Player Diaries

  Bruin junior Tracy O’Hara is the defending pole
vault champion. Here she writes about her thoughts as the
women’s track and field team heads to Oregon for the NCAA
Championships.

This is my third year competing for UCLA track and field, and
this year has by far gone by the fastest of the three. I remember
stepping out on the track for fall training thinking that this was
going to be a long year. It was mainly because I took off two
months during the summer after the Olympic trials, and was out of
shape for the running that was ahead of me. As the season
progressed, Jeanette (Head Coach Bolden) and the other coaches
succeeded at busting our butts into shape for the biggest meet of
the season.

So far, the UCLA track team has defended the indoor NCAA title,
and we are hungry for our first outdoor title this week. Going to
nationals this year is a lot more intense than my previous years
because the level of competition has gone up. I won the title last
year, but my competition was one foot under me, so I didn’t
have as much pressure as I do this year. This year girls have
really stepped up, and my biggest competitor is a foreign girl that
came all the way from Iceland to attend the University of Georgia.
Right now she is only three inches below my mark, which could come
down to attempts in the pole vault. Therefore, I have had to
prepare myself for the competition at the meet, to which I am
really looking forward. I think it will help me rise to the level
that I should be at and also be a lot more fun for everyone.

As a team, our biggest competitor is USC. Not only are they our
rival, but they are only trailing us by a few points, which has
come down to the relay in the past two meets against them. We
defeated them in our dual meet and Pac-10s, but the scores were
very close in both meets. The USC coaches are not very pleased with
our past success, and they are taking this meet to a personal
level. They want to win this meet almost as bad as we do and are
trying to beat us any way they can.

This is by far my favorite time of the season, because our team
really comes together to help and support each other in each event.
Since the whole team is not able to attend the big meets, the few
that qualify create a bond, and I believe that is what makes our
team so successful.

I also believe our team bond is what is going to earn us the
NCAA championship this weekend. The meet is held at Eugene, Ore.,
this year, and that is also beneficial for us because it is close
to home. We will use that to our advantage as well, considering
it’s a Pac-10 team, and we are the strongest in the Pac-10.
As far as our team talent, bonding and location of the
championships, this is definitely our year to take home the
title.

As for me, I am really looking forward to my own competition. I
have worked hard all year, and have gradually been improving my
heights in the pole vault. I have attempted a personal record the
last three meets, and I am ready to conquer that height in Oregon.
I have always jumped well in Oregon, and this meet I will have the
competition that will bring out the best in my performance. I won
the NCAA championship last year, and I have no doubt in my mind
that I will defend my title. My coach, Anthony Curran, and I have
been preparing me for this meet both mentally and physically, and I
am anxious to see how my training is going pay off. The competition
will be very intense throughout the entire four days of the meet,
and our team is going to work together to be the 2001 NCAA outdoor
track and field champions.