Track and Field: Stevenson tries to vault his way onto U.S. team

Toby Stevenson won't be surprised by much this weekend in Eugene, Ore.

Having a silver medal from the Olympics in your back pocket can do that for you.

The 1995 Permian graduate knows the road back to Olympic glory won't be easy, but he will begin the attempt during the men's pole vault competition in the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.

Stevenson has not been at the forefront of his sport for much of the last year - partially because of injuries - but he would not trade his resume heading into Friday's qualifying session and, hopefully, Sunday's finals for anything.

"I know what it takes, and I'm more than capable of doing it again," Stevenson said. "I know what to do and I know what to expect, and obviously I'm going all out for this thing. The Super Bowl is nothing compared to this. It's a football game that happens every year. The Olympic Trials is an event, something that is four years in the making and your entire existence relies on you getting in the top three."

The top 12 vaulters from Friday's preliminaries qualify for Sunday's finals. The top three finishers on Sunday earn spots on the Olympic team that will compete in the Beijing Games in August.

Stevenson was second to Tim Mack at the Trials in 2004 and then finished second to Mack again at the Olympics in Greece, though Stevenson led the competition for the gold much of the way.

The silver did not dampen the affection held for Stevenson by his hometown.

He was awarded a key to the city of Odessa in the fall of 2004 and gave the commencement speech at Permian's graduation in 2005. He organized a vaulting exhibition with Mack, 2000 Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong and then-U.S. record holder Jeff Hartwig on the ice rink at Music City Mall in March 2006.

His Permian Basin roots have been set the last five years at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. During the last year, he has been working with new coach Ty Sevin and has been training with Mack and Stacy Dragila, who won the first women's pole vaulting gold medal in 2000.

"You're talking about a group with two gold medals and a silver medal," Sevin said. "Nobody takes a day off because they all know what it takes to be successful."

Stevenson continued to thrive after winning the Olympic silver in 2004. He was third at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in 2005 and second in 2006, and he was ranked in the world's top 10 by Track and Field News.

Stevenson finished eighth at the U.S. Outdoors last year, and he appeared primed for a big 2008 season when he opened it by vaulting 18-8.25 indoors at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev. He has not competed in a fully sanctioned meet since then.

"That was the highest season opener of his career," Sevin said. "But his body has taken a toll from jumping the last three or four years, and he ran into an old foot problem here, an old back injury there. The old injuries kind of flared up and he hasn't jumped as much as we planned, but we'll try to get that lined up in the next week or so.

"Toby will never use injuries as an excuse, but he hasn't been able to do some of things he's wanted to since probably January that he's wanted to do to put himself in position to win a medal. It's just been a matter of doing a lot of drills, and maybe in a weird way it's exactly what he's needed."

Stevenson has been going through a lot of weightlifting and gymnastics drills instead of constant vaulting. He also has been doing sprint work and other conditioning.

Once he gets the pole in his hand and dons his helmet on the runway at Hayward Field, Stevenson will hope everything will come second nature.

He can recall memories such as the Class 5A state title for Permian in 1995; the NCAA title for Stanford in 1998; the Olympic silver medal; and being one of only 13 vaulters in the "6-meter club," which he achieved in 2004 by jumping 19-8.25 at the Modesto Relays.

"I have been a little dinged up, so I've been trying to be really smart about it and not push things," Stevenson said. "I'm in a different scenario than I was four years ago, so I just can't do the same things. I'm going to compete as hard as I can and let the chips fall where they may. If I make it, great. If I don't, it's just part of the game."

Fortunately for Stevenson, he doesn't have to put all of his eggs in the 2008 basket.

At 31 years old, he has his Olympic medal, plenty of memories and plenty of future left if his body can take it. Hartwig, for instance, finished second at the U.S. Outdoors last year at age 39.

Stevenson's internal hopes are high that his experience - including the Olympic Trials no-height in 2000 - will pay off when it matters Friday and Sunday.

"I had the Olympic experience and I do have a little different outlook than four years ago," Stevenson said. "In the four weeks or so before the Trials, a lot of athletes' stress level is really high, and I'm probably a little more relaxed. I'm totally calm now, and I'm just really excited about just going out there and trying to finish in the top three."

THE BASICS
>> What: U.S. Olympic Trials, Track and Field
>> When: Friday through July 6
>> Where: Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.

TV SCHEDULE
Subject to change
>> Friday: 11 p.m., USA
>> Saturday: 7 p.m., NBC
>> Sunday: 6 p.m., NBC
>> Monday: 10 p.m., USA
>> July 1-2: Rest days
>> July 3: 10 p.m., USA
>> July 4: 10 p.m., USA
>> July 5: 4 p.m., NBC
>> July 6: 6 p.m., NBC

EVENT SCHEDULE
Pole Vault
Subject to change
>> Friday: Men's qualifying, 7:50 p.m. CDT
>> Sunday: Men's final, 4:40 p.m. p.m. CDT
>> Thursday, July 3: Women's qualifying, 9:10 p.m. CDT
>> Sunday, July 6: Women's final, 5:40 p.m. CDT