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Write this down: Guerin Catholic sophomore Amelia Smith is a state contender in pole vault

Write this down: Guerin Catholic sophomore Amelia Smith is a state contender in pole vault

Be confident. Control the controllables. Choose to make changes.
These words, repeated in Amelia Smith's head at different points during her competition in every track meet, are written in her journal entry for March 29. That day, the Guerin Catholic sophomore won the state indoor meet with a pole vault of 13 feet, 3 inches.
That jump is marked in her journal, too, with this feedback to herself: 'Whoa keep it.'
Journaling takes on a different context for Smith, who meticulously keeps notes at all of her meets, jotting down thoughts to herself to review later – and during – her competition.
'When she turns in her journal to the coaches, she always gets an 'A' or 'A-plus,'' Guerin Catholic pole vault and high jump coach Kevin Horrigan joked.
Putting pen to paper works for Smith. Her pole vault at the Hoosier State Relays on that day in March is the sixth-best performance – indoor or outdoor – in Indiana girls' high school history. Smith's mark of 12-6 at last week's sectional meet at Hamilton Southeastern is the second-best during the outdoor season behind only Franklin junior Addison Martin's 13-0 mark in the sectional meet last week.
If you flip through the pages of Smith's pole vault journal, you will find her entries are not limited to meets. She records every practice attempt, too. Some portions read as motivation to herself, while others note the details: bar height, pole size, where her steps are, her grip on the pole. Then, of course, whether or not the attempt is successful.
'It helps me stay consistent during the meets,' Smith said. '(During the sectional meet) I moved back to get a different run. I went from eight steps to 10 steps in the middle of the meet. I was just kind of able to look at stuff from the past and say, 'My steps are usually here.''
Smith, a competitive gymnast until she was 13, takes the journal home after meets to review. She got the idea from a former pole vaulter she follows on Instagram, Shawn Francis. Francis, now a pole vault coach, wrote a book called 'The Pole Vault Toolbox.' Part of his philosophy for pole vaulters, especially those just starting out, is to write down the details of every attempt.
'I got a journal last year and started writing stuff down,' Smith said. 'It helps especially at the end of the season when we start to go back to basics to remember what pole I was on and where my steps were at and everything.'
Writing everything down helps Smith 'control the controllables.' While her goal is to reach the qualifying standard for the USA Track and Field U20 outdoor championships (13-7 ¼), there are some days when the weather conditions make those goals impossible.
'If you have a bad day in pole vault, it's a bad day,' Smith said. 'There's only so much you can do. You can't control the wind. Obviously, I was a little frustrated with that (during the sectional meet). It's something I just kind of have to push off to the side and say, 'My training is worked into this' and do the best you can.'
Horrigan said pole vaulting can be a bit like 'riding a roller coaster.' But the veteran coach said Smith's ability to absorb what she has learned and put it to use is invaluable.
'She can process almost anything instantaneously,' Horrigan said. 'Her work ethic is unbelievable and she's strong and fast. In this event, there are so many things that go into it that all those little components are so important. She's a student of the pole vault and an absolute joy to coach. I'm fortunate to be able to work with her.'
Horrigan said the close-knit pole vault community 'can help lift each other up on a bad day.' Smith is close with several of her top competitors in the event.
'They are all in the same boat,' Horrigan said. 'They know what it's like to have a bad day. The all know exactly what each other is going through.'
In Smith's case, she is more focused on the process than the end goal of winning a state championship.
'(Winning state) is definitely something I've thought about but I don't want to focus on it too much,' she said. 'Because if I let the season play out how it's supposed to, then it's going to work out.'
If she wins or not, Smith will have the story written. Just check the journal.
The first, second and third place regional winners in all individual events and relays advance to the state meet, along with any individual or relay team meeting the three-participant standard in the regional finals of their event.
>>>Ben Davis and Lawrence Central will host regional meets with the qualifiers from the Hamilton Southeastern going north to Lafayette Jeff. That includes top-ranked Carmel and No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern. Carmel won the sectional last week with 171.5 points to 138.5 for second-place HSE.
>>>Heritage Christian senior standout Kya Crooke will compete in the regional at Lawrence Central. Crooke has the top time there in the regional in the 100 (12.35 seconds) and is the defending state champion in the high jump and former champion in the long jump (19-3 in the sectional). Warren Central's Kira Smith could give her some competition in the high jump at Lawrence Central, ranking third in the state this spring.
