Change in equipment vaults freshman to title

[gfilosa]

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Change in equipment vaults freshman to title
Pikesville student may be first female state champion in school history
By Tom Worgo
tworgo@patuxent.com.

Posted 6/04/08
High school track and field

After Pikesville freshman pole vaulter Sasha Smallwood became too strong and quick for the pole she used in competition, her postseason performances suffered dramatically.

The 5-foot-2 Smallwood jumped a mediocre 8 feet, 6 inches during the county track and field championships, finishing second.

That's when Pikesville coach Gerard Filosa and Smallwood agreed that she would switch poles, using a heavier model.

"She had a bad day, and that was part of the reason we switched," Filosa said. "I had her try it by chance. This one was a little bit stiffer and slower. It allowed her more time to get in the right position."

Smallwood tried the new pole a day before the regional championships in practice when she soared a foot higher than her county leap.

Despite having only a short amount of practice time with the new equipment, Smallwood dominated in the regional meet, registering 10 feet, 1 inch, "the highest in the state this season," Filosa said.

Although she didn't jump quite as high (9-6) in the state meet, she still earned a Class 1A title at Morgan State University.

"We believe she is the first female state champion in school history," Filosa said. "We think 1974 might have been the start of the girl's program. To have a freshman be that successful so early really caught us by surprise."

A gymnast for four seasons before joining the Pikesville track program last winter, Smallwood was third in the county (7-0) and won the region (7-6) during the indoor campaign.

Smallwood's lofty goal as a sophomore will be to break the county (10-7) and state (11-7) records.

As a result, a busy summer lies ahead. She plans on attending two summer camps as well as practicing with high school competitors at McDonogh School. She also will participate in clinics in Prince George's County.

"I love pole vaulting, and I have been flying through the air since I was a kid," she said. "I will push myself."

Smallwood wasn't the only Pikesville state champion.

Senior Bud Washington won the triple jump (46-4 1/4) and was sixth in the high jump. Teammate and senior James Allen (144) earned top honors in the discus to help the Panther boys finish third overall.

It was Washington's first year competing in outdoor track.

"He had a really successful year," said Filosa, noting that Washington also placed second in the county and region in the high jump.

Allen made some changes in his throwing technique after placing second in both the county and region championships. His distances were subpar, Filosa said.

"The county meet was 133 feet, and regional was like 115," the coach said. "He picked up some bad habits. We broke down what he was doing wrong, and (he did) what he needed to do to fix it."

Other top Pikesville boys performances at the state championships came from Trey Bryant (3rd, long jump; 3rd, high jump; 4th, triple) and Geoffrey Boggs (2nd, pole vault). Camilla Nichols (2nd in high jump, long jump), Dia Johnson (3rd, discus) and Michele Fried (4th, triple jump) paced the Panther girls.

For the New Town girls, senior Monique Hawkins grabbed second in the 200-meter race and third in the 400. Teammate Fallon Rovel-Jones was second in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. Malik Edwards (4th, 800) led the Titan boys.

Two New Town relay teams received ribbons, including the fourth-place 400 relay -- John Dailey, David Rose, Isiah Kasey and Jateese Gardner -- and the fifth-place 1,600 squad -- Dailey, Gardner, Edwards and Melvin Buck.

Cathy Agoris (3rd, discus), Anna Roth (6th, 800) and Latavia Deas (6th, discus) finished the highest for the Franklin girls. Cameron McDearmon (3rd, discus) paced the Indian boys.

The Owings Mills boys 800 relay team of Antoine Alston, Loren Johnson, Lorenzo Gray and Seyoum Mensuphu-Bey took third while Antoine Alston placed fifth in the long jump.

[vault3rb0y]

Stiffer and slower? An oxymoron in pole vaulting. Maybe she just held higher on a stiffer pole. Anyway, congrats!

[gfilosa]

I was at a loss trying to explain things to the reporter, but it also a bit true. She went from a 120lb Mystic (19.9) to a 130lb EZ-Plant (18.1), which has a "slower bend" than traditional poles.

Her grip was the same on both poles (~10' 9"), what she really needed was the added stiffness.