“I just fell in love with it in elementary school,” Pollard said. “I tried ballet, karate and swimming, but I mostly thought I’d be a swimmer.
“I would always go to track and field practices when others were going on family vacations. I would tell my mom that I didn’t want to go on vacations because I wanted to get better.”
It took several summers, but Pollard more than managed to get better each season with the Nitros. Everything came together this past season, as Pollard concluded her high school career by winning two Pacific League championships and establishing school records in the long jump and high jump. That’s why the sportswriters and editors of the Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader and La Cañada Valley Sun voted Pollard the 2009 All-Area Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Pollard did plenty this past season for the Nitros. She set the school mark in the long jump at 18 feet in a league meet against rival Hoover after setting the record in the triple jump at 38-1 during a league meet against Muir.
“I just fell in love with both jumping events,” said Pollard, who shattered the school record in the long jump set in 1984 by Carla Gasman at 17-8 and eclipsed her own previous school record of 37-4 in the triple jump. “When I think back to doing ballet, karate and swimming, it helped me do well with jumping.
“Ballet taught me to be more flexible. Karate taught me discipline and swimming taught me about breathing techniques. Setting the school records in the long and triple jumps was something I thought I could maybe do after doing those other sports.”
Her long jump mark of 18 feet wasn’t just the area’s best, but was the 44th-best tally in the state this past season and her triple jump ranked as the 17th-best mark in California.