>>>The 3,200 at Lawrence Central could be an interesting race. Bishop Chatard's Julia Score and Pendleton Heights' Ava Jarrell are in the field. Lucy Wood of Brebeuf Jesuit and Kelsey Rehmel of North Central could also contend. The 1,600 with Pendleton Heights' freshman Anya Zoeller and Franklin Central's Savana Miller could also be interesting.
>>>Brownsburg's No. 1 4x100 relay team will be tested by Pike and Terre Haute South in the regional at Ben Davis. The Bulldogs also have the top 4x400 relay team in the regional and one of the best in the state.
>>>Three of the state's best 400 runners – Omema Anyanwu of Zionsville, Amiah Rhodes of Ben Davis and Kylee Regalado of Tri-West – will compete at Ben Davis. The 100 and 300 hurdles will also be competitive with Pike's Jai Brown and Franklin's Aubrey Runyon the top contenders in the 100 hurdles and Brownsburg's Sophia N'Gbesso potentially the favorite in the 300 hurdles.
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By Licht's second season, he was playing guard in mop-up time. Ron drove 12 hours round-trip to Lincoln on every game day, even when he was sure his son never would get a snap. Jason wondered why he didn't stay overnight at a hotel. He found out later that his dad didn't have the money and was paying for gas to make the trip with silver dollars from a collection he had kept for decades. It was obvious Jason didn't have anywhere near the size and ability of starters Will Shields, who later won the Outland Trophy, and Brendan Stai, a future NFL starter, so he transferred to nearby Division III Nebraska Wesleyan. As it often does, the walk-on experience left an imprint. 'Having gone through that, if I lost everything today and had to start at the bottom, just roll up my sleeves and go to work, I probably wouldn't fear that as much as most people,' he says. At Wesleyan, he moved to defensive tackle and was named all-conference twice before graduating with a degree in pre-med/biology. But by then, he no longer wanted to be a doctor. Football had a hold of him. For a while, he worked for his father and tended bar. Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride liked Licht and recommended him for an internship with the Dolphins. After Licht interviewed, a couple of months passed. A job offer came from an insurance company for $35,000 a year. Then the Dolphins offered the internship that paid $6,000 a year. Licht was resigned to taking the insurance job. Until he talked to his father. 'Don't settle on money,' father told son. 'Follow your dream.' Advertisement Ron cashed in more silver dollars so Jason had money to get to Miami. That internship led to jobs with the Dolphins, Panthers, Patriots, Eagles, Cardinals, the Patriots again and the Cardinals again. In those years, he worked with coaching giants and learned more about character. From his time with Jimmy Johnson, Licht came to understand that if he could reason with a person, he had a chance. Bill Belichick taught him how to distinguish between a bad guy and an immature one. The lesson from Andy Reid: just because someone veered once doesn't necessarily mean he will do it again. Of course, Licht already understood that people can get out of a skid because he saw his father do it. The first pick he made with the Bucs in 2014, wide receiver Mike Evans, verified the importance of emphasizing character. Evans has had 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, tied for an NFL record. Moreover, his selflessness, coachability, intensity and community servantship have set the standard for every Buc who followed. 'The perfect pick,' Licht calls him. The next year, the Bucs had the first pick in the draft and needed a quarterback to get the ball to Evans. Jameis Winston, who had a Heisman Trophy and national championship on his resume, was in many ways the logical choice. But Winston had been investigated for sexual assault, and details were murky. Licht did his research. Then he asked his wife, Blair, to meet with Winston. Blair came with one of their three children, Theo, who was about 16 months old. Theo was fussing. Winston took Theo from Blair, played with him and comforted him. Theo stopped crying. Winston connected with Blair, too. 'I really loved Jameis,' says Blair, who remains a sounding board for her husband on football matters 19 years into their marriage. 'So after that and a lot of discussions with his scouts and owners, Jason felt more comfortable making the decision.' Advertisement Her husband didn't always get it right with character, however. In his first year, he signed offensive tackle Anthony Collins and defensive end Michael Johnson as free agents. Neither justified their contracts, and both were cut after one season. 'I would say they had a passion problem,' Licht says. In the draft that year, he regrettably chose tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the second round. The Bucs cut him at the start of his third season after he was arrested for driving under the influence for the second time. Vernon Hargreaves was the team's first-round pick in 2016. The cornerback coasted through his first three seasons before Bruce Arians benched him for what the coach said was a lack of hustle. The Bucs released him two days later. 'He just didn't want to be part of a team,' Licht says. In March 2017, Licht took a chance on dazzling but challenging wideout DeSean Jackson in free agency. He didn't blend with the quarterback or his coaches, and the waves he created didn't justify the production. 