Pole vaulter Owen gets golden opportunity at Olympic training center
Jenna Cederberg
Former Polson resident and track standout Melinda Owen added one more honor to an extensive list of pole vaulting accomplishments this summer.
Owen was the only collegiate pole vaulter who jumped in July at the track and field Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore.
Owen joined the elite US athletes competing for one of three spots on the team represent the US in Beijing.
"In a sense, it was kind of a surreal atmosphere for me. It was really fun to go in with the thought that, whatever happens, happens," Owen said.
Owen held the US record for highest jump after a personal best 14 foot, 5.24 inch jump in May for the University of Idaho that qualified her for the Western Athletic Conference regionals.
A disappointing "no height" jump at the college regional meet meant she wouldn't continue the college climb, but her previous jumps were still enough to get her to Eugene.
"Regionals swept my confidence a little bit, it took me awhile to get back to the vaulter I was," Owen said.
She came back to Polson for a couple weeks in June, headed to the mountains with her boyfriend to regroup before the Olympics trials in early July.
"I got my head cleared. Drove back to Idaho, trained for trials. I did one meet before the trials (a Canadian national meet)," she said.
More than 15 people from the Owen family, who bought tickets in advance to the trials, traveled there to watch Owen, her mom, Sandy, said.
"It was one of the neater experiences I've had," her dad, Bob, said. "It didn't really dawn on me until I got there and she's out there with all those other Olympians."
The strength of the athletes was obviously impressive, but couldn't be the focus of Owen's time at the meet.
"When you go through the highs and lows of other peoples events, it may not seem like it, it can be emotionally draining on yourself," Owen said. "I missed a lot of (the other) events. My last vault day, we finished when everything else was done."
Owen came in tenth in Eugene, missing the US team by seven places.
The icing on the cake came when Owen was the first athlete invited to train at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
"She'll be a resident at the Olympic training center and her plan is to continue her competition until the next Olympics. She's got her degree, so she has a backup. We're just hopeful that happens for her, but apparently the Olympic coaches are pretty optimistic about her, she was one of the first ones they invited (to the center)," Bob said.
Although Owen hadn't had much time to spend with the other athletes at the trials, she made an impression on 2000 pole vaulting Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila.
"(Stacy) went back to Olympic training center, and said I was someone they really needed to get in there," Owen said. "I only talked to her for a couple of seconds at the meet; for her to go and do that was so nice of her."
Owen will head to Chula Vista in early January to start training and live on the training center campus.
Owen took a break in October from the classroom, where she is finishing up a the requirements for an elementary education degree from UI, to visit the center.
She signed a one year contract with the center, but the focus is "training (the participants) for the next Olympics, someone they think would medal in the 2012," Owen said. Depending on progress and all the other factors athletes deal with, Owen's stay in California could last until the Olympics in London.
A practice schedule, including four to five hours of training per day and traveling to meets around the world will consume a lot of Owen's time. Food, housing and general training expenses are provided, but the athletes are not given a stipend.
To compensate, Owen is applying for a grant that will require she spend time working with youth, along with her training. Another option is to get a job with a company that is flexible to athletes' training schedules, Owen said.
Or, on the chance things keep looking up for Owen, shoe contracts can come along too.