Dragila dissing masters? She says she’s oldest at 35
I’m one of Stacy Dragila’s biggest fans. I saw her set a world record at the 2000 Olympic Trials in Sacramento. And she’s still hanging in there, hoping to make the 2007 UAAF World Championships (in Osaka) and the 2008 Beijng Olympics. But in a story yesterday in her local Boise newspaper, she is quoted as saying: “Hopefully, I can inspire ladies to continue to try new things and age shouldn’t be a factor. I am the oldest female pole vaulter out there.” Um, Earth to Stacy: You ain’t oldest by half. In America alone, we have two W70 vaulters — Flo Meiler and Marylou Bradford. Not to mention W55 Phil Raschker, who represented the USA internationally at age 48 in 1995 after taking third at the USATF open meet.
But tell you what, Stace. I know you meant to say: “I am the oldest ELITE female pole vaulter out there.”
But Mars to Stacy: Not here either.
The IAAF Top List for 2006 shows Britain’s Irie Hill (born Jan. 16, 1969, in Germany) as having jumped 4.20 (13-9 1/4) in Melbourne on March 4, 2006 — at the age of 37.
Well, all right. Your smile melts my heart. I’ll let you off the hook, Stace, if you go out next season and cream the W35 world record in the vault — listed by WMA as 4.22 (13-10) by Romania’s Gabriella Mihalcea in 1999.
But I know you have bigger fish to fry (or higher bars to fly).
The Osaka “A” qualifying standard is 4.45 (14-7 1/4).
Go, Stacy! (But watch your tongue.)
2 Responses
As a college student, I never trusted anyone over 30. I thought I was ancient at 40. Now at age 59 I look at those people as pups. Athletes in their 70s like Bob Ward and Bob Humphreys who can pass for 55 show us that age is a state of mind. Trent Lane is still going strong in his mid 90s. Stacy should realize that she can compete at the elite open level for many years and continue as a master until she gets her dirt blanket.
I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ve been watching Stacy?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s career for years, and as a retired pole vaulter myself, she is an inspiration to watch. She makes me want to get the pole out again and get back into competition. I hope I can go to the track and see her jump for many years to come.
Thanks for everything you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ve done for the sport,
Dan-
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