When Sports Were Played: Waynesburg’s Lindsay soared above the competition
The “When Sports Were Played” for today takes us back to May 24, 2002, when Waynesburg’s Jocelyn Lindsay, who was the first PIAA girls pole vault champion in 1999, ended her high school days with another gold medal.
SHIPPENSBURG – As Waynesburg High School’s Jocelyn Lindsay sailed over the pole vault bar at 12-0, it started wobbling as she fell toward the mat.
The bar somehow stayed on but it didn’t really matter at that point. She had already smoked the field.
Lindsay, who won the first PIAA Class AA girls pole vault championship in 1999, capped her scholastic career with a second gold medal in the event Friday morning at Shippensburg University. Her vault of 12-0 beat her closest competitor by one foot.
“It’s great to start here my freshman year and establish the mark for female vaulters,” Lindsay said. “I didn’t set the (PIAA) record like I wanted to (Friday) but I’m glad I ended it with another gold medal.”
Lindsay, the first two-time girls pole vault champion in the PIAA, went after the state record of 12-3 set last season by Kim Stuyvesant of Fairview but kicked the bar on all three attempts at 12-4.
“I still wanted to go higher,” Lindsay said. “I wanted to break the record but I did better than I had all outdoor season so I’m pleased with that.”
Unlike the last two seasons, which finished with disappointing silver medals, Lindsay didn’t worry about lofty expectations, national records or injuries. That was in the past. This year, the Purdue recruit remained healthy and focused on a gold.
Not surprisingly, she didn’t have much competition or any problem reaching her goals. There was only one thing to worry about.
“Actually, I was nervous because everybody has a thing about no-heighting,” Lindsay said. “I didn’t want to come in and do that.”
She entered the competition at 10-6 with 10 vaulters left. Not assured of a medal at that point, Lindsay had to clear the height and did, on her first attempt. From there, everything else was gravy.
“Clearing 10-6 was a major feeling of relief,” Lindsay said. “Just for the fact that I was in the competition at that point. And it really helped that there was that many vaulters left. I’m not used to that. There’s usually two of us left and that makes it tougher.”
Waynesburg nearly swept the Class AA pole vault gold as senior Nathan Freedman claimed second place after clearing an impressive 14-6 on his second attempt.
Towanda Area’s Kurt Dunn won with a PIAA record vault of 14-10. That’s where Freedman wanted to be.
“I’ve been here four years and it’s about time I did something,” a disappointed Freedman said. “I would have liked to clear 15-1 or 15-3 but it didn’t happen. I had everything going right until the end.”
Freedman, who accepted a partial athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh Wednesday, and Dunn thrilled fans with their spectacular duel as both easily cleared everything until 14-10.
Each missed their first two attempts at 14-10 before Dunn cleared it on his third, and final, attempt. Freedman, believed to be the first male four-time state qualifier in the event, missed his third attempt.
“I guess there’s nothing I can do about it now,” said Freedman, a third-place finisher in 2001. “I felt pretty good up until the end. I’m just one of those guys that is never satisfied.”