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Full Name: Cheryl LaRaine Terrio Academic Interest: Sport & Entertainment Management-Bachelor of Science-Graduate May '06 Date of Birth: 05/06/84 Hobbies: training horses, outdoor activities, swimming & water sports, snowboarding Brothers/Sisters: Matthew Terrio- age 26/Heather Terrio-age 29 |
terrio: As a child I competed in Junior Olympics as a distance runner. I did not do track for a few years after that (I was horseback riding and competing in soccer). I was interested in pole vaulting my sophomore year in high school and that is the point at which I began seriously competing in track and field.
scrunners: How did you do during your first meet?
terrio: I had only been practicing a couple of weeks when it was time for my first meet in high school. The bar started at six feet and it was highly unlikely that I would clear it. I did clear the bar and this is the point at which my career as a pole-vaulter began. My coach, Joe Alsberry was very excited about my potential and that I had earned 10 points for my team. He rewarded me by purchasing a pole for me to use as well as my very own pole bag (to carry my one pole in).
scrunners: Did you always focus on the pole vault?
terrio: I have always been both athletic and competitive. I competed in track, soccer and cross country beginning in seventh grade. I was also an 800-meter, 400-meter, 4x400-meter, 4x800-meter and 1500-meter runner in high school, but the vault and 800 are the events that I excelled in.
scrunners: Does or did anyone else in your family compete in track and field?
terrio: Both my brother and sister competed in track and field at West Florence High School as well as Francis Marion University. My brother, Matt Terrio, is now a teacher and coach at the Kings Academy in Florence. He has developed the track and field and cross country programs there. I wanted to do something different than my siblings, which is why I began competing in soccer. It took an event such as the pole vault to convince me to get involved in track and field again.
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| Emily Pease photo |
terrio: My senior year in high school was the year that the University of South Carolina women's track team won their first national championship, so that made it difficult to consider any other school. I wanted to be a part of such a successful program and the coaches presented themselves as a very family oriented staff that had their priorities in the correct order (1st God, 2nd academics then athletics). The coaching staff was very knowledgeable and obviously had proven themselves to be successful. Kevin Brown was the vault coach who recruited me and he was an excellent vaulter himself, a great coach, extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of the vault, and when I was at Earl Bell's camp my senior year, Earl Bell advised me to go to USC due to Coach Brown's competence, so there was no real decision making dilemma for me in choosing schools.
scrunners: What do you remember the most from your high school pole vault career?
terrio: I had so much fun pole vaulting in high school. My teammates were great and I still stay in contact with the majority of them. I would have to say that the most memorable aspect of my high school pole vault career was my coach, Joe Alsberry. He is big, intimidating and always motivated me to win. He is a great coach and he taught me a lot about sacrificing for the team, persevering through fatigue, competing to win and always putting forth my best effort, all aspects that have helped me become successful as a NCAA D-1 athlete. My other coach was Richard Robbins and he was also a great coach. He was demanding and relentless as far as difficult workouts were concerned and this made me more prepared for preseason training at USC than any other freshman on our team that year. Coach Robbins was very helpful in my vaulting, he is the reason why I began vaulting and is also the person who in high school got me involved with Rusty Shealy, my current vault coach at USC.
scrunners: What do you feel is your biggest achievement in college track and field?
terrio: Although most would think that my biggest achievement in track and field is my having scored at SEC's, setting school records, or earning All-American honors, I think that my biggest achievement in is balancing my athletics with my academics and excelling in both.
scrunners: Explain the atmosphere of NCAA Indoor Nationals.
terrio: I was so nervous going into Indoor Nationals because all of my practices prior to that had been horrible. On the day of the competition, however, as I began to warm up, my entire mindset changed. I was so glad to be there, I was having so much fun and I knew I was going to perform well. It was such an exciting meet. The facility is awesome, and if competing there, an athlete is almost bound to be successful. The entire Fayetteville community is made of track and field fanatics, so the entire building was packed, loud and it was very exciting.
scrunners: How would you rate your 2005-2006 indoor season and outdoor season so far?
terrio: I have achieved my goal of receiving All-American honors indoor, and the outdoor season has started out as a success. I qualified for regionals my first meet and have a winning streak going for the start of my outdoor season. I would rate my indoor and outdoor season as a success, however, as any vaulter knows, we are never satisfied with our performance. I am doing well, however I have a lot of room for improvement, which is also exciting.
scrunners: What would you say is the most prestigious athlete you have competed in? What did you experience at this event?
