Ohio Locker Room - Anna’s Gehret repeats as state high jump champ

Sponsor

Anna’s Gehret repeats as state high jump champ

Friday, 05 June 2009

COLUMBUS - Anna’s Laura Gehret was successful on a pressure-packed jump, and it sent her on to the Division III state high jump championship for the second year in a row Friday.

Gehret, a senior in her fourth year in the state high jump competition, missed her first two attempts at 5-feet, 6-inches, while Emily Amburgy of Preble Shawnee, the runner-up to Gehret last year, cleared the height on her second jump.

“I was so nervous heading into my third jump on the 5-6,” said Gehret. “I knew I had to clear it or I would be out.”

And clear it she did. She then used the momentum from that jump to clear 5-7 on her very first attempt. Amburgy could not match her, and Gehret walked away with the title for the second year in a row.

“It’s really, really exciting to win a state championship,” said Gehret, who also experienced one with the Anna volleyball team two years ago. “There is a lot of pressure to repeat. You’re confident you can do it, but you feel you have to do it again.

“Winning a title in track is very different compared to the one I won in volleyball,” she added. “In volleyball, it’s more of a team concept and everyone needs to work together. In track, it’s more individual and you can’t rely on anyone else. You have to do all yourself. I don’t know if I like it better than volleyball, but it’s cool because it’s all you.”

Anna coach Jim Osborne was amazed by Gehret’s accomplishments, in light of a foot injury that kept her out for five weeks.

“For Laura to come back from injury and be a state champion in just the fourth or fifth week of her season is amazing,” he said. “She’s just a champion in everything she does. This was her day.

“She is very determined and driven,” he added. She spends a lot of time practicing and will do the extra things needed to be successful. I was a little nervous for her at the 5-6, but I had confidence in her. She’s been in that situation before with the pressure on and knows how to respond and overcome it.”

It was Gehret’s fifth time competing in Jesse Owens Stadium, four times in the state meet and once in the Junior Nationals.

“She’s very familiar with the stadium and knows the crowd, and I think that experience helped her today,” said Osborne. “She jumped very well. There are so many things that can go wrong the higher the bar goes, and everything needs to be perfect to be successful. But she ran a better turn and that was the key. She also made a couple of adjustments with her hands and her feet.”

Two firsts for VHS

Meanwhile, the Versailles girls rolled up 24 points on the first day, thanks to a pair of first place finishes.

The 3200 relay team of Mary Prakel, Kristen Schulte, Tammy Berger and Mindy Henry ran a 9:17.92 to take first by a slim margin over Gilmour Academy, 9:18.02.

And Christine Borchers captured the shot put with a 44-1/2 heave. She also added a fifth-place finish in the discus for four more points, giving Versailles the lead after the first day.

Fort Loramie took third in the 3200 with the team of Janel Olberding, Kylie Drees, Kara Gasson and Ally Puthoff in 9:30.48, and Minster was fourth with the team of Samantha Hoelscher, Jessica Albers, Bernadette Burke and Maria Dahlinghaus in 9:36.13.

Giving the area four of the top eight were the Russia girls, who took eighth with the team of Roni Homan, Kristen Drees, Kayla Francis and Katie Borchers, in 9:45.96.

——

To comment on this story, visit www.sidneydailynews.com and click on the Online Forum button.