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May 27, 2005

Dockendorf Primed For Pole Vault At Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic

Carly Dockendorf had no time for sentimental tears in March when she ended her 18-year gymnastics career by finishing fifth in a meet at Salt Lake City, Utah. The next day the University of Washington athlete was competing in Little Rock, Ark., finishing 17th in the women's pole vault at the NCAA indoor track and field championships.

The Utah meet capped a distinguished Husky gymnastics career for 22-year-old Dockendorf of Port Moody, B.C, who took up gymnastics as a youngster and went on to become a national level competitor with top five finishes at the 1996 Junior Pan-American Games and sixth all-around at the national championships. But with the end of the Utah meet she said goodbye to the bars and beam for good. She is now eagerly focusing her energy on the pole vault, which she took up just three years ago as a U of W freshman.

"There is a lot of strength required for both sports," explains Dockendorf, who was intrigued by the pole vault in high school but did not have access to training facilities until she began attending University of Washington. In just three years since she first picked up the pole she has made good progress -- going from 3.70 metres to her current best of 4.11 metres -- essentially dabbling in the discipline while concentrating on gymnastics.

"When I was doing gymnastics I couldn't spend as much time on pole vault as I would have liked. I haven't improved drastically since I started and a lot of that has to do with the amount of actual training in vaulting I have been able to do. Gymnastics was my No. 1 sport and now that I'm done with that I can devote all my energy to track and field. Since women's pole vault became a viable discipline in track and field you see a lot of former gymnasts doing well in it."

Dockendorf is among the entries in the women's pole vault for the June 14 Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic, featuring the Pacific World Cup presented by Paystone.com. The international invitational meet is featuring a contingent of Chinese athletes competing in six events, including women's pole vault, with Canadian and Chinese athlete results scoring in all six events as part of an intra-meet competition for the Pacific World Cup.

China will be represented in women's pole vault by 25-year-old Asian record holder Gao Shuying, who has cleared 4.45 metres this season and has a best of 4.52 metres, earned in 2001 in Beijing. She was fifth at the 2001 world track and field championships in Edmonton with a 4.50-metre effort. Joining Gao is young teammate Zhao Yingying, who at age 19 must be considered one of her country's bright hopes for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Zhao earned a bronze medal with a 4.25-metre leap at the 2004 world junior track and field championships in Italy and has cleared 4.40 metres so far this season.

"For me it is an opportunity to get experience competing in a strong international field," said Dockendorf, who finished fourth at the recent Pac-!0 championships and vaulted her personal best 4.11 metres just three weeks ago in Seattle. She hopes to finish in the top 10 at the June NCAA championships and to improve her best height again this season.

"I have been competing in the NCAA, which is very strong in women's pole vault compared to Canada, which only has a handful of women who vault over four metres. I'm really fortunate to be competing against these athletes who, right now, are better than me. So competing in the Harry Jerome meet will be another good experience, especially with the Chinese athletes adding another international dimension."

Joining Dockendorf in the Jerome meet women's pole vault field is Husky teammate Kate Soma, the 2004 Pac-10 champion and runner-up at last year's NCAA championships. American Soma has a 4.37 best and will be a strong rival for the Chinese entrants as will compatriot Lindsay Taylor, who cleared 4.40 metres earlier this season.

Canadian record holder Dana Ellis-Buller of Kitchener, Ont., who rewrote her national mark with a 4.50-metre vault in California recently, has a meet commitment in Europe during the time of the Jerome meet and is not expected to attend.

The 2005 Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Track Classic is one of five events in the PacifiCanada Track and Field Series, beginning June 10 with the Victoria International Track Classic. The 22nd annual Harry Jerome meet goes June 14, 7 p.m. at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby.

Tickets available at Ticketmaster.

Media Relations/Accreditation: Diane Clement
dclement00@hotmail.com or (604) 261-6220

General Information/Athlete information and inquiries: Marek Jedrzejek
marekj@interchange.ubc.ca or (04) 822-6259
or
Doug Clement
dclement00@hotmail.com or (604) 261-6220 / 837-1933

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