PVCC Puma Press: March 2004

Many young athletes have dreams of making it to the Olympics. That is because in the world of sports the Olympic Games are quite simply as good as it gets.

Gold medalist Stacy Dragila, who trains daily on PVCC's track, had not envisioned the Olympics as part of her childhood dreams. Pole-vaulting had no place in her life then. She enjoyed swimming, some rodeo, volleyball, and a little bit of baton twirling, but no pole vaulting. That would come much later in her story. Twenty-nine years later to be exact, when the girl who recalls herself as "never being awesome at anything" became an Olympic hero and an athletic icon to young girls everywhere who ever dreamed of doing something great.

A pioneer in the sport that was dominated by men all the way up until 1995, Stacy Dragila was the first woman to win the Outdoor and Indoor World Championships in the women's pole vault and in 2000 became the first woman pole-vaulter ever to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

To date, she has broken somewhere in the range of 32 world records, quite a feat when you consider the fact that Dragila did not begin pole vaulting until she was 23-years-old, which, coincidentally, is roughly the age of her Russian and most fierce competitors whom she will face at this year's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Dragila says she loves the thrill of the sport, which, she adds, also serves as a great stress reliever day-to-day. She feels that as a professional athlete, she is blessed to be able to make a living doing what she loves. "This is my job," she says. "I get to do what I love to do."

A California native, Dragila moved to Idaho in 1992 to run track for Idaho State University. It was there that she found the two things that would change her life forever: pole vault and her coach, Dave Neilson.

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I would love to defend my title and come home with another gold.
—Stacy Dragila
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"I thought I was just coming [to Idaho] to get a good education," Dragila recalls, but what she found was the sport of pole vault. "The pole vault just took off."

Under the instruction of Nielson, Dragila learned the sport that would take her far beyond any level she had ever dreamed of. It was a rough beginning; however, as many believed that women could not be successful in pole vault because they lack the natural upper body strength that men possess.

"I got so much negative feedback from people" Dragila recalls, "they didn't want to give women a chance." Whether they wanted to or not, however, Dragila got her chance and began her climb to victory as the sport of women's pole vault gained international status.

After graduating from college, Dragila earned a living as a waitress and assistant coach at Idaho State, while she trained in the pole vault. At this point, she says, she was not sure where her pursuit would lead her yet. "I didn't know where my event would go," she says.

Despite the uncertainty of the future Dragila continued making progress in her training. "Something was telling me inside that I was going to do something with this," she says. "I fell in love with it.

In 1998 Dragila broke the Indoor World Record and gained a sponsorship from Reebok and $25,000. The money she won was a welcomed change to Dragila who up until this point had not been able to depend solely on pole vault as her major source of income. From there, Dragila continued to gain momentum, breaking record after record and securing her spot as the undisputed top women's pole vaulter in the world. In Sydney at the Olympic Games, she made history with her vault of 15'4"1/4 and brought home the gold medal.

Dragila landed a sponsorship from Nike and after failed attempts to renegotiate with Reebok, says she is happy with Nike and feels supported by the company. Recently, Dragila appeared in an ad for Nike in the February issue of "Shape" magazine, and she is in the process of designing her own pole vaulting spike with the company.

Dragila says the perks of the sponsorship are fun. "I can order out of a catalogue and I don't have to look at the price tag," she says.

She says that the fame that her success has brought her still comes as a surprise. "It shocks me sometimes," she says, and humbly adds, "I hope I have been a good role model." Dragila believes in the importance of professional athletes setting a good example for children. She spends an hour or two signing autographs for children after track meets.

Until recently, Dragila resided in Idaho, under the coaching of Dave Nielson. In Idaho, however, she says her training was being compromised due to snow and cold weather conditions. She also felt that long-time coach Dave Nielson was not able to give her the attention she needed as he was a father, husband, and college coach as well.

The weather and lack of attention had Dragila frustrated in Idaho. It was time for a change and Dragila's coach suggested Greg Hull who coached fellow Olympian Nick Hysong. Hsyong was the US gold medallist in 2000 along side Dragila with his vault of 19'4 1/4". Hsyong is an Arizona native who also vaults for Nike and has been coached by Greg Hull for over 15 years. After spending a trial month with Hull in April of 2003, Dragila decide to make the move permanent.

She says she felt the connection with Arizona and her new coach right away. "I felt like this is where I needed to be," she says.

The change of coach and scenery was refreshing and although she remembers the move as quite difficult, she feels that it was the right decision. "It made me love the sport again," she says.

The PVCC track, with its three pole vault pits each facing different directions, allows Dragila the opportunity to vault in the best conditions, regardless of wind direction, as the wind can play a large factor in pole vaulting. This is important, as her Russian competitors all train in indoor facilities that are unaffected by wind and weather. The weather, which is quite a drastic change from chilly Idaho, also makes Paradise Valley a smart choice for training.

The next stop is Athens, where Dragila will face the Russians this summer. There she will attempt to defend her title, and although her goal is to vault 16 feet next, she plans to concentrate on winning, not setting records at the Olympic Games.

"I would love to defend my title and come home with another gold," she says. This year the women's competition is much more intense than it was four years ago and that is just the way Dragila prefers it. "I'm grateful because it makes me step up," she says, "It's not just me anymore."