AUSTIN, Texas — A legally blind 15-year-old pole vaulter cleared three heights at the Texas state championship but failed to win a medal. Charlotte Brown of rural Emory Rains High School was one of the top qualifiers in girls' Class 3A with a height of 3.51 meters. Her best vault of Saturday's final was 3.20 and she missed on three chances at 3.36 before leaving the track to a standing ovation from several hundred people. Also Saturday, 17-year-old legally blind vaulter Aria Ottmueller was scheduled to compete in the Arizona state meet. Brown is able to vault by counting her steps to the pit and listening to coach Derek Smith yell when he tells her to launch. She places an 80-foot (24-meter) strip of dark, artificial turf next to the running lane to create a light/dark contrast she can follow to keep her running in a straight line. Brown easily cleared her first three jumps at 2.90, 3.05 and 3.20. The problems began when she clipped the bar with her left elbow on her first attempt at 3.36. After missing her next two jumps, Brown ultimately finished eighth among nine competitors. The winning height was 3.89. After bowing out, Brown slightly slumped her shoulders and got a hug from Smith. Several of her competitors shook her hand or hugged her as she left the track. Brown shrugged off the defeat as simply not being at her best. “I'm still happy because there's a couple of hundred kids who didn't get to be here. It's a privilege to even get to come. I'm one of the top nine in the state, so that's motivation to come back here and win state,” Brown said. Brown, who lives in Emory, a town of 1,200 about 65 miles east of Dallas, was born with normal vision but developed cataracts when she was just 16 weeks old. That led to the first of several surgeries on her eyes, including insertion of artificial lenses. Her vision stabilized until she was about 11 when it started getting worse and doctors still have not been able to determine why. She reads Braille. Despite the disability, she attacked athletics from an early age to keep up with two older brothers. There was even a time she was determined to play football. “She wanted to play wide receiver,” her father Ian Brown said. “So we went in the front yard and tossed the ball around. That's when we decided that not being able to see the ball was a bit of a challenge.” Nothing else has stopped her. Brown runs cross-country, where her teammates wear bells on their shoes to help lead her through the course. As a sprinter, she qualified for the state regional finals in the 100 and 200 meters. She runs inside, where it's easiest to distinguish the light and dark contrast between the track and grassy infield to help her stay in her lane. Later Saturday, Brown was scheduled to receive a special spirit award from the National Federation of State High School Associations. Brown said she's aware people are starting to look at her as an inspiration for athletes with disabilities. “If I can inspire people by doing what I think is easy, that's awesome,” she said. — AP
