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http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0, ... 99,00.html

Even on bad day, Johnson finds positive



By Jill Painter , Staff Writer


UCLA's Chelsea Johnson always sits by the pole vault runway and passes on early heights. For Johnson, 12- and 13-foot pole vaults are child's play.

Johnson has the NCAA record at 15 feet and a legitimate shot to make the U.S. Olympic team.

But while Johnson might be America's young, sparkling new face in the sport, she didn't put on a show this time in UCLA's dual meet Saturday against USC. Johnson usually enters competitions at 13 feet or higher, but on this day she started at 12-4 and never cleared it.

Johnson missed on her first try and grabbed another pole. She missed on the second and again exchanged poles. Same thing on her final attempt.

"I had a feeling I'd have a setback," Johnson said. "With every setback, it makes you refocus and you can turn it into a positive thing."

USC pole vault coach Craig Cooper thought it was positive, too. When Johnson missed her final attempt, Cooper marched over to his pole vaulters and said: "Girls, you just got promoted."

Actually, UCLA teammate Jacqueline Nguyen was the one who was promoted, as she was the only athlete to clear 12-4.

Johnson, the daughter of 1972 Olympian pole vaulter Jan Johnson, was experimenting with a nine-stride approach instead of eight. She hadn't even practiced it before Saturday. Obviously, there's some fine-tuning to do. But this is the approach Johnson plans to use in this summer's Olympic Trials.

"At first it looked like a negative thing," Johnson said. "But after I've thought about it, this happens. I couldn't get on a big enough pole. Obviously, I'm running faster, so that's good. I would've liked to have gotten points for the team."

She should do that in the NCAA Track and Field Championships, a meet she's expected to easily win. On this day, UCLA didn't need her points in winning the meet handily. The Bruins won't need her next week either, as pole vault coach Anthony Curran probably will have Johnson rest, much to her chagrin.

Johnson has been on a whirlwind schedule.

"I think she puts too much pressure on herself," Jan Johnson said. 'For a long time in high school, the pressure was being her dad's daughter. Now, that's no longer a concern. It's about the pressure she puts on herself because of what she's done so far."

And it's quite a resume. One she hopes will include a spot on the Olympic team.

"I'm just thinking about my training now because this is what matters for the Olympics," Johnson said. "I'm definitely feeling the pressure. Hopefully, I'll rise to the occasion."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/st ... 6240c.html

NCAA countdown: Pole vaulter not flying as high
By John Schumacher -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, June 3, 2005

For a relative newcomer, UCLA's Chelsea Johnson has been flying pretty high in the pole vault.
The junior from Atascadero didn't start vaulting until 2002, her senior year in high school. A year later, she finished sixth at the NCAA championships in Sacramento, then won the NCAA title last year with a 14-1 1/4 effort.

Johnson also cleared 15 feet last season, setting an NCAA record at the Stanford Invitational, and finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic Trials here with a 14-9 effort.



But this year has been a struggle. Hindered by a sprained knee, her season best is a more modest 14-1 1/4, although that's still the top college mark in the country.
Johnson, the Pacific-10 Conference champion, finished sixth in the West Regional last Friday, clearing only 12-11 3/4, but earned a wild-card berth to Sacramento based on her 14-1 1/4 mark.

"My whole career has been like all up, and this year I've had kind of like a downer year so far," Johnson said.

But Johnson hopes she can rely on the experience she gained at the Olympic Trials to help defend her NCAA crown.

"I just learned that at big meets like that, to keep your composure is probably the most important aspect," she said. "It's real easy to get caught up in the moment and let your emotions show and, like, break down, but it's really important to stay strong.

"It really taught me a lot of lessons."

When she really needs some pole-vaulting advice, the 5-foot-9, 21-year-old can talk with her father, 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Jan Johnson.

"My dad never really pressured me into it," Johnson said. "He's been through it all, ups and downs. He really knows how to help me out. And he's really helped me this year."

I never realized that was her father...must be nice

You'd be amazed how few people make that connection.

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/art ... p?id=36296

Pole vaulter aims to raise the collegiate bar

SHANNON QUIRK/daily bruin

Senior Chelsea Johnson will be vying for a national title in pole vaulting at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend.

By David Garcia
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
dgarcia@media.ucla.edu

Chelsea Johnson is a different breed.

It's not just about winning for her. It's about history and winning in ways that nobody has ever done before.

While a National Championship is satisfying for most athletes, she is driven by something bigger than a title.

Johnson has her sights set on the collegiate record for the indoor pole vault this weekend as she leads the women's team into the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Already the owner of the outdoor record, Johnson sees this indoor championship as an opportunity to further cement her status as one of the greatest women's collegiate pole vaulters of all time.

"I am just focusing on picturing myself clearing that bar because I know I can," Johnson said. "I won't be that happy with my performance even if I win but I don't break the record."

The current record of 14-10.25, held by Arizona's Amy Linnen, has stood intact since 2002. But Johnson has cleared 15 feet in outdoor competition, showing she is capable of breaking the indoor mark.

"If she does everything that we know she can do, she will get the record," pole vault coach Anthony Curran said. "As a coach it's my job to make sure we make the correct adjustments and that if someone jumps high, she jumps higher. She's got the tools, she's in shape, and she's confident."

Johnson's main competition will come from Breanna Eveland of Kansas State, who has actually jumped higher than Johnson so far indoors this season. Florida State's Lacy Janson also figures to be a factor in the competition, though none of the other vaulters have jumped as high as Johnson outdoors. It seems Johnson's biggest competition may come from herself.

"This week I have just been taking it a bit easier and just trying to get focused mentally," Johnson said. "Hopefully I can end my indoor career at UCLA with a really good jump."

I worked out with a coach out of Chicago that I didn't realize for the longest time was JJ's brother. One day he brought all this neat 'shwag' that had JJ's camp name on it. I was like, 'what do you know.'

Next they'll be saying that Clay Johnson is Jan Johnson's son!!! Who is Clay you ask? Just wait...