June 17, 2008

Olympians are in training at the McNeese State track and field complex.

On any given day you can find the husband-wife pole vault ing team of Russ and Dana Ellis Buller as well as high hurdler Delloreen Ennis-London.

They have made the university's track their home base while they get ready for their respective Olympic trials which come up in a couple of weeks.

Ellis Buller and Ennis-London were both in the Olympics of 2004, Ellis Buller finishing sixth in the women's pole vault for her native Canada and Ennis-London just missing out on the finals. Ennis-London had competed in the 2000 Olympics, producing a fourth place finish for her homeland of Jamaica.

Russ Buller is attempting to cap off a career that includes national titles, honors and records but no Olympic appearance.

Buller's trials will be held in Oregon in two weeks while Canada's trails are set a week after that and trials for the Jamaica team will also be the week of the USA trials, Ennis-London to run her event on June 29th.

All three expect to make