Pasco track team's success easy as 1-2-3

[Times photo: Dan McDuffie] From left, hurdler Jessica Robinson, pole vaulter Sarah James and sprinter Amber Stinyard have powered the Pirates this season.

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

DADE CITY -- They've done it all season. They'll try to do it one more time Saturday.

The Pasco trio of Sarah James, Amber Stinyard and Jessica Robinson is the Pirate girls track team. At meet after meet this season, the three dominated their events, earning more points than some teams with a reasonably large roster.

Pasco track has struggled with low turnout this season, but thanks to three of the best athletes in the county, that talent drain has been well-hidden because of all the points they can score.

"Everybody's contributed well," said Pasco coach Raven Lewis. "The three musketeers, the three amigos, the three princesses, whatever you want to call them, they've done so well, they have definitely all contributed major points."

James, a senior, has owned the pole vault this season. Stinyard has been a five-event star at every meet. Robinson is one of the county's elite hurdlers.

At the Class 2A Florida Finals at the University of Florida's Percy Beard Stadium in Gainesville, the trio will be chasing individual glory. But when the final points are tallied, the coaching staff hopes it adds up to a decent team finish.

"Small team, big heart," Lewis said. "They will go out and compete. Some of them may whine a lot, but they will compete."

James simply has no competition. She is undefeated in the pole vault and her best leap is 11 feet, 8 inches -- which makes her No. 2 in the event on Coachnet's Super 25 list of elite Florida track athletes. She is expected not only to win a state title, but set a new record in her classification.

The record is 9-61/4, set in 1998 by Fort Lauderdale's Dahlia Lichter. James really has her sights set on upending Bloomingdale's Chelo Canino, the Class 4A contender ranked No. 1 by Coachnet, at the May 27 Golden South Classic in Longwood.

Winning state, though, comes first.

"I want to break the state record," James said.

Robinson and Stinyard are also qualified for the prestigious Golden South meet. But their attention is focused squarely on Saturday's state meet.

Stinyard has had a huge senior year, qualifying for state in the long and triple jumps, the 100-meters and the 200. Lewis is pushing her to be Sunshine Athletic Conference athlete of the year.

Especially since Stinyard won three SAC titles and took second and third in other events. At districts, she won four individual titles.

Lewis said the last time he saw an athlete that dominant, it was last year's SAC athlete of the year, multisport star Crystal Videgar of Hudson, now at South Florida.

"Amber's always been in her shadow," Lewis said. "They always competed against each other at the same time in the same events, and Amber's scored like 50 points in every meet she's in.

"The Good Lord, with the strength he gave her, if Amber does what she's capable of, she can get to the finals in every event. She can place."

Robinson's case, though, still infuriates Lewis. At the regional meet, an official disqualified the junior for an alleged false start in the 100 high hurdles, despite the protests of another official who said Robinson didn't jump out of her blocks and a petition signed by everyone in her heat.

"She didn't even move," Lewis said. "She was so mad, when she ran the 300 (hurdles), she ran a personal best, 47.3(-seconds), in the qualification round.

"It's just one of those things. It's bound to happen at any meet, but it's unfortunate that it had to happen to her, because she should be in two events at state."

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