dave has so much history and knowledge that he loves to share with anyone willing to listen. When words don't work he'll pick up a pole and show it! This will be a combo to watch, I know I'm sure rootin' for them.

[Carolina Extreme]

Brian, It sure was cold in Abbottford wasn't it. Sleet and freezing rain the last day of May, just a short time before the guys vaulted. We flew all the way from SC for the meet and Spencer's poles never showed up.

I guess since we were in Canada we are "International Pole Vault Coaches" now. LOL

[rainbowgirl28]

I jumped in Abbottsford last summer and it rained the whole time also.

[Carolina Extreme]

I jumped in Abbottsford last summer and it rained the whole time also.

It struck me as funny that the NAIA National Championships where held in Canada in the first place. At outdoor nationals, when it is supposed to at least be warm if not hot, it was freezing cold. Coming from SC we were not prepared for the cold and definitely not dressed for it. I froze my CarbonFX. LOL Other than that it was a great experience.

[belmore]

Rusty, I still believe that makes us international coaches. It was so cold that year, I sure didn't pack enough clothes. We went back the following year and had a blast, the weather was beautiful. I put every stitch of cold weather gear I had in my old suitcase for that one and didn't need any of it. I asked one of the locals about the change in weather conditions and he swore that year we were there was abnormal.