terrio: The most prestigious event I've competed in was Tyson Invitational during indoors this year. There were amazing athletes there and records were constantly being broken. Once again the Fayetteville community was there adding to the excitement. There was no way to hear anything but the cheering of the crowd. The indoor mile record was broken, the 200-meter world records were set, and the USA 4x400-meter relay team also broke the indoor world record. Some of the best male vaulters in the world were there and Jeff Hartwig nearly cleared 19-feet (it would have been his 100th time doing so). It was awesome to be competing on the same track as such great athletes and this is the meet where I jumped my personal best, 4.12-meters (13-06.25).
scrunners: What are you looking to achieve in school and athletics prior to graduation?
terrio: My academic goal is to achieve a G.P.A. of no less that 3.5 this semester. My athletic goals are to win SEC's and get at least top three at Outdoor Nationals.
scrunners: What do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
terrio: I look for a coach that is experienced, competent and knowledgeable about vaulting. I like coaches that are hard on me, difficult to please and I look for a coach that expects nothing but optimal performance (from me).
scrunners: Have you ever thought about coaching track and field? If so, what level and why?
terrio: I am so critical and hard on athletes who do not give it their all I believe I would be a terrible coach. I would definitely not be something I would like to do.
scrunners: What kind of training week do you have during the beginning of the season, middle of the season and close to the end?
terrio: We have a great deal of conditioning work in the beginning of the season. We do a lot of cardiovascular workouts and heavy lifts in the weight room. Pre/Early season is definitely the most challenging time of the year. Mid-season our long workouts decrease and we begin to do short sprints and more explosive workouts. Towards the end of the season we taper and focus on staying healthy. Lifting repetitions in the weight room decrease at the end of the season and our practices mainly focus on technique.
scrunners: What kind of goals have you set for this season?
terrio: I keep a journal of my practices, meets and also document my goals to refer to. I set goals for every meet. One of my goals is to not lose a meet, and that has been going well so far. Another goal is to jump at least 13-feet every meet and other goals deal with specific technical aspects of my vault.
scrunners: What kind of team goals has South Carolina set?
terrio: The women's goals this year are to win another SEC championship, making it two consecutive SEC championships. We also have set goals to win another national title.
scrunners: How have you seen the pole vault event in track and field grow in the state? What would you recommend to high school vaulters to help achieve their best in the sport?
terrio: My first year as a vaulter, the event was an exhibition sport for females in South Carolina. I won the State meet, however, did not receive a medal, for it was not considered an actual event. The year after that it was an actual event, and the event has grown ever since. Every year, the number of female vaulters in the state increases. Facilities and equipment (runways, pits, poles, etc.) are becoming more safe, of higher quality and the heights vaulters in South Carolina are reaching continually increases. More high schools are becoming open to the idea of having a vault program at their schools and people are becoming more knowledgeable about the vault. The number one thing I would recommend to high school vaulters is to stay safe. Accidents may occur and improvements will not be made if there is no real knowledge and understanding about the vault. Unfortunately, because this event is relatively new and extremely technical, many high school coaches are inexperienced or unqualified. Read as much literature on vaulting as possible and nothing can substitute for hands on experience. Attend camps and clinics and be sure to bring your coach. I would advise to have fun, but work hard and if looking to continue in college remember that grades are just as important as your performance on the track.
scrunners: What kind of warmups do you undergo prior to an event?
terrio: My pre-meet warm up is no different than the warm up I do every day. We do light jogging followed by stretching and some drills with the pole and pole runs. We make sure our warm up is consistent with our normal routine so that we will be in our comfort zone, prepared and nothing is out of the ordinary.
scrunners: Have you ever been injured? If so, what occurred and how did you stay motivated and recover from this injury?
terrio: Fortunately, I have never had any type of prolonged injury. I have never been injured from vaulting, however as you see from my hobbies I do train horses. My summer and winter break job was training problem horses and green thoroughbreds for the race track. During Christmas break of my junior year I was racing a horse and it slipped and fell. We hit the ground and slid together. I slid on my head and shoulder. I had a helmet on but my shoulder took a hard blow. I was out for the first three meets of indoor season and recovery was slow. I wanted to recover fast and once I found out there was no long term damage to my shoulder, I worked out as hard as I could in the training room and weight room. It turned out that my shoulder actually healed stronger than it was before the injury.
scrunners: If there is one thing in the world you could do, what would it be and why?
terrio: My plans are to continue vaulting after graduating and I would love to be in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although there are many things that I would do if I could do anything in the world, this is a goal that I think is feasible, so I am working hard to attain it.