By Beth Hudson |
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| ''It's really nice to have someone like Brooke walk in,'' Lawryk said. A few years ago, Borso was a top gymnast with the Parkettes. ''I broke my back, and I had to stop,'' she said. ''I came back, but after I came back, my heart wasn't in it anymore.'' In ninth grade, she turned to track and field, where she ran and did long jump. She didn't try pole vaulting until about two years ago. It's not uncommon for a former gymnast to find success in vaulting. Even so, Borso has improved at a rapid rate. ''Her learning curve was accelerated by what she's already done in life,'' Lawryk said. ''That's always a bonus. With few instructions, she was up [over 9 feet].'' However, some vaulters seem to stall at a certain height. Their athletic ability takes them only so high. To overcome that, Lawryk said a vaulter has to learn more about the event and develop strength and speed. ''[Borso] has trained and made herself into more of a track athlete, which you have to do,'' Lawryk said. ''The extra work she has to do is going down to her basement and lifting, going to the treadmill and running. You can see [the results] on the runway.'' The final results have been impressive, too. Borso established a Whitehall school record in the pole vault earlier this week when she broke her previous mark with a 12-11/4 To put that in perspective, Greater Latrobe's Caitlin Hewitt won the PIAA Class 3A title last year with a vault of 11-9. Easton senior Lindsay Regan won the 2004 state title with a 13-0. In addition, Borso finished second at this year's Nike Indoor nationals, fourth at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships and eighth at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association indoor state meet. Borso said working with the Vertical Assault Club, which includes many of the Lehigh Valley 's top vaulters, has been very beneficial. ''When we go to meets, we have a really good support system,'' she said. ''It's one big family.'' And, though Borso's improved quickly, Lawryk said she has the potential to be even better. With that in mind, it's not surprising that a Division I coach would recruit her. ''This is his opportunity to get someone he can coach,'' Lawryk said. ''He feels like this is an opportunity to create.'' Penn Relays: Lawryk coaches about half of the athletes who are signed up for the high school girls pole vault event on Thursday, April 27, at the Penn Relays. The entry list includes Regan and Borso, plus three other members of the Lehigh Valley Conference — Liberty 's Beki Finn and Becky Frey and Easton 's Abby Schaffer. Lawryk also coaches vaulters from other parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey . The relays will be held April 27-29 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia . |
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