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Paper: The Gazette
Headline:Pentathlon has a little bit of everything
Date: 06/09/03
Section: SPORTS
Page: SP1
Byline: MERI-JO BORZILLERI; THE GAZETTE
Keys: PENTATHLON
Five sports. Five changes of clothing. A day that
starts at 8 a.m. and doesn't end until 6:30 p.m.
Welcome to the Olympic Games' most esoteric, if
not bizarre, sporting event: the modern pentathlon.
By the time the sun sets, competitors will have:
Fired a pistol, poked and been poked by a sword, churned
through a pool, steered an unfamiliar 2,000-pound
horse over 13 fences and run 3,000 meters (1.8 miles)
over a hilly course, the best moving at a 6-minute-per-mile
pace.
The 2003 U.S. Nationals for men and women were
contested this weekend at the U.S. Olympic Training
Center and Penrose Equestrian Center.
It was the first opportunity American athletes
had to earn points toward qualifying for the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens.
Modern pentathlon used to be contested over five
days, one event daily. That all changed in the 1996
Olympics, when five sports were contested in one day.
On Sunday, here's how it went:
7:45 a.m.: Pistol shooting opens the competition
at the training center. Competitors fire at 20 targets
from 10 meters. The outermost concentric circle earns
one point, the bulls-eye gets 10 points. Miss entirely
and get zero.
Shooting requires a quiet mind, quiet hands and
a rested mind.
"I'm half-awake during the shoot," said Brianna
Ferrara, 17, from Grandview High School in Denver.
She's competing in her first nationals. She's mentally
spent, having just taken four final exams early so
she could come here.
"I've had a really stressful week. No sleep." she said.
She's 16th of 16 after the shoot.
9:04 a.m.: Time to fence. Modern Pentathletes change
from comfy shooters' clothing to white uniforms with
protective gear. They also have to bring electrical
cords to plug themselves into the electronic scoring
system that registers touches.
They wheel bags, which, fully loaded with five
sports' worth of gear, weigh about 150 pounds. The
gear can total $2,000-$3,000.
For the U.S. athletes living at the training center,
this competition is heaven. They can stash equipment
and clothing in their rooms and go back to change
after each of the first three events. It's not always
this easy.
Standing in line to get her gear checked, Lara
Hammerick is dwelling on her shoot. On one target,
she scored a 1.
"I did not think it was possible," she said. Ferrara
overhears this. "You shot a one? I did too." They
exchange glum high-fives.
9:10 a.m.: Ferrara forgot her socks. She borrows
a spare pair from another competitor. They're a little
short. So is Ferrara's confidence. "I'll imagine doing
the chicken dance, or a joke told by a friend to keep
myself from thinking, 'Oh my God, she is really good,'
" Ferrara says.
11:38 a.m.: Fencing is drawing to a close. Mickey
Kelly, 25, a training center resident in her third
year of modern pentathlon, is on a roll. Except you
don't say that in fencing. When you do well, it's
a state of being. "I'm in a good fence," she says.
Fencing takes more than two hours to complete. Everyone
fences everyone else in two short bouts, 30 bouts
per person. With one fencer to go, Kelly is thinking
about the pool. "I gotta swim like a crazy person,"
she said. She's in seventh place in the 16-person field.
1:40 p.m.: Swim start. Some competitors have lunch
before the swim. Kelly doesn't, eating an energy bar
instead. There will be time for a bigger meal before
the equestrian event.
Anita Allen, 25, moves up one place to ninth in
the standings after the 200-meter swim but has an
allergy attack and hyperventilates. For a few minutes,
it's hectic. She should have an asthma inhaler but
hasn't had time to fill out the medical-exemption
paperwork. If she uses one now, she could test positive
for a banned substance and risk suspension.
She and the others change into riding clothing
in the swimming locker room. They'll pile into cars
or OTC buses for the ride to Penrose Equestrian Center,
lugging bags with riding gear and running shoes.
Kelly swims like a crazy person, placing fourth
and moving up a spot to sixth.
4:20 p.m.: Equestrian is about to start and Iagorashvili,
third in the standings, isn't happy. Ranked No. 1
in the country, she hasn't lost a competition in the
U.S. since 2000 and is feeling run down.
The day started poorly in the shoot - "the worst
of my life," she says in the parking lot before heading
to Penrose. "It wrecked my whole day."
She's fifth in equestrian, moving to second behind
Monica Fling.
Ferrara warmed up her horse, then decided the course
was too advanced for her and withdrew. She's still in the run.
6 p.m.: Most competitors seem tired. Kelly, warming
up for the 3,000-meter cross-country run that begins
and ends in the equestrian stadium, is bouncing off
the walls. She's in third place. She'll start a minute
behind Fling, 35 seconds behind Iagorashvili, whom
she's never beaten head-to-head. The staggered start
means the order of finish is the overall placing.
Kelly passes both at the end of the first of two
loops. She increases her lead and wins in 11 minutes,
three seconds. She's the national champion after a
career-best day. Most importantly, the winner gets
40 points toward an Olympic berth. Officials estimate
it'll take 120 points to get there.
The 5-foot-3 Kelly, who grew up in East Chatham,
N.Y., may be onto something big.
"This is definitely a good start," Kelly said.
And a good end to a long day.
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0259 or merijo@gazette.com
RESULTS
U.S. Nationals, Colorado Open in women's modern
pentathlon Name, home, total points
1. Mickey Kelly , Colorado Springs, 5176
2. Mary Iagorashvili, San Antonio, Tex., 5048
3. Kara Grant, Canada, 4976
Others
4. Anita Allen, U.S., 4888
5. Monica Fling, U.S., 4860
6. Lara Hammerick, U.S., 4764
7. Sarah Clif ford, U.S., 4744
8. Emily Shertzer , U.S., 4496
9. Mahelet, Mex., 4352
10. Sheila Estrada, Mex., 4104
11. Charlie Woodc ock, Great Britain, 4004
12. Cynthia Toms, U.S., 3688
13. Hanna Chilen, U.S., 3252
14. Samantha Harvey , Brazil, 3064
15. Dawn Watson, Can., 2996
16. Brianna Ferrara, U.S., 1072
-CUTLINE- PHOTOS BY TRACY BOULIAN/ THE GAZETTE - HORSIN'
AROUND: Hanna Chilen of the United States, on her
horse Qubert, clears a jump in the equestrian portion
of the U.S. Nationals pentathlon championships.
-CUTLINE- ON GUARD: Sheila Estrada, left, fences with
Mickey Kelly during the 2003 USA Pentathlon National
Championship at the Olympic Training Center on Sunday
morning. Kelly was the overall winner after the five
events at the day 's end while Estrada placed 10th.
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