PoleVaultPower.com

Col Nº Atleta/Athlete Nasc. País/Country Marca/Mark
1 317 Alicia Rue 04|08|1988 USA 4.20
2 166 Gabriella Duclos-Lasnier 01|03|1988 CAN 4.15
3 477 Keisa Monterola Suarez 26|02|1988 VEN 4.10
4 316 Tori Anthony 19|04|1989 USA 4.00
5 167 Stacey Irvine 03|04|1989 CAN 3.65
6 216 Diana Leyton 15|08|1988 COL 3.60
7 114 Raissa Charkansky Schubert 29|05|1990 BRA 3.50
8 392 Carmelita Correa 06|12|1988 MEX 3.40
9 18 Valeria Chiaraviglio 09|04|1989 ARG 3.40
10 113 Claudia Delanne Vitória 31|05|1991 BRA 3.40
243 Gladis Quijada 01|08|1989 ESA DNM

Col Nº 3,20 3,30 3,40 3,50 3,60 3,65 3,70 3,75 3,80 3,85 3,90 3,95 4,00 4,05 4,10 4,15 4,20 4,25
1 317 - - - - - O - - O - X O - O X X O X O X O O X X X
2 166 - - - - - - - - - - X O - O - O X X O X X X
3 477 - - - - - - - - - - - - O - O X X X
4 316 - - - - - - - - O - X O - O - X X X
5 167 - X O X O X O X O X O X X X
6 216 - - O - X O - - - X - -
7 114 O O O O X X X
8 392 O O O X X X
9 18 X O O O X X X
10 113 O O X X O X X X
243 X X X

http://www.cbat.org.br/competicoes/pan_juvenil/resultado.asp

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle ... ID=1065624

[quote]
Minnesota’s Alicia Rue bettered her own personal best by nearly six inches, clearing 13 feet, 9 1/4 inches to capture the gold medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. The US Team concluded the three-day track & field event with 48 medals.

“This of the coolest and most honorable experiences I will ever have,â€Â

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle ... ID=1064683
[quote]

Golden Gopher freshman pole vaulter Alicia Rue is a member of the U.S. Junior Pan American team competing this week in São Paulo, Brazil. A city of 11 million in southeastern of Brazil, São Paulo means Saint Paul in Portuguese.

Alicia has agreed to write back to gophersports.com with some of her experiences along the way.

Blog #5 - Sunday, July 8

Today was finally my day to compete. My personal best entering the meet was 4.05 meters (13-3 1/2). In the morning, we had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. We ate some breakfast and headed to the track. We (Tori and I and the other pole vaulters) checked in at 8:10 and began warming up at 8:30. Warm ups went ok...I wasn’t very confident in my steps by the time it ended, and I just wasn’t sure if things would be right without a coach.

A dad of one of the guy’s pole vaulters was in the stands helping the two of us out a bit. I just decided that I needed to be confident and do my best.

The starting height was 10-6, and passed until I started jumping at 12 feet (3.65m).

I was so nervous I would have bad steps or no height like I did a few weeks ago (at NCAA Championships), but I made it on my first attempt. That got me started, and feeling a bit better.

Again I passed a few heights and jumped at 12-6 (3.80m) which I made again on my first jump. I was beginning to feel confident and ready to go. The bar went to 3.90m and I made it on my second attempt, then to 4.00m (13-1 1/2), where I made it on my third try. This was the height where the other American missed and ended up in fourth place.

I cleared the bar on my second attempt at 13-3 1/2. By this point I was pretty pumped to have tied my PR. I was running fast and working on getting my arms tall and swinging quick to get upside down.

Next was 4.10m, and I MADE IT! Next came 4.15m, and I made that on my second try too!! I couldnt believe it. Now it is just a Canadian and myself, since the girl from Venezuela missed three times. The following height was 4.20m, I cleared the bar again and Canada missed! I HAD WON THE GOLD! USA!!

I still wasn’t done. I had to keep jumping. I took three really fast runs at 4.25 and came nowhere close to making it. Ha ha.

It was so exciting and so much fun! I made a 6-inch PR today. Afterwards we paraded to the awards stand, and received our metals. They played the USA National Anthem...one of the coolest and most honorable experiences I will ever have.

I can’t even describe the whole experience! Maybe I will have more for you later, but it’s just difficult to put in words. It was a great moment full of emotion where I couldn’t get the smile off my face.

Home soon,
Alicia

Blog #4 - Saturday, July 7

The opening ceremony was held yesterday afternoon during the lunch break at the track. Each country (approx. 35) paraded their flag down the stretch of the track and then stood in a line holding their flag for all to see. They played a very "Olympic" song, and then gave some motivating speeches in Portuguese.

Yesterday after the first day of competition Team USA won 7 gold medals, 4 silver metals, and 1 bronze. The girls won 7 total metals and the guys one 5. It was so exciting to stand up and hear our National Anthem played seven times, considering there were only 10 events total.

There were not many fans, other than all the athletes in the bleachers, but we can’t expect much for a junior competition in a far-away country.

Now today there are many more events finishing up. Everyone goes to the track during the afternoon to watch the others compete. The national pride everyone feels for their own country is something I have never seen or experienced before, but it’s amazing. We are showing our support by cheering and chanting USA and taking pictures. All the kids are working on trading their USA gear for other countries athletic clothing.

Every night you will find a little party of Americans and Canadians up on the roof of the hotel at the pool. The water in the pool is so cold we use it for an ice bath to help with the muscles and decrease lactic acid. The USA is becoming friends with Canada more and more by sharing the computer room, dining hall, and playing games at night. They are really nice kids and so much like us.

Besides track, everyone is getting very sick of the hotel food. We eat the same foods for lunch and dinner every single day! People are starting to go out to get pizza and Subway more and more.

The weather has been getting nicer (warmer) yesterday and today to the point where it is HOT to just be sitting and watching in the sun. The sky has cleared up a bit so it is less foggy, but the air still smells pretty bad of exhaust (which we are all still struggling to get used to). (Smog is a major problem in the city of Sao Paulo.)

Our translators are teaching us more and more of the Portuguese language, but it still doesn't help much.

I will let you know how many medals we win today!


Alicia

Blog #3 - Friday, July 6

Everyone here can not stop talking about the trip to the beach and how it is probably the best thing we will do on this trip besides representing our country and competing in this amazing track meet.

Yesterday (Thursday) we went shopping again, but this time at a bunch of local stores that lined the street. They sold all kinds of jewelry, shoes, clothes and knickknack things. I bought some gifts for people, and of course some Brazilian things for myself.

It is also very common to trade clothing with the other athletes. For example, a girl from Brazil approached me and asked if we could trade shirts, a USA for a Brazil. I’m pretty excited to start collecting athletic gear from the other countries.

Last night we had a lot of down time so half of the team participated in a TABOO game tournament that lasted two hours. It was a good bonding moment and fun thing to do at night since we can’t go out after dark.

We had a very important team meeting. We voted for team captains and the flag carrier for our country. The women’s captain was voted to be Brandi Cross, who runs the 400 from South Carolina. The men’s captain is Zuheir Sharif, a triple jumper. The flag carrier is now Walter Henning, a hammer thrower who has participated in multiple international meets.

Then the coaches gave a great speech about us being chosen to represent our country and what an honor we have received. They explained that we are the ones who people base their judgments of the United States on. They also gave an interesting statistic...70% of the people who attend a junior international competition will go on to compete in the Olympic games!!

Now, today is the first day of competition. I’m so ready to go even though I have to wait until Sunday. Everyone is excited to watch each other compete and just spend some time resting. I will let you know how it all goes!! Hope all is good in the States!

