JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================b" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?HMr!P3q*8o/&HZ9 #20G5xTgAZ_gS+-ܿm޸9(Kl2q89_-?''s$~\]6/ku6 O}+xwMͧڶqJttcYfEFM=֟~څe8۞Za:tΖPʹLJwCʶVQdr \ҙפ:)@1\y?HYKe2 _v>owbskvV) 2{k-ཞ%ӭbgjkA4Ɔ^^y,vFF)o`RչQ~kxm_1Q 65IX&BJἹpz;Zy^%.9(  ֕ľI.rVg^ig)#d<;үjHllF8Jp(# _nep]p~NρnE$Hd=.^dPiypS'3ӌ-@2܈weo5H"y吰P~g{nT3+KIӽ5q!rrmf(t8uqu?R t4'piȍ"ǸMWPi#Wq,vE !éaSgW4QaQ3тX}+o\wnkk^o6ߵ#OazQ{Z3|%62'|}&6ҹU2?z淡^ivrýrv \]jNJK#3Ӓk89_SZLk +T)`J/n42\E<, 3޽In!Z0v95y4Zw$L ڝ? IX#y__n. *4%G`ao~QT;eO`Wҭ'q)GOM7s]φDu(rχ]c̶Ua[Uދu8ϥ9e`NIe6s'hcwEgUnt7^'.SֽWHx;W |lc4Cޑm.2Z+ӈNMUyytf%&}@nW0U[ybd!=(OK49?+\Ezeͭ\+l *1{qY:gSktdݔ8kofrW SP c{s]?nlȧdrrfGHGC7 2ܼD.ݪhKB[:%9Z&U W1Vc2 'Yʊy~2y1Ƭb XMo"!L01O/jXrfoZmW6N7FKu$qsoKKKh#W ;RkBƑ8MҸ&Vt;uK>m#%,}ā5i<-X궍{Rt+ifs`k>OEŭF8QOXwFjcÓ_[y-z7_p fqa1@5->2<@.L+rd x^Xj\O%3=z\*YpOA(ݛw׶ urҿ*QpkoDlH#}ʳ !M:hehG搹E9]H!WKew5ƭk,X;ʕΚ :Ok>$nR|հj7=W)ʲdB# V%mcj({HrMM jKC6ӼXE[u!w9 ӠyhMA-Ąn^zqk3ŠsA 6xj": H"NBҾG4un8D?UPsX/yYLX Sv=+zMc+[1[=>cV_l U΢RIŽ:ݒN=GZҹbıIW-i(#EP# Brien, who competes in the men s version of this event, Dragila was especially strong in the hurdles. Her success didn t go unnoticed, and in 1993 she left her home town of Auburn, California, with a track scholarship to Idaho State University in Pocatello.  You know, I always loved the mountains, says Dragila when asked why she decided to move to Idaho.  I had lived in California all my life, and I wanted to get away. <br><br><br>School Daze<br><br>Although recruited as a heptathlete, when Dragila came to Idaho in the spring of 1993 her coach, Dave Nielsen, encouraged her to try the pole vault.  I heard that the women in Europe had been doing it for the past three to four years. My coach, being a pole vaulter himself, said,  We should try this, because I bet it s going to become an event quicker than you think. <br>Because she had only two years of eligibility as a college athlete left, Dragila had her doubts that the sport would take off before she graduated.  I asked myself,  Why am I doing this? I thought that although I would always participate in sports, my career in track and field would be over when I was done with college. But my coach just kept encouraging me to stay with it. <br>With 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 star