Passing the bar Passing the bar (June 04, 2004)

Lancer pole vaulters, LA's Miller make state

By Colleen Corcoran

As the stadium lights came on and the sun went down at San Jose City College on the night of May 28, only a handful of track and field athletes were still standing -- those whose top three times and marks at CCS finals allowed them to advance to the California State Championships on June 4 and 5 at Sacramento City College.

Counted among the living were St. Francis pole vaulters Casey Roche and Kyle Chronis. Freshman Casey Roche did not walk away completely unscathed though. Landing on a 15-foot bar left him bruised and bloodied, but still coming back for more.

"You can't be afraid," said pole vault coach Tom Tuite. "Because any time you leave the ground, that could be a fear factor."

Although Roche never made it past 15 feet, Chris Little of Los Gatos did. Both then failed to clear 15-4, leaving Little in first at 15-0 and Roche in second at 14-8.

"The conditions weren't so good, so I think I did pretty well," Roche said. When asked what his hopes for the state competition are, he said, "Whatever the opening height's going to be, because it's going to be high." The top mark in California is 16-6.

Roche holds the CCS freshman record as well as the best mark in the country for freshmen.

"He's certainly a good athlete and he certainly works hard, but he is an outstanding competitor," said Tuite.

Junior Kyle Chronis will also compete in Sacramento after finishing third with a mark of 14-4.

"I'm pretty pleased with it," said Chronis. "I've cleared 14-6 on a 14-foot pole, but maybe if I went up to the 15-foot pole it would have been a little higher. ... I've improved three feet in the past season."

St. Francis' Taylor Franklin finished second in the girls' pole vault with a mark of 11-5.

Reflecting on a successful pole vaulting season, Tuite said, "We've had other good years but this is as good as any that we've had, both with how high they've jumped and the number of kids we've had do well."

Los Altos' Allie Miller showed early signs of struggle but the results were no surprise. Not only did she qualify in three events, but she placed first in those three as well.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Miller finished first in 14.77 seconds without disturbing a hurdle.

Looking only slightly more fatigued than usual at the finish of the 300-meter hurdles, Miller was pushed to a personal record by close rival Corey Sheredy of Scotts Valley. Finishing in 44.17 seconds, Miller improved upon her previous CCS leading time 45.24 by over a second.

"The kids that are really competing are competing and are having a good year," said Los Altos coach Julia Widstrand. "Track's such a long season that it's easy to lose kids. ... Really, it's been a mental game for us this year."

There was no doubt about Miller's focus, but nerves got in the way during the high jump competition. As expected, she finished first, but not without some drama.

It was down to Miller and Chelsea Huff of Aptos at 5-8 when Miller missed the mark the first two tries.

"You gotta jump and ride. You're totally impatient, Allie," shouted a voice from the sideline.

With a fist pump and a smile, Miller finally cleared 5-8 on her third try, defending her first-place CCS championship title and joining one of the largest contingencies that the local CCS section has ever sent to state competition in the event.

Along with six other high jumpers, she will compete this weekend in Sacramento where the competition will be as fierce as the valley sun.

E-mail Colleen Corcoran at sports@mv-voice.com

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