Published: May 07, 2008 10:35 am            

Hays’ Doyle humble but successful

Track and Field

Jessica Doyle is focused as soon as her spoon hits her grits during breakfast. She’ll pack her bag the same way and wear the same clothes she’s worn before all of her other meets.

She’s in the zone once she begins her pre-meet ritual, whether it be during the week or waking up early on the weekend — when most high schoolers are still asleep. Doyle, a Hays senior, doesn’t need a motivational speech or pump-up music to get ready to compete in the pole vault. It’s 100 percent mental for Doyle, who won the University Interscholastic League Class 4A state title last year.

“The (mentality you need to have) and the mental blocks are the toughest thing about pole vaulting,” Doyle said. “People really don’t understand how hard it really is.”

Every part of the pole vaulter’s technique must be right for a successful jump. Once the steps are perfectly counted, the takeoff zone must be properly set and once that zone is determined, then the pole must be planted correctly. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Doyle’s success begins within herself, though she won’t admit it. Talking to Doyle about her accomplishments, she’ll flash a white smile and want to talk about anything else. Her coaches know this about her, and that’s what Hays head track and field coach Javier Torres said sets her apart.

“She doesn’t give herself any credit, that’s why she’s so successful,” Torres said. “There was no doubt in my mind. I can say that with confidence because I knew that she was humble and (humility) makes you work harder. There’s just something special about her.”

Doyle’s been substantially better than her peers for a better part of five years in her event. Kris Allison, who coaches Doyle at the Lonestar Athletic and Training complex, said when he began coaching her when she was just in seventh grade, something was different about her.

“When she started, she was pretty precocious, achieving better than her peers,” Allison said. “She has a natural raw power and speed that a lot of other athletes don’t have.”

Two years later, Doyle competed in her first UIL state meet. Under Allison’s guidance, Doyle improved and started realizing her potential.

“When she jumped 12-foot, 6 1/2-inches as a freshman, we all knew there were bigger things ahead,” Allison said. “She set a class record that would win several state meets in the United States.”

Doyle packed on muscle under Torres’ strict training regimen, which include an hour lift before each practice. The lean muscle allowed her to wield bigger poles and her heights improved. Her technique on her pushes and runs became more fluid and she entered her senior year poised to set new personal bests.

Stuck at 12-9 since her winning vault at the 2007 UIL State Track and Field Meet, Doyle wanted to break 13 feet. She failed in her attempt at the Hays Relays, but a week later, she wouldn’t be denied the height.

“When I cleared 13 feet the first time, the feeling was unbelievable,” Doyle said. “I kind of knew right when I put my pole in that I had a chance at making it, but once I was over and looked down, I got really excited.”

She wasn’t able to enjoy her personal best for long though — she set it higher a few weeks later. Doyle cleared 13-4 to win the District 26-4A meet, five inches off the state record. Her vault notched her sixth place for her age group — in the world.

“I’ve been talking to her since the day after the district meet,” Torres said. “I said ‘You need to repeat. Not for anybody else, but for yourself.’ She can handle the pressure. This isn’t pressure. This is fun for her. People would kill to be in her shoes, and she knows that.”

Other athletes will be gunning for her spot this weekend when the state converges for the state meet in Austin. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Doyle, as she’s signed to vault for the University of Texas next spring.

“I just want to try to beat my personal record and whatever place that gets me, I’ll be happy with,” Doyle said. “I try not to think about placing and just think about my own heights. If I don’t win, at least I won last year.”

She only knows that she’ll wake up, make breakfast and dip her spoon into her grits. After she eats, she’ll go about the rest of her ritual, which she said borders on obsessive compulsive disorder.

“I have to wear the same thing; the same socks, the same everything. I have to pack the same thing in my bag. It’s almost OCD a little bit,” Doyle said. “I messed it up once and I was like ‘Oh no, how’s this going to turn out,’ it turned out fine and it was the day I cleared 13-4. So I can’t really say that’s why you jump good, but it helps mentally.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.