For Texas A&M junior pole vaulter Emily Gunderson, having the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held across the street from where she works out daily is definitely comforting.
For most that might mean the runway, background and plant box are all familiar and give vaulters an advantage. For Gunderson, she says its about the friendly faces lined up along the runway and the smiles greeting her as she exits the pit.
“The officials, they know me and I know them,” Gunderson said. “Runways kind of affect you and they kind of don’t — it’s more the environment being down there with the officials I’ve been with for seven meets now and the previous two years. It’s kind of a little family down there.”
