Stokke wins state banner

Don’t call her Cinderella, just call her CIF State champion.

Allison Stokke, a Newport Harbor High freshman, became the first

girls pole vault state champion for the school with a first-attempt

clearance of 12 feet, 8 inches to win the title at the CIF State

championships at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento Saturday.

Corona del Mar sophomore Anne St. Geme medaled with a sixth-place

finish in the 1,600 meters (4:57.13) and Southern Section Masters

Meet champion Jasmin Day, a Costa Mesa sophomore, finished eighth in

the high jump (5-5).

Stokke’s 12-8 mark also broke her own national high school

freshman record in the pole vault, which was 12-7, set at the Southern Section Masters Meet May 28 at Cerritos College, where she

finished third.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Stokke said. “I’m just really,

really excited. I didn’t think it could happen. People were telling

me I could win, but I didn’t really think about it seriously.”

Stokke, who began her first pole vault training this past October

after competing in gymnastics for eight years, nearly dropped out of

the running for the state title at 12 feet. She entered Saturday’s

finals as the top seed, but missed on her first two attempts at 12-0.

However, she cleared 12 on her final attempt to move on. She went

over 12-6 on her second attempt and then put the pressure on

Atascadero senior Monica Pacas with the 12-8 clearance on her first

try. Pacas finished second, as she went over 12-8 on her second

attempt.

Both girls could not clear 13 feet.

“She had to make 12 on her third attempt and that was

nerve-racking,” said Eric Tweit, the Newport girls track and field

coach. “You can tell that her work with gymnastics has really helped.

She is used to standing by herself on the runway. I don’t think she

was as nervous. I’m sure we were more nervous than her.”

Stokke, the school-record holder whose previous best before May 28

was 11-8, credited her experience with gymnastics and the tutelage of

her coaches, Kevin Magula and Logan Odden, for winning the state

title.

“Gymnastics is the biggest reason I have gotten this far,” said

Stokke, the Sea View League champion and league finals meet

record-holder (11-8). “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do

this without gymnastics. Because of gymnastics I’m more used to

competition and being nervous.”

Costa Mesa jumps coach Eugene Day, Jasmin’s father, said the

Mustang sophomore was too nervous, which resulted in her eighth-place

finish. But Eugene Day said she will practice more in the event for

next year.

“She has been doing the high jump part time and she got all the

way to here,” he said. “Imagine if she was really training for this.”

St. Geme was unable to come in under her personal best (4:52.93).

Saratoga’s Alicia Follmar won the 1,600 in 4:46.47.