Tamela Jadin runs down the lane and places the pole, lifting herself up and over the bar before falling to the soft mat below. Years of gymnastics, dance and diving training in suburban Chicago have brought her here.

Jadin holds Iowa State’s indoor school record in the pole vault, set last year at 11 feet, 6 inches, a mark that shattered the previous record of 8-6 1/4 set in 2001 by Leah Elbert.

As a pole vault specialist for the ISU track and field team, Jadin may be an exception to the stereotypical athlete.

“I have never played a sport with a ball in my life,” she said.

Instead, most of her high school career at St. Charles (Ill.) East focused on gymnastics.

“I did gymnastics my entire life,” she said. “I don’t remember a day without gymnastics.”

As a freshman at Level 8 in club gymnastics, Jadin claimed the USA Gymnastics Illinois state all-around title and uneven bars title. She spent her sophomore and junior years at level 9. But gymnastics demanded her time while taking its toll on her body.

“I started getting burned out,” she said.

Jadin’s junior year marked the first year pole vaulting was allowed at the high school level in the state of Illinois.

“Everyone was trying it, and no one knew what they were doing,” she said. “But with my gymnastics background, I had an edge over others.”

Jadin said the pole vault took her breath away.

“It’s like flying,” she said. “The best part is on the way down, especially when you know you’ve made it [over the bar]. I don’t know how people can run around in a circle all day when you can pole vault. It’s so exciting.”

Not only did she enjoy it, she said, she learned the sport rather easily. She started the pole vault just one month before going to state.

“A reporter asked me what my PR [personal record] was at state, and I didn’t even know what that stood for,” Jadin chuckled.

When it came time to look at colleges, Jadin said she wanted to go to a school where she could also vault.

“I came to Iowa State for academics,” she said. “The track program was another activity that I could do.”

Academics have already given Jadin, junior in chemistry, opportunities, as she spent the summer of 2004 in Baltimore as an intern for Procter & Gamble doing product research. During her internship, she worked on improving and creating new mascaras using Cover Girl and Max Factor products. She will return this summer to perform more product research and formulation.

“Ultimately, I’d like to get my master’s in marketing and use the science with that,” she said.

For now, she said is going to concentrate on school and the pole vault.

Jadin said not having a coach specifically for pole vaulting is difficult.

“In the Big 12, we’re the only school that doesn’t have a vaults coach,” she said. “It’s hard going to meets and not having a coach always watching.”

Ron McEachran is responsible for the triple jump, long jump, high jump and vaults, and said because the state of Iowa doesn’t allow the pole vault or triple jump at the high school level, it’s harder to get those recruits. He noted that his triple jumpers are either out-of-state athletes or former long jumpers.

McEachran also said an athlete at the collegiate level normally competes in only the pole vault.

He said Jadin’s success at Iowa State could help bring in vault recruits, but it is still going to be difficult because of the high school situation. Having Jadin around is definitely a plus, he said.

“In my opinion, she’s really a joy to be around on a day-to-day basis, and she works really hard,” McEachran said.

One of Jadin’s primary goals is to start a pole vault program at Iowa State.

“I want to put my name out there for Iowa State so some vaulters can look at us and come to Iowa State,” she said. “I’d like to establish a pole vaulting program at ISU, and it’s great to see Kyle [Murphy, a freshman vaulter] coming in.