New Kid on the Block (Female Gymnast goes 12'1 first meet)

[VaultPurple]

http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/03/26/ ... ulter.html

Angie Rummans was looking for something new. She still had the competitive drive, but her love for gymnastics had faded.
Fortunately, a fellow gymnast introduced her to pole vaulting. And thus, a career was born last July --one that is beginning to show more and more promise as she competes for Hilton Head High's track team this spring.
Rummans has participated in only one track meet this season -- and it was enough to show her natural talent. At the Mellow Mushroom Relays at Wando last weekend, she pole vaulted to 12 feet, 1 inch. Already, that's good for the eighth-best mark in the nation and the top in South Carolina.
The Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette caught up with the Seahawks' newest talent to discuss her new career.
Question: What made you want to do something other than gymnastics?
Answer: I was a gymnast for 12 years. I started when I was five. I made it to Level 10. I always thought I'd do it in college, but I sprained my ankle two weeks before the state meet last year and bombed it. It pretty much put me out of the running to get a scholarship.
Q: So how did this pole vaulting career start?
A: This summer, I finally decided to quit gymnastics and go to pole vaulting. I got burnt out on gymnastics. I didn't love it anymore. ...I had a friend that was a gymnast that quit two years before I did. She took up pole vaulting and I thought it was so cool. I always wanted to try it. So I said, 'Why not?'
Q: It seems like it can be a pretty intimidating sport. Were you timid about trying it?
A: A little bit. But gymnastics pretty much got the whole fear issue out the way because I've been doing such crazy things in gymnastics. It really wasn't that much different.
Q: What was your initial learning process like?
A: Oh gosh, the sand drills into the sand pits and a lot of basic pole drops for hours. It was a real building process.
Q: At what point did you realize you might be pretty good?
A: My club coach said I could be good because of my background and my height and my long limbs. So I guess that and the fact that it was similar to gymnastics and how it translates over made it really easy.
Q: In what aspects does it translate?
A: A lot of the body awareness is the same. The power and impact is the same. It's all about knowing how to control your body.
Q: Take me through competing two weeks ago for the first time.
A: I didn't really know to expect. I went in first at 10 feet. Then I did 12-1 and that was pretty good for me. I was really happy about that for my first meet.
Q: Has it sunk in how high up that ranks in the county?
A: It's kinda seems a little surreal to me since this happened so quickly for me. I never saw myself doing this in a million years. Last year at this time, I was focused on doing gymnastics and I've just done a complete 360. I'm starting to wrap my head around it and it's pretty cool. I think I might surprise a few people since they haven't seen my name out there.
Q: Does this make you wish you had started this sooner?
A: In a way, it does. But I'm happy with my gymnastics career. I'm glad I did it, and I think it's helped me with track and field.
Q: You also did pretty well in the high jump at the meet in Wando, right?
A: Yeah, I just started messing around with that about two weeks ago. I thought it looked cool, so I wanted to try it and the coaches let me do it at the meet. I like it.
Q: Your gymnastics career forced you to travel a lot. Is it a little easier just practicing right outside your high school?
A: I like it a lot. My gymnastics background put me out of the loop with everyone because I trained in Savannah five days a week. Gymnastics was a lot of work. A lot of work. So I really never saw anyone that I knew. Doing school sports has kind of put me back in the loop. It's been a lot of fun.
Q: Have you thought about making a career out of this?
A: Oh yeah. It makes me want to continue throughout college and do well with it. I've had a few interests from colleges like Virginia Tech and UNC and South Carolina.
Q: What would you be doing this spring if you hadn't started this?
A: I don't know what I'd be doing. I really don't know. Probably be bored and just focusing on school.


Read more: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/03/26/ ... z0jVCrBV0E

[vaultman18]

Way to go Angie!

[altius]

Not quite the entire story!

[xjoeyx]

she had the top mark until saturday when sandi jumped 12-8. Apparently I was told they wont let her travel to other meets because whoever is recruiting or she has signed with got her for a small percentage scholarship and they dont want anyone to find out and offer her more? something along those lines.

[altius]

Other coaches have known about here potential since last July when I suggested that she could break the US record one day. If they have not taken the chance to recruit her they will look foolish in future. But I sincerely hope that what you have written in not true because she will jump 13 plus this year and every ambitious coach should be trying to get her.

[altius]

"Apparently I was told they wont let her travel to other meets because whoever is recruiting or she has signed with got her for a small percentage scholarship and they dont want anyone to find out and offer her more? something along those lines". I would appreciate it if you could let me know WHO is stopping her from travelling to other meets -coaches have known about her since July last year when I predicted that she could break the US record. I am sure she will jump 13 plus this year -so coaches who do not get after her are not doing their job - IMHO.

[altius]

Sorry about the repetition I did not see the original post go through.

[KirkB]

Sorry about the repetition I did not see the original post go through.

Altius, you can delete a post by clicking on the "X" button near the top-right corner of your edit box. This button only appears until someone has replied. After that, it's gone ... you can EDIT your duplicate post, and you cannot delete it (but the webmaster can).

You can also QUOTE someone else's post by clicking on the "QUOTE" button there. I've noticed that you don't use the QUOTE button - you'll find it handy! You can delete any part of a quoted post that you like ... just be careful not to delete any square brackets [ ] ... or the text between each pair of brackets ... or you'll mess up the formatting!

delete or quote a post.JPG (4.32 KiB) Viewed 6343 times

Kirk

[altius]

You just have to understand that I am technologically challenged.

[VaultPurple]

she had the top mark until saturday when sandi jumped 12-8. Apparently I was told they wont let her travel to other meets because whoever is recruiting or she has signed with got her for a small percentage scholarship and they dont want anyone to find out and offer her more? something along those lines.

I'm not 100% sure on this one, but I'm gonna have to guess that that would have to violate NCAA rules in some way. And it just sounds dumb. Why would an athlete agree to not go to meets so that no one would find out about her so that the college she signed with would not have to give her any more money?

[KirkB]

You just have to understand that I am technologically challenged.

I do understand that, and that's no problem. But old dogs can learn new tricks ... it's not that difficult, once someone helps you across the street the first time.

Incidentally, every kid (or master) that ever tries to PV is technically challenged on Day 1. That's really not that different than being technologically challenged. What if they continued to use that as an excuse day in and day out for their entire career? Eventually, that's no excuse!

Just saying!

Kirk

[rainbowgirl28]

she had the top mark until saturday when sandi jumped 12-8. Apparently I was told they wont let her travel to other meets because whoever is recruiting or she has signed with got her for a small percentage scholarship and they dont want anyone to find out and offer her more? something along those lines.

I'm not 100% sure on this one, but I'm gonna have to guess that that would have to violate NCAA rules in some way. And it just sounds dumb. Why would an athlete agree to not go to meets so that no one would find out about her so that the college she signed with would not have to give her any more money?

It sounds like a silly rumor to me. If she had actually signed somewhere, then it wouldn't matter much what she did, and even if she hadn't, doesn't she compete for a HS team?