Josh Woehle Article (WA)

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.sportstricities.com/sportstc ... 1442c.html

Prep notebook: Richland's Woehle topples school pole-vault record

This story was published Wednesday, May 4th, 2005

By Rene Ferran, Herald staff writer

The best Tri-City 4A boys pole vaulter in the last quarter century may be perhaps the most unlikeliest of candidates.

After all, until this year, Richland senior Josh Woehle had only cleared 13 feet, hardly the stuff of legends.

But just past the midway point of the season, Woehle already has improved his personal-best to 14-10, breaking the 19-year-old school record of 14-6 by Tom Rude at Saturday's Prosser Rotary Invitational.

Only five others in the region's history have gone higher and only one from a Tri-City 4A school -- Richard Baggett's area-record 15-9 3/4 vault in 1972 for Pasco.

Why the drought? Bombers coach Jim Qualheim and vault coach Sara Rowse -- herself a former state record holder in the girls pole vault in 2001 -- both attribute it to the lack of a full-time vaulting program in the Tri-Cities.

"In Bellingham, Vancouver, Seattle, Spokane, they all have a group of kids who've turned this into a year-round program," Qualheim said. "They have a coach who's not affiliated with the school helping them."

As for Woehle's sudden improvement, there's no quick answer. He's gone to a heavier pole that throws him better at the apex of his vault.

He also has been studying video of his performances to correct technique flaws. Even on his record vault, "I saw that I have room for big improvement," he said. "I'm pretty sure I'll go 15 (feet) at my next meet, and then I'll watch that video and see ways to improve somewhere else."

But mostly, Rowse and Woehle agree, an attitude adjustment has paid the biggest dividends. Woehle admits that "in high school, I'd always done the bare minimum to get by" -- that is, until he met his girlfriend, classmate and fellow vaulter Theresa Langevin.

"I met her last year in track. She's an overachiever, and she's kind of changed me," said Woehle, who initially was headed to Columbia Basin College next fall but now hopes to vault for Clackamas CC. "She's definitely been a big influence."

Add it all up, Rowse said, and you have a winner.

"He's a lot more confident, more coachable, more easy-going," she said. "It's all falling together for him. All the little stuff we've been working on had clicked this year."

[rainbowgirl28]

Glad to see Sara is still involved with the sport