Mickie Vaults to
New Heights
Where are they now… continues
4/11/2005
Novi’s Mickie Rzepka began Pole Vaulting
as a freshman at
Novi HS, the first year that girls were allowed to.
That was 8 years ago
and a lot has happened. She crossed the 11-foot barrier as a senior, and
now as a rising star at Michigan State University, she’s eclipsed 12
feet, and now has even exceeded 13 feet! Last month in fact, at a meet
in Fayetteville, Arkansas, she vaulted 13 ft, 2.25 inches at an indoor
meet. A performance like that puts her in rarified air, and makes her
among the elite in the world of women’s pole vaulting.
Her coach at MSU,
Angela Goodman has commented that “her work ethic and promise leads her
to believe that she’ll do great things.”
Women’s pole vaulting
is a relatively new event, even at the college level. In fact it wasn’t
even an NCAA sanctioned event until 1998. That makes Micki Rzepka a bit
of a pioneer.
In addition to
requiring great speed (she was a sprinter at Novi HS), it requires
strength, quickness, tremendous balance and coordination, and of course,
courage.
“There is a danger
aspect, Micki admits, “but if you know what you’re doing it’s a lot of
fun.”
Now in her eighth
year as a competitive pole vaulter, she is determined to become among
the best in the nation, and even aspires to be an Olympian.
As the outdoor season
gets underway, she has made her goals clear. She wants to be an
All-American, and her goal is to vault 13 ft, 9 inches.
Given her passion and
dedication, her chances are pretty good. But even if she falls short
this year, the good news is, she’s only a junior.
And no matter what
heights she soars to in the future, she’s already vaulted herself into
the annals of greatness for Novi HS alumni.
(c) 2005 Novi
Information Network
www.novi.org
___________________________________
Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and
motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from
his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind
every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings"
said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a
metaphor for the game we call life."
Bernie is also on the broadcast team at Live 97.1FM talk-radio, and is a
frequent co-host on the popular "Parker & The Man Show," a nightly
sportstalk show which airs Monday-Friday from 7-11pm.
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