Following in my father's footsteps
Jan Johnson won pole vault bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Some 37 years later his daughter Chelsea took silver in the same discipline at the World Championships in Berlin. In part one of our two part feature, the 4.73m vaulter speaks to spikesmag.com about following in her father’s footsteps...
Your father Jan Johnson was the 1972 Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault but you took up pole vault only seven years ago. Did you rebel against competing in the event?
CJ: Absolutely (laughs)! It was because I’ve been around pole vault my whole life. Everyone was telling me how good I could be and I think that’s exactly why I didn’t want to do it. There’s also lots of pressure because of how good my dad was. Before I took up pole vaulting I played soccer, volleyball and ran the hurdles.
What standard did you reach at soccer and volleyball?
CJ: I played for first team soccer at high school (Atascadero) and I was going to university to play it, too. I was a striker and once scored 33 goals in a single season.
Do you still follow the game today?
CJ: I still have a keen interest. I support Chelsea, but mainly because of my name.
So why did you start pole vaulting?
CJ: I was not getting the (university) scholarships I wanted for soccer and that’s why I gave pole vaulting a try. I definitely didn’t think I’d be as good or as fast as I was. My dad asked me for the last time if I would try it and I decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed it but it was hard for the first couple of years – every time I was introduced at meetings I kept hearing “here’s Chelsea Johnson, the daughter of Jan Johnson the Olympic bronze medalist”.
Did he used to ask you to try the pole vault a lot, then?
CJ: He would ask me sporadically but my parents are very good about not pressuring me into anything. They always want me to find my own way.
Do you believe your success has been down to genetics, or is there a little more to it than that?
CJ: I think there’s little bit more to it but obviously it played a big part. You need to be both physically and mentally strong to compete in the pole vault. You have to stay mentally tough.
Do you have to learn that or can that sort of wisdom be passed down?
CJ: Yes. Dad tried to share his ups, downs and experiences but I definitely had to learn through my own errors.
Was your father always your coach?
CJ: He was at high school but Anthony Curran coached me for four years at university (UCLA). Then I went back to my dad.
Was it a tough decision to go back?
CJ: Not really because my university coach was too busy to coach me as well as all the other students. My dad was very eager and excited when I got back with him straight after leaving college. It’s a great experience having my dad coach me and I wouldn’t change it at all.
Was it ever awkward have your dad as your coach?
CJ: We’ve always had a great relationship, and we don’t bring outside circumstances into the home. My mum, Janice (father is Jan), will always bring up another subject if we find ourselves talking about pole vault. She’s good like that.
Is it right that your brother Clay pole vaulted for a couple of years?
CJ: Yes. He pole vaulted for two years. He liked it but he didn’t love it. He’s a really good surfer and now surfs professionally. Dad is a good surfer, too, so they pretty much surf together every morning. Clay’s one of the top surfers in California.
*** Read part two of this feature tomorrow, right here at spikesmag.com ***
If you liked this spikesmag.com feature then you'll enjoy these ones, too: