Allison Stokke (Newport Harbor HS, Newport Beach) - Frosh star's one school year involvement with Track & Field ends with National frosh Record in Pole Vault - Allison talks about her short successful career!!

Allison Stokke (Newport Harbor HS, Newport Beach)

From deciding to give the sport a try in October as a ninth grader to a new national grade record in the pole vault by the end of the first regular season in the sport was a magical start to the Track and Field career of Newport Harbor frosh Allison Stokke. We had the time to catch up with Allison after her girls Intermediate division win at the USATF JO’s in Eugene, Oregon, a meet where she was the winner at 12-06, a new National Divisional record, and just short of her seasonal best of 12-08, set while winning the State Meet in June, the best ever by a US ninth grader and marking the end of a meteoric early career in our sport.

Allison has been a long-time gymnastic, and she decided to quit that activity when a friend did back in October, with a sharp family friend suggesting she consider giving the pole vault in track and field a try. The body control and strength that the Stokke used in gymnastics has a natural carry-over to the pole vault, with the mental characteristics necessary for success in the pole-bending activity a test that only time would tell on, but obviously one where the young star rated an A+ grade!

When asked the difference between the two sports, she mentioned the social aspect mostly: “In gymnastics I never knew any of my competitors, and people kind of stayed to themselves. In Track people that I compete against are really my friends, and I enjoy seeing them all at the meets. In Gymnastics most of my competitions were just local, but in Track I have traveled all over, including Texas (Junior Nationals) and Oregon (these USATF JO’s).”

Asked about some of her future goals in the sport she added, “I am here for consideration to the World Youth (under 18) Championships next year in Morroco.” With her win by over a foot in Eugene, continued good health and a strong competitive record next spring, she should find herself headed for a World Championship affair for those her age, a competition won in 2003 in Canada at 4.05 meters (13-03.25). Sounds like a good challenge down the road to bring back a medal from the Under 18 world affair.

Asked about her amazing rate of improvement this spring in the sport, Allison replied, “I started at 9-06, then worked up steadily to 11-08, with my biggest improvement from one week to the next when I vaulted 12-07 at the Southern Section Masters (or State Qualifying) meet which made me the national frosh record holder.”

Best of luck down the road to this mild-mannered Orange County beach area star who should give us years of reasons to turn our attention to the Vaulting pit during the big-meet competitions locally, and having us tune into the internet to follow her efforts around the nation and world!