Girl's Track POY - CBA's Fryt contines to shine

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on June 5, 2006 2:27 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Athletes often use one sport to get them prepared for another later in the year.

Baseball players may play soccer in the fall to increase their stamina in the spring, while a winter basketball standout might run cross-country for the same reason.

Charles B. Aycock junior Amy Fryt's two-sport status is a little less ordinary.

Fryt was a gymnast for eight years. While she doesn't currently compete in gymnastics, she's still involved with the sport as an instructor.

Her new love is pole vaulting.

Since picking up the event as a freshman in 2004, she has emerged as one of the best in the state. Each year, Fryt -- a three-time East Regional and Eastern Carolina Conference champion -- has qualified for the Class 3-A N.C. High School N.C. High School Athletic Association State Championhips in Greensboro. And each year, her jump and place at the state meet has increased.

She finished fifth as a freshman (8-6) and third as a sophomore (11-0), before taking second in the state this year with a jump of 11-6 -- tying a state championship record. Jamestown Ragsdale's Caitlan Thornley, who jumped a 12-0, won the event.

"I'm glad I've gotten better, but I set a goal for 12-0 at the state meet, and I didn't quite reach it," Fryt said. "I'll have something to shoot for next year."

She believes her rigorous gymnastics training has been key to her success at pole vaulting.

"With my gymnastics background, I love going upside down and flipping," she said. "A lot of the girls who are good in pole vaulting, are good in gymnastics as well. You use a lot of the same movements and muscles."

Fryt, the 2006 News-Argus Girl's Track Athlete of the Year, wasn't just impressive in the pole vault. She went undefeated against ECC competition in the 1600 meter and finished eighth in the region in the event at 5:50. Fryt was also a regional participant in the long jump (11th, 16-2) and the 4x800 relay where she teamed with Megan Hales, Crystal Lewis and Chantel Gaines to take seventh at 11:01.

"It's great to have her on this team, especially since we are so young," second-year coach Meghan Fields said. "She's helped the ninth graders a lot. She can do everything ... she steps up and does the events that others don't want to do. She's ran the two-mile, one-mile and has done the long jump.

"She's not just a pole vaulter."

Fryt's recent accomplishments in the pole vault have landed her a spot in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, which will be held June 17-18 at N.C. A & T -- the same location as the state meet. She's obviously looking forward to competing against some of the best in the country.

"I'm going for the experience. I've looked at some of the rankings, and they jump a lot higher than the girls in North Carolina," she said. "I'm going for the opportunity. I don't really have any intention of placing ... just glad I can go."

Fryt has one more year left at Aycock, and the drive for the 12-0 jump at state is not the only thing pushing her to succeed. After graduation in 2007, she wants to land a spot on the University of North Carolina's track and field team.

"That's my main focus. I've been out to some of their meets and even competed against some of those girls," she said. "I just would really like to be on that team."