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Kira Costa - National Record Holder!!!

She was a national record holder in the AAU LJ and multi-event competitions as a twelve-year old, and said, "I wanted that feeling back." With a long track career that started back at age ten, Kira Costa has been at it a long time in one way or another! The National Indoor Prep record came in a setting that was a bit surprising to all at the February 15th LA Indoor Meet, but Kira Costa (Unat/San Joaquin Memorial HS, Fresno) is California's newest National Standard bearer off her 13-04.5 Pole Vault Clearance in that competition! With some of her buddies from Atascadero HS along for most of the competition up into the 13-foot range, Costa left the strong field behind during 13-00.25 and the record 13-04.5 clearances. The Costa family has a residence in the Morro Bay area, and has worked with the Central Coast vaulting group headed by Jan Johnson, the father of last year's Atascadero star, Chelsea, now at UCLA. A talented multi-event athlete headed to the University of California Berkeley (verbally), Kira has only been vaulting for two years, having picked up the event the summer after she scored a personal record 4520 in the multi-event Heptathlon competition back in 2001. Kira indicated she was looking forward to her career at UC Berkeley, aiming at the Pole Vault and Women's decathlon events.

When asked about her record, she stated, "It felt really great. I have changed in my approach mentally to the pole vault recently, have moved to a bigger pole, and am vaulting with confidence. Coming into the weekend I wanted to equal my best of 12-06, and the meet record at that height. I thought I had the ability to attempt a National Record, as I have been jumping very strong lately. My school does not have a facility to vault at, but this has been a help, as I have had to concentrate on total conditioning. I have been able to vault one day a week recently. The lack of a facility at my school is overcome by the great academics, which I think have prepared me perfectly for the UC system." Later she added, "I switched poles on the third attempt at the record. The first two felt good, but I was blowing through the poles just a tade. I switched to a 13-6/145; the other was the same size, but it just felt different. I just decided to change for the heck of it. I had already made a huge personal best (old 12-6). I jumped it! Oh, that was so sweet! I didn't really expect to do it. My parents being here watching me was really cool, too!"

Asked where can she go from here, the vivacious and verbal Central Valley star replied, "I can keep improving. There is still room to get better, and I will be working on my form drills, and general training. I would like to make a US Team in the sport. That is a goal for my junior career this year and as a freshman at Cal is to make the U.S. Junior World Championship team (2004). It would be awesome to represent my country. I am really excited, but the jumps are nowhere near perfect, so I have a long ways to go. I know I can jump high. This is really exciting, but in two days I'm going to be training again, you know! My goal is to stay consistent at the higher heights (above 13 feet). Basically my goals are to keep training and stay confident. If I can do that, I know I can do well."

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