Alicia


[b]Blog #2 â€â€

http://www.startribune.com/512/story/1291133.html

Rue soars to gold medal in pole vault at Pan Am Juniors

Last update: July 08, 2007 – 10:13 PM

Rue soars to gold medal in pole vault at Pan Am Juniors
Gophers take aim at endowed scholarships
Endowed at the U
Alicia Rue bettered her own personal best in the pole vault by nearly six inches, clearing 13 feet, 9 ¼ inches to capture the gold medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday.
Rue, a Gophers freshman from Plymouth, was the runner-up at the U.S. Junior USATF Championships last month. Her previous best was 13-3 ½, a second-place performance at the Big Ten Championships.

Congratulations Alicia!!! I had the pleasure of meeting Alicia and Chris at last yr's US Jrs. and she is a super person and very good vaulter. A well deserving honor for her! I feel most vaulters are a reflection of their coach so that says alot for Chris also Alicia I hope you make that 70% club !!! Good luck in the Future.
As an American pole vaulter and coach,
Thanks for bring Home the Gold!!!!!!!

Kevin

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/07/11/72055

Rue takes home gold in Pan Am Games
The Gophers' freshman pole vaulter eclipsed her career-best vault en route to the gold medal.
By Mark Remme

ne month ago Minnesota's freshman pole vaulter Alicia Rue took off for Sacramento, Calif., to compete in her first NCAA Championships with high hopes and expectations.
The results weren't so favorable. She was unable to clear the opening height of 12 feet, 3 1/2 inches and was forced to sit the rest of the meet.

"It was kind of an eye-opener having to watch everyone else for the rest of the weekend," pole vault coach Caroline White said. "But instead of sitting around asking why this stuff has to happen, she looked at it in the first person, like, 'I'm going to fix it.' "

And fix it she did. Rue competed last weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as part of the Pan American Junior Championships and took home the gold medal.

Rue said after she made her initial jump, she reached a groove and kept increasing the height as the competition went on.

"I was so excited and I couldn't believe I was jumping so well," Rue said. "Not only was I jumping my best, I was the best in America."

It was one of 48 medals the U.S. team took home during the three-day track and field event. Rue's top jump of 13-9 1/4 cleared her career best by six inches.

"What an unbelievable weekend," women's track coach Matt Bingle said. "It made the hairs on my arms stand straight up in the air. It was a great opportunity, and the cool thing about it is she did it at a world meet."

With the international scope looking on, Rue came through with a steel-will performance. White said the freshman pole vaulter refocused after the NCAA showing in Sacramento in order to make herself better.

It's that type of drive - along with her clearly visible athletic ability - that made White tell Bingle during the recruiting process that she thought Rue could clear 14 feet someday.

White said that type of drive comes not only from physical ability but also from knowledge of the sport.

"She's a smart girl; in a pole vaulter that's an important thing," she said. "(You need to) problem solve and take ownership - study events and improve."

Rue needed to rely on that instinct and know-how in order to compete in Sao Paulo, considering she was without her Minnesota coaches to back her up. The result this time was even more than Rue expected as she said she was hoping to creep up to the bronze position.

Instead, Rue found herself standing alone at the end of the tournament as the loudspeakers honored her and her country.

"After you win they take you to the staging area and you hear your name announced while the national anthem is played," Rue said. "It's a huge honor."

Rue, a Plymouth native, has three more years remaining in her collegiate eligibility. After a prominent international showing like this past weekend, the Gophers might have a viable national title contender in their ranks for the foreseeable future.

And considering that Arizona State junior April Kubishta took home the 2007 NCAA title in the pole vault with a 13-11 1/4 leap, Rue's numbers are not too far off the pace.

White said she has confidence in Rue's ability to compete, especially after the turnaround she has been through since June's NCAA championships.

She said Rue is beginning to recognize that every meet is different. At each competition one person has a great day and another has a poor outing, White said, so the key is to improve on consistency.

Bingle said that if she continues to work hard along with the success she's already achieved, a peak in her performance might be coming quicker than anyone expected.

"She fits on our team well; she's a great student and she's well-deserving," Bingle said. "When you do the right things, you get the rewards."