Jenny Green (Nebraska) learning patience

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http://www.theindependent.com/stories/0 ... en15.shtml

Green learning patience

Jenny Green finished second Saturday, and she was happy about it.
That may sound strange, because the former Grand Island Central Catholic standout is just as competitive as any athlete you will find in any sport.

But Green, now a junior on the Nebraska track and field team, has learned some things over the last couple of years. She has learned a lot about back problems, a lot about physical training and quite a bit about the importance of mental aspect of competing at a high level.

Maybe the most important thing she has learned is patience.

You have to be patient with a broken back. Yes, Green's back is still broken. It has been since she injured it while competing overseas 21Ž2 years ago, and it will still be broken this year as she attempts to get back to where she was before the injury.

A year ago Green appeared to be back on track after winning the Big 12 indoor title, but as the indoor season wore on, vaulting became harder and harder.

When the outdoor season arrived, Green was shot.

So this year, Green and pole vault coach Kris Grimes have devised a different strategy. Now she vaults just once a week in practice. She short vaulted on Saturday, meaning she used an 83-foot approach instead of her normal 110 feet.

That's why Green was happy to be second Saturday with her vault of 11 feet, 11 inches.

"I didn't know going into it if I would vault at the meet or not," Green said. "I kind of have the outlook that so far this year I feel a lot better at this point than I did at this time last year."

Although 11-11 isn't anywhere close to where Green wants to be, at this point in the year it's more important for her to be feeling well physically.

"Now I feel great again ... well, I mean not great, but great for me," Green said. "Now that I'm feeling better, I think I can focus more. Last year was more about proving physically I could do it. I proved to myself I could, although it wasn't a very pretty sight."

It used to be a pretty sight. She still holds the Nebraska state high school record at 13 feet that she set as a senior at GICC.

Green is also at the top of the University of Nebraska charts where she is tied for the school record indoors (13-91Ž4) and holds the outdoor mark outright (13-111Ž4).

Green has won two Big 12 Indoor titles, one outdoor crown and finished third at the nationals both indoors and outdoors as a freshman at NU.

It's difficult to imagine how Green felt a year ago during the outdoor season. Doctors told her she could vault as long as she could stand the pain.

She kept vaulting, but her performance definitely deteriorated as the season went along.

"Last year it got to the outdoor season and I was gone," Green said. "My body hurt so bad. I'd jump on the weekends, and then spend a week in therapy just so I could vault on the weekend.

"We figured I can't do that again."

So Green is cutting back on her vaulting early in the season. She is planning to vault this weekend, and then take the next weekend off as she prepares for the Frank Sevigne Indoor meet Feb. 2-3, the team's biggest meet before the Big 12 Indoors.

Green's goal is to be an All-American once again as she was before the injury problems. She also hopes to stay fresh and healthy for the outdoor season when the Huskers expect to be especially strong as a team.

Taking it easy will be hard for Green, who is also taking 17 hours of course work this winter while serving an internship at the Nebraska Alumni Center.

"It kind of kills me," Green said. "I want to compete in every meet. I'm learning some patience. I get frustrated because I want to do more.

"I know if I push it now, I will end up like last year. If we get to the outdoor season and I still feel good, I might vault more. I really want to be there to contribute to the team this year more than I did last year."