Road to the gold in 2012

What does it take to be an Olympic athlete? A few basic things an Olympian needs: physical ability, the drive to be the best at whatever they do, talent at a specific event and a supportive family and community behind them as they represent their country in the Olympic Games.         Jennifer Suhr (formerly known as Jennifer Stuczynski), a Fredonia native, has all of these qualities and then some. Suhr won the silver medal in the pole vault at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and plans to win the gold in the 2012 London Olympics.

"I always find it funny that whenever anybody does anything amazing in life, everybody says what a wonderful person they were, even if they weren't," said communication professor Amber Rinehart, who grew up in the area the same time as Suhr. "Jenn really was a great person. She was the kind that would knock you on your butt on the court but then help you back up again. She always has been a class act."

Suhr grew up in Fredonia where she spent her childhood and young adulthood participating in various sports such as softball, basketball, soccer and track and field. Suhr won the New York State pentathlon in her senior year at Fredonia High School and went on to attend Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. As a member of the Raiders she competed on the basketball and track and field teams. Suhr averaged 24.3 points a game and 6.7 rebounds a game during the 2003-2004 season, an impressive feat for any player. Suhr graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Roberts Wesleyan with 1,819 points and has school records in the 100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles, javelin and high jump.

"She was amazing," Rinehart said. "I remember there would be an article about her in the paper every week for her amazing basketball skills when I was in high school."

In 2004 Adam Steinwachs introduced Jenn to Rick Suhr, an accomplished pole vault coach and her future husband. Steinwachs and Rick Suhr teamed up to train Jenn Suhr in pole vaulting.

"Her coach recognized her during a pickup basketball game," said Jenn's father Mark Stuczynski. "She was playing against some guys and he noticed her speed and her strength. He was a vaulting coach at the time and he convinced her to come to his vaulting camp because he thought she could do some good things with the sport."

In 2005 Suhr was entered into the USA Indoor Championships as an unknown. Suhr blew everyone away, winning the US title with only 10 months of pole vault training under her belt. In 2007 Suhr broke the American outdoor pole vault record at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, California, which made her the top pole vaulter in the country.

"I always knew she had a lot of physical ability ever since she was about 9 or 10," Stuczynski said. "She is just one of those athletes that works hard and is gifted, she has good eye-hand coordination and she could basically do whatever she wanted to do in athletics."

In 2008 Suhr qualified for the Olympics. She came away with the silver medal sandwiched in between two Russian competitors winning the gold and bronze. Yelena Isinbayeva, the world record holder in pole vault, finished ahead of Suhr.

"Fredonia was abuzz while Jenn was competing at the Olympics," Stuczynski said. "It was a lot of fun, there were a lot of well-wishers, a lot of community backing as well as letters and financial help. You could not ask for a better community atmosphere for a young lady getting ready for the Olympics. It was overwhelming the support everyone showed her and our family."

Suhr is currently on an intense training program to get ready for the 2012 Olympics in London. Since the 2008 Olympics Suhr has won the Boston Indoor Games and the U.S. Outdoor Gill Women's pole vault with 16 ½ feet cleared. She also won during the 2011 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and continues to prepare for the 2012 Olympics.

At the Olympics, the track and field events always end with the gold, silver and bronze medalists doing their victory lap around the track. In 2008 Isinbayeva had the honor of taking the first lap around the track after winning the gold for Russia.

Hopefully Suhr can continue her amazing story and overtake the current world record holder in London and take her victory lap for the United States. One thing is for sure; no matter how Suhr finishes in 2012 she will have inspired the town of Fredonia as well as the entire nation.