Jennifer Stuczynski

Jennifer (Jenn) Stuczynski (born 5 February 1982) is an American pole vaulter and holder of the American women's record. She won her event at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won a silver medal with a vault of 4.80m.

Biography

Stuczynski was born to Mark and Sue Stuczynski, grocery store owners in Fredonia, New York. She got involved in sports at a young age, playing softball at age 6. At 9, she competed in an adult golf league with her grandfather. At Fredonia High School, she played softball, basketball, soccer, and track and field, and won the New York State pentathlon title in 2000 as a senior. [http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808030332 Democrat and Chronicle (August 3 2008), Riga's Jenn Stuczynski vaults onto world stage] ] [ [http://www.fredonia.wnyric.org/halloffame/index.html Fredonia High School State Champions] ]

She attended Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York, where she competed in basketball and track and field. Stuczynski averaged 24.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game for Roberts Wesleyan in 2003-04, taking her team to the NCCAA national championship game. She graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball with 1,819 points; and school record-holder in the 100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles, javelin and high jump. She transferred from Roberts to the University of Buffalo briefly, before returning to Roberts to complete her degree. She has started work on a graduate degree in child psychology.

As a youth, her father provided critical advice on her performance in all of her sports. When she took up pole vaulting, he stopped. He says

"I joke that the real reason she took up pole vaulting is that I didn't know anything about it, so I'd know enough to keep my mouth shut."

Pole vaulting career

2004

Stuczynski took up the pole vault in 2004 as a senior at Roberts Wesleyan.

2005

In 2005, she won the 2005 NAIA indoor national title in the pole vault with a 4.00 m (13ft 1½ in) clearance, following that up with a win at the 2005 USA Indoor championships in Boston, soaring over 4.35 m (14ft 3¼ in).

2006

Stuczynski started the 2006 indoor season by setting personal bests at nearly every meet and becoming the #2 American all time, behind only Stacy Dragila, with her clearance of 4.68 m (15ft 4¼ in). She captured her first USA Outdoor title with her winning clearance of 4.55 m (14ft 11in) at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships. She finished third at the 2006 World Athletics Final.

2007

On May 20 2007, Stuczynski broke the American outdoor pole vault record at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, California, beating a talented group including an Olympic champion to become the top pole vaulter in the country. She reached the record height of 15 feet, 10-1/2 inches, beating the American record set by Stacy Dragila in 2004 by a half inch. She was the only vaulter to clear 15 feet. She was successful on her first try at 15ft 3in and after a failed first attempt at the new record, cleared the bar on her second try. [ [http://post-journal.com/articles.asp?articleID=15794 Post Journal article] ]

On June 2 2007 at the Reebok Grand Prix, she cleared 4.88 m (16ft), becoming only the second woman in the world to do so. After clearing 14ft 7in and 15ft 3in on her first attempts to seal the victory, Stuczynski took three attempts at 16 feet, clearing the bar on her final try to eclipse by one and a half inches the American record she had set the previous month. The only woman who has vaulted higher is the Russian Yelena Isinbayeva, who holds the world record, 5.01 m (16 ft 5¼ in). Another Russian, Svetlana Feofanova, has also vaulted 4.88 m. Stuczynski then tried to vault over Isinbayeva. The bar was raised to 5.02 m (16ft 6in), and she came tantalizingly close to clearing it on the second of her three attempts. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sports/othersports/03track.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin NY Times (June 3 2007), Vaulter Gives Up College but Quickly Learns to Excel] ]

2008

Stuczynski won the Indoor U.S. Nationals, which also bought her a ticket to the 2008 IAAF Indoor World Championships in Valencia, Spain, where she finished second on a countback to the Russian World Record Holder Yelena Isinbayeva. Both cleared convert|4.75|m|ft|2. [ [http://www.iaaf.org/wic08/results/eventCode=3656/racedate=03-08-2008/sex=W/discCode=PV/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#det IAAF World Indoor Championships, Valencia, 08-Mar-2008] ] [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/sports/olympics/29vault.html#det NY Times (June 29 2008), From Out of Nowhere, a Vaulter Is on Cusp of the Olympics] ]

At the Adidas Track Classic on 18 May, Stuczynski cleared 4.90 m (16 feet ¾ inch), breaking her own American record. She missed all three attempts at 5.02 m (16 feet 5½ inches), which would have been a world record. The U.S. Olympic Committee named her its female athlete of the month for May. [http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/504521.html?nav=5010 Observer, U.S. Olympic Committee honors Stuczynski, June 26, 2008] ]

At the U.S. Olympic Trials on July 6, Stuczynski cleared 4.92 m (16 feet 1¾ inches), winning the trials and again breaking her own American record. [ [http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2008/07/us_record_falls_in_womens_pole.html U.S. record falls in women's pole vault, The Oregonian, July 6, 2008] ]

On July 25, Stuczynski finished second to Isinbayeva at the Aviva Grand Prix Track and Field meet in London, England. She cleared 4.81 m (15 feet 9 inches) to Isinbayeva 's 4.93 m (16 feet 2 inches). [ [http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807260313 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Stuczynski finishes second at meet in London, July 26, 2008] ] Both unsuccessfully attempted a new world record.

At the Olympics in Beijing on August 18, Stuczynski finished second to Isinbayeva, clearing convert|4.80|m|ftin. Isinbayeva broke her own world record with a jump of convert|5.05|m|ftin. [ [http://www.nbcolympics.com/trackandfield/resultsandschedules/rsc=ATW072100/index.html 2008 Beijing Olympics on NBC - Women's Pole Vault Finals] ] Prior to the games, Stuczynski told reporters at a press conference that she hoped to "kick some Russian butt." After the event, Isinbayeva said of her rival "she must respect me ... and know her position, now she does." [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/18/sports/AS-OLY-Pole-Vault-Rivals.php Trash talk backfires at the Beijing Olympics, International Herald Tribune, August 18, 2008] ] In an interview after the games, Stuczynski explained that her words were taken out of context. "It was me and my teammates, in an emotional moment ... It was a pep rally, one of those things that was, 'Come on let's go. We're not going to go over there, roll over and die. We want to fight.' It wasn't intended to be malicious." [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3548240 ESPN, An Interview with Jenn Stuczynski, by Luke Cyphers] ]

ponsorship

In August 2007, Stuczynski was signed as a brand spokesperson for Nutrilite, a brand of vitamin, mineral and dietary supplements. Nutrilite products are sold through Amway corporation. [ [http://teamnutrilite.quixtar.com/help/default.aspx?ctg=15907 Team Nutrilite - Sponsored Athletes ] ]

References

External links

*iaaf name|id=205673|name=Jennifer Stuczynski
* [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Stuczynski_Jenn.asp USA Track & Field - Jenn Stuczynski]
* [http://www.jenniferstuczynski.com/ Jennifer Stuczynski Official website]
* [http://egerszegi.webcindario.com/Jennifer_Stuczynski.htm Jenn Stuczynski Pictures]

Persondata
NAME = Stuczynski, Jennifer
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American pole vaulter
DATE OF BIRTH = 6 February 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH =
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =