Hannah Raila Article

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http://www2.townonline.com/medford/scho ... eid=176117

Hanging with Hannah
By Christopher Hurley/ churley@cnc.com
Thursday, February 3, 2005

Hannah Raila is no stranger to hang time.

     Whether she's running wild in the hurdles or flying through the air in the high jump, the Greenleaf Avenue resident has constantly risen to the occasion.

     But since adding the pole vault to her repertoire two years ago, the Medford High junior has compiled an impressive array of victories, including a Division A state championship last season. She also secured a sixth-place finish at the all-state meet, qualifyng for the All-New England meet.

     Raila is one of the reasons the Medford girls track team (4-3 Greater Boston League) is on the rise. The junior pole vaulter has earned a spot in the National Scholastic Indoor Championship at the New Balance Track and Field Center in New York City on March 11-12. Raila's Medford teammate Arantxa King, a sprinter, will also compete at the nationals.

     "I think it's pretty cool that we're sending two girls to nationals. That's pretty impressive," said Raila, 16. "I'm proud to represent the city of Medford. They don't see too many Medford girls, but this time they'll be seeing two."

     Ironically enough, Raila's introduction to the world of pole vaulting came almost by accident, while attending a track camp nearly two years ago. Originally intending to brush up on her skills as a hurdler, Raila was encouraged by her instructor to try something a little bit different.

     "The director saw that I had a background in gymnastics so she suggested that I try (pole vault) out for one session and the hurdles the other session," Raila said. "I tried it out and I actually ended up loving it."

     An acquired taste in the world of track and field, the pole vault is not an event for the timid.

     "You have to learn not to get frustrated, because it can be really frustrating sometimes," Raila said. "You have to learn how to deal with ups and downs. You have to learn to keep progressing over time and not expect to do better every single meet."

     Raila reaches a personal best of 10 feet, 6 inches in her first meet of the season. She duplicated the effort in late December at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center. Raila hopes to break 11-feet by the time she heads to the Big Apple.

     "I just want to qualify for the finals, that's my goal," Raila said. " I'll probably have to go 11-feet to do that depending on how the other girls are, but 11-feet would be the most going into finals."

     Competing in the pole vault presented new challenges for Raila. The Medford track team doesn't offer the event due to insurance reasons, forcing the Raila to practice twice as hard both with her high school team as well as her own private pole vaulting coach at Air Time Athletics in Natick.

     "The only thing that's been hard is that we've been trying to find a facility to vault at," Raila said. "We were at Brandeis all last year, but this year their new administration didn't want to have our club there. We've been to Wheaton and Smith and now looking to go to BU. So it's been really hectic moving all around to different facilities."

     Despite the constant practice shuffle, Raila has remained committed to both of her respective clubs, much to the delight of Medford coach Steve Mascoll.

     "Hannah has her own program, because we don't have pole vaulting at the high school, but we have cooperation with her pole vaulting coach," said Mascoll, noting that Railia is also third in her class academically. "It's a real pleasure to have her on the team."

     In addition to her national competition in March, Raila is also slated to compete for the Mustangs in the hurdles at the state meet.

     "The hurdles have been going well," said Raila, who remains undefeated in the Greater Boston League in the event. "I broke 9 seconds, which was my goal for the year. Our league meet is on Saturday. I'm hoping to win that."

     By way of comparison, Raila rates herself as a novice in the high jump with a modest 4-foot-4 effort as her season best, but that hasn't deterred the junior from tackling that additional challenge.

     For Raila, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of hang time.

     "You get to fly," Raila said. "Just the feeling of going up in the air that high is a lot of fun."

     And for this Medford pole vaulter, the sky is the limit