JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?&}t95bpAzYZW3Uq޶qQZ7_AɦOl6=P8q$DŽ#Rm5nZL`H> 1F, xIw=n<iIFPZp_?A>?JWQɧ7$;vyai|gڡ^civX'ֵEYghE,:qRݚsFZ#n!tc$d)#WCT)*}Mjc+ƹs@ =zHK z{\s/'ڢ[mn9_0/Co%'۫v?bz=Vž}2+Eˮb9u {|=/TpҢ>) pϿo14-IWGI/?ޢ~U{F/bj VULJN)MJώG45 nCEJ-V6Ӥ6a¬^ S~os5ieG{1;O›%u5{(ôǛ۠YʳO̙Z=9km+xF5]z8fF>NG*V̮e'gc!`q{\R 'h7fVv%He9)chz>˓ҦƊHWo"sҮ1;=؝HwSG\Ò PlZ'2a9`Q>%9bOhiP:fgVڹ"]}ÞA+2WxQ@矔ƛDY eUgQ#ֲmlT5ѕτ"^qֱ/jIEzK_p#?d߽"ܙ N7\VP q(XEb]ȤxFk 0ۏe'?3韼:95FQ W1u?s= lAޭXj{d$eN*h`)J0ԍB:Tovd{Tn49{K+ n+> xwo0R2ۜ Y٦ ݉#k ὅ-mH¼D 39jPiN䜄UOzRbu)tuW&]F.1Gi:V&b8PI:Ko[!mB<蒜v;0$N4nSTZ[kyWhy>t`s] t8=a唸s+UI$dzVlumdt>"[rmcU-6X1P[@5>`{u-VbpX;Wsb mt &EXhU Xn#tK\gfs֢JV<>ʗd*̊qNbqֽDٝ-R`0Vf+qI'52 ޖEAsjQا'#%ʰJ j(֝ݗ' p1jHN䖅}J]΅6\u͘ =ȭM.5PކRu3xErr8Zf=8MrR@YaVmdೀ>%NGY}4\yޞ|Eihvne {~/0Y~'TF^k;-~zLTFW4o7թ[c77dBUKksV;>9$NWܥM[Ĕr@jAylAk[#֋r;DkYsAN0_鋨FXcW/\k]muv{8~LGd6xJݻ|*svE]GK7[$v-ZPX]'W{-"rWYJ]84j){ry=jRݝs Wf4Ρg>cI<ԛJ)=M'޵\1ɤU>kzUh,(4d`Hz!&~T]aԠDSD>mpz!̂'[ (Ӯ]^ "t۳"WGis!Y%X_<`okۇ9!yH<(2Lk{M[? 4с > ^OE4Q]?T+GcR+B; x tnR EYiCCKWeqB?4؇Ĕ$"Dr$kDWk6n9q3\C1NV ɔu90r gkpߝYfp ''ٟ3V`Kip4ᔗ 1'RqIK:PJCv@!AGyJ)PNGYj}C*i8)Ǚng%kmA4EI&ծQݦeR.Gz )z@\P{0t4ppb_44ҸX{ѰKR zI r`҉Xև$ZsIQSH{YXd^aScGRl? ?M=|,e$V.NJuSDžX/kC-(fv)5wƤOXB~+q{`QWpt ǒ)X/GAGႹ8 lr⻁/H*vk˰8Mߤ;bMw!_ʔی ~To!'vnA~ ^Iܜ. d x"r#GХ[gFOXki a4tTG)ZP%GrN~pdw*Mc:js K, :Rﵻ+薖\J׿%xW;o$Z{ݨ,Oݢ_Sq@֜j0>R'=qXM1rԣ4Ǧqj rsB&$7'N Ͻ1Xx߿m8uQ1Z\hy`8ڣf#8R}=\ćGjnd1M2q:4h Aɓ)rA2;P/MRyȇ#=Ǯ x;Ф$7#*g9brzԠ^EP"q8>0"OQ@p9ݛOE_13}i#EN?QHٛҝz(!8sE#"<,QM z)XՓfm-0@Op9l@ ^d* V x+ o0Q-1vjG(:&:VgWith the enthusiastic support of coach Nielsen, Dragila and several of her fellow heptathletes played around with the pole vault on their light workout days.  You know, pick up a pole and just kind of run with it, getting comfortable carrying the pole. I think that s the first thing that athletes often have a problem with--just getting used to coordinating your running while holding the pole, says Dragila.<br>Pole vaulters are considered daredevils, and consequently the question Dragila is most often asked about her event is if she s a risk taker.  They ask me,  Are you daring? Do you also jump off bridges? The answer is no, I m not a daredevil. When I was introduced to the pole vault everything we did was performed as safely as possible. It wasn t just,  grab this big ole stick, run down that track and hold on tight and see where you go! My coach gave me progressive drills. I stayed on the ground a lot, especially at the beginning. Then we progressed to  we re going to just plant it into the box, and stay on your feet and land in the pit. I never felt that I was totally out of control. <br>When she started to leave the ground, Dragila admits that she had some apprehension.  When I started to go upside down, that scared me. But then, luckily, my coach s wife owned a gymnastics gym about two blocks from our university. She had trampolines and high bars, and coaches who would teach her how to develop spatial awareness so that I wasn t flipping around like a fish out of water. Those coaches knew what they were doing, knew how to spot, and got me comfortable turning over in the air and teaching me how to land so that I wouldn t get injured. <br>The easygoing pole vault practices, however, soon lost their appeal.  We felt like we were never gaining any ground because we were always training for these other events, and we had to concentrate on these events because that s what our scholarship was for--not the pole vault. As such, her teammates eventually gave up on the experiment and concentrated on the scholarship events. But not Dragila.<br><br><br>High Expectations<br><br>Although she was putting in time with the pole vault, Dragila was still able to perform impressively in the heptathalon. By the time she finished her final year at Idaho State with a degree in physical education and health, she owned five school records and placed second in the 1995 Big Sky Championships. It was at this time that she was able to focus on serious training for the pole vault, and on Jan 13, 1996 in Pocatello, she set an indoor American record, 12 11 3/4 , her first of many to come. <br>The following year was the Olympics, and even though the women s pole vault was not yet approved as an Olympic event, Dragila was able to participate in