'The me now would never sign DeSean Jackson,' says Licht, who traded him after two years. In hindsight, Licht believes he was fooled in 2019 when he chose linebacker Devin White in the first round. White was a starter for the better part of five years for the Bucs but eventually was let go. He's with his third team since. 'Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board,' Licht says. 'It was too much about him.' By the time he chose White, Licht had been with the Bucs five years and had a record of 27-53. He hadn't yet gone under but could feel the pull of the undertow. Licht thought he might be replaced with a new GM. Instead, he became one. That year, Licht studied his misses and identified the whys. He pondered the careers of Bucs greats such as Mike Alstott, John Lynch, Warren Sapp and Ronde Barber, who has become his close friend. Then he studied successful players he had been associated with on other teams, such as Brian Dawkins, Rob Gronkowski, Brian Westbrook and Mike Vrabel. Advertisement Each was the kind of teammate who brought out the best in others. They were all accountable, competitive, confident, passionate and resilient — those were the qualities Licht and his staff would be unbending about moving forward. Licht, who signed a contract extension earlier this summer, believes his 2025 roster is devoid of players who don't fit the mold he and his staff created in 2019. Since then, his record is 58-42 with five playoff appearances in six years. Walter's Press Box Sports Emporium, aka The Press Box, opened in 1978 down the street from where the Bucs played, and these days is either showing its age or its character, depending on perspective. It's the kind of sports bar found in many cities, with beer bucket specials and 40 Stephen A. Smiths screaming in high def. The Press Box is Licht's second office. Licht orders a Blue Moon and a basket of wings — during happy hour, wings cost $1 a piece — while presiding over staff meetings there on weeknights, though Blair suspects he goes mostly to play Golden Tee. In his defense, Licht was in The Press Box with his lieutenants eight years ago when the Bucs agreed to a contract with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. At some of his Press box gatherings, Licht has invited Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper and his staff. They do more than watch games. 'I've talked to him in depth about what he values in players, and it's very similar to what I value,' Cooper says. 'It comes down to a lot of team dynamics, and it's not so much about the guy that runs the fastest or jumps the highest. There's a bigger component of piecing all of that together, and I think Jason is a master at that.' Licht is tight with other team builders, including Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who introduced Licht to Blair, Seahawks general manager John Schneider and former right-hand man John Spytek, now in charge of the Raiders. Advertisement But you don't have to be a big shot to be his buddy. At every game during the Bucs' Super Bowl season, he wore a Metallica T-shirt under his suit jacket and dress shirt. So when Metallica came to Raymond James Stadium in June, Licht had every seat accounted for in his suite as well as the suite belonging to coach Todd Bowles, which Bowles graciously donated and catered. Among Licht's many guests were Cooper, his closest friend from Yuma, his closest friend from college, a Bucs chiropractor, a Bucs video director and his son, a team flight attendant and her husband, and Licht's three barbers, distinguishable by their tattoos and ear gauges. Before the stadium began shaking, Licht was atingle about meeting Metallica frontman James Hetfield in the tunnel leading to the field. 'I was so afraid of what I was going to say to him,' Licht says. 'I mean, there's Michael Jordan, James Hetfield, God …' which deftly delivers Bucs news and opinions, sometimes with a wink, often has referred to Licht as the 'AC/DC-loving general manager.' It's a title he chuckles about. 'The thing that stands out about him is he isn't afraid to laugh at himself,' says Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl, who came to the Bucs with Licht and was with him for the concert. 'He's just a good guy at his core, and I think that kind of bleeds into everything that we try to do here as a staff.' Licht posted photos of the Metallica experience on Instagram. He also posts pictures of Blair and their kids, Charlie, 16, Zoe, 14, and Theo, 11. The Licht family eats dinner together most nights, even if it isn't until 7:30. Sometimes, the kids use the opportunity to give their father football advice. Licht gives each of his children exclusive daddy time. He plays golf with Charlie. He takes Zoe to Starbucks before every game. And he caddies for Theo. Advertisement They enjoy going through his vintage card collection, which includes thousands of cards — there's Wilt Chamberlain, Hank Aaron and rookie Joe Montana. The collection belonged to Jason's father, who gifted it to his son before he died in 2019 as a way to repay the financial help Jason had given him. It wasn't necessary. His father had already given him so much. If not for Ron's encouragement, Jason might be in the insurance business. His passion is player evaluation, and he tries to find time for it every day, watching tape in breaks between practices, meetings, negotiations and fire calls. Licht is always looking for that player who would rather be doing nothing other than what he's doing. Whether or not he sees it that way, he's always looking for that player who might be a little like Jason Licht. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

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