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BRYSUN STATELY:
DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

BRYSUN STATELY: Pole Vault, Senior, Cordova High School, Rancho Cordova, CA

CORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL: Head Coach Roger Parker, Sac-Joaquin Section, Division II

DyeStatCal: We’re here with Brysun Stately of Cordova High School, currently ranked #3 in the United States , #2 in California, and #1 in the Sac Joaquin Section by virtue of her 12’ 9” clearance at Woody Wilson. Brysun, last year you were 11’ at league finals and 10-9 at sections. How does it feel to be among the elite vaulters in 2005?
Brysun: Great. Like a dream come true. I never expected it really. Like I "thought" I could do it but I just never thought it was "really" possible to be that high. I thought I’d get like maybe top 5 hopefully, maybe top 8.

DyeStatCal: Technically, what’s the one aspect of your jump that you think over the last 10 months has improved the most?
Brysun: Probably my turn up. I had a horrible… I like never even had a turn up last year. This year I actually learned how to do it a little.

DyeStatCal: Who’s your coach who has been the most influential over the last year regarding vaulting and what’s been the most helpful aspect of their coaching?
Brysun: Eddie Ceese has been the one coaching me since summer. All he really did basically – because we really didn’t do a lot of vault work at first – was mainly three step drills, that’s all I pretty much did. But he told me to lose weight and start lifting weights and then start running a lot more so I could get faster. (We work) on Mondays and Thursdays and some Sundays… in Vacaville; and in Petaluma, too.

DyeStatCal: Last year you were a Bella Vista Bronco and you came over to Cordova for your senior year. What’s been the best aspect of your transfer?
Brysun: The people. The training is more serious. ... The athletes here are at a higher level. The athletes take it seriously, they don’t like to lose at all. If you get second place they’ll make fun of you. Like me, this whole year we’ve gone through this whole thing that we have to keep up the “Cordova tradition”. For the first month I was here they’d say I wasn’t a true Lancer, but then when I started winning all the meets now they say I am.

DyeStatCal: Why would you say you enjoy pole vaulting more than some of the other track events you do, because you are a multi-event athlete.
Brysun: It’s really fun, I could do it forever, like nonstop, just keep doing it. Because there’s that whole fear factor that you could end up getting hurt, it’s like a thrill.

DyeStatCal: Helmets?
Brysun: No! It’s not scary then, it’s not as fun. The fact that you could actually die doing it…it’s kinda fun. I’m a thrill-seeker.

DyeStatCal: You’re ranked in the section with a 48.6 best time in the 300 hurdles (actually 46.24 now). Tell us how your hurdling season is going and how that coexists with pole vaulting.
Brysun: Um, actually the other day I was just told that I need to stop doing them. Because it’s kind of a different stride. I guess it’s affecting my pole vaulting. But I love doing it because I’m good at them and it’s my favorite running event of all of them. I’m doing it at Meet at Champions and then I’m going to do it at league, and then at subs because I’m ranked to go to state, but I don’t think I’ll do it at state, just qualify for state and then that’s it.

DyeStatCal: I would guess your plans are for Meet of Champions and then the section/state playoffs. Did you know about qualifying for the Golden West Invitational and what are your plans for the summer?
Brysun: I’m going to do the Junior Olympics. I already knew about the Golden West because the 12-6 (at Stanford) qualified me. I found out that if I do a 13’ jump I can qualify for the Junior Nationals or something like that (in Carson, CA in June, qualifying actually is 4.0 meters or 13’ 1.5”) so I’ll try to do that. I’ll try to do as many competitions as I can.

DyeStatCal: At Woody Wilson you were at 12-9 and the decision had to be made where to move the bar next. In the article (by Bill Hicks, Jr., Grapevine Independent) I read where you promised your coach you’d try 13’ before 13’ 3”. What happened? Was it the excitement or the (ideal) conditions? What ended up happening there?
Brysun: The guy who coaches me is a pole distributor so if I go 13-3, Gill, they have this promotional thing where you get a set of free poles if you do that so we went to that instead of 13 'cause I thought I could make. Getting the 13’ barrier is what everyone wants me to do but if I’m going to make 13 I’m going to make 13-3 too.

DyeStatCal: Do you have any college plans yet?
Brysun: I’ve been talking to people but I haven’t really decided on anything. I’m waiting a little longer.

DyeStatCal: How high is Brysun Stately going to jump between now and June 4th ?
Brysun: 13’ 9”. I’m going to do it. I just inching my way up there I’m gonna make it. It’s already in my head I’m doing it. At state I’m going to go 13’ 9’. I’m gonna win it too.

DyeStatCal: You’ll have plenty of support there (at Hughes Stadium), that’s for sure. OK, now even I’m a little bit jealous of your convertible (a red ’94 Mustang). Be honest, what’s the fastest you’ve ever moved that needle to the right?
Brysun: (The answer was a number, say, higher than 55). My mom doesn’t really care 'cause it’s my car. Every day, every time I leave the coaches always tell me to be careful.

DyeStatCal: You know cops tend to have an eye for these red cars.
Brysun: I’ve never gotten a ticket! (laughs). I know how to look in the rear-view mirror!

DyeStatCal: OK, last question. Kim Crouch has a ’66 Porsche from winning the section championship in cross country last fall. It’s Wednesday night. Sacramento Raceway. Street Legal Fun Drags night. Kim Crouch is in lane 1, Brysun Stately is in lane 2. Who’s going down?
Brysun: She’s going down. Dude, I’ve got a 5.0. C’mon now. She doesn’t stand a chance.