At times she makes it seem effortless, but Chelsea Johnson bears
the weight of a pole vaulting legacy on her shoulders each time she
takes flight.
It is a burden that kept Johnson, the daughter of Olympic bronze
medalist Jan Johnson, grounded for 17 years. It’s also the
reason why the UCLA freshman finally decided to give the sport a
try.
Before she arrived in Westwood, Johnson’s spacious
backyard in Atascadero housed one of the United States’ most
prestigious pole vaulting clubs, where world-class vaulters
shuttled in and out of her house each day.
Pole vaulting dominated her home life growing up. But Johnson
chose not to participate.
“I was drawn to other sports more than pole vaulting
because that’s what my dad was known for,” said
Johnson, who ran hurdles and played soccer and volleyball in high
school. “I wanted to make a name for myself. I was worried I
wouldn’t be good.”
But while Johnson flourished in other sports, her father
recognized her untapped potential as a pole vaulter. Her rangy
5-foot-9-inch frame and blazing speed were the perfect ingredients
for success in track and field’s most perilous event.
Careful not to pressure his daughter too much, Jan Johnson
suggested that she try pole vaulting for a month during her senior
year.
Around Christmas time , Chelsea finally accepted the offer.
“I didn’t want to have regrets about not trying
it,” Johnson said. “I started liking it, and I just
picked it up really fast.”
That, to say the least, is an understatement.
After just a few months of training in her backyard, Johnson was
already clearing the bar at over 12 feet. By April she had
established herself as one of the nation’s elite.
“She jumped way higher than I was expecting,” Jan
Johnson said. “She exceeded all of my expectations, but
talent is talent ““ it will come out in the end.”
A short time after she began pole vaulting, Johnson sent a video
of her athletic accomplishments to 30 schools ““ 20 of the top
soccer schools in the nation and 10 elite track and field programs.
The highlight reel mostly consisted of Johnson’s
accomplishments on the soccer field, but also included footage of
her participating in a few routine pole vaulting drills.
Reaction to the video surprised both Johnson and her father.
“We did not get a single call back from a single soccer
school ““ not one,” the elder Johnson said. “But
of the 10 pole vaulting schools we contacted, nine of them
called.”
Among those interested was Jan’s longtime friend, UCLA
pole vaulting coach Anthony Curran. Although Johnson had only
vaulted for a few months at that point, Curran was impressed with
her overwhelming raw ability.
Curran offered Johnson a scholarship and she was quick to
accept.
Turning down offers from Arizona, Arizona State and San Diego
State, Johnson committed to UCLA in early April and quickly gave
the Bruins a taste of her potential. She consistently cleared the
bar at over 13 feet in the latter half of her senior season,
posting the top high school mark of the year with a personal record
of 13-foot-6 in late May, and narrowly missing the national high
school record of 13-8 in early June.
But that instantaneous success has not carried over to the
collegiate level as quickly as Johnson had hoped.
She has not approached her personal record in a meet thus far in
her freshman season, instead choosing to focus more on technique
than results.
“I was expecting everything to fall into place like it did
in high school, but it’s going a little bit slower,”
Johnson said. “It’s frustrating because I have really
good practices and I know I am better than I was last year. I just
have to stay positive.”
There certainly is a precedent for talented high school pole
vaulters struggling to make the transition to college. Former UCLA
standout Tracy O’Hara did not top her personal record of 13-3
until late in her freshman season, while national high school
record holder Shayla Balentine did not even approach her top mark
last season as a freshman at San Diego State.
“Every kid thinks that she’ll improve at the same
pace once she gets to college,” Jan Johnson said.
“Chelsea hasn’t gotten better marks, but her technique
has gotten much better. She’s not going to chase big bars
right away.”
Johnson has set a goal of clearing 14 feet by the end of the
year, and neither her coaches nor her father think that is out of
her reach.
“If you look at how fast she is, how tall she is, and how
long her arms are, she’s as gifted as any of the world-class
girls,” her dad said. “The key for her is being patient
and taking the time to improve.”
With more than three years left at UCLA, Johnson has all the
time in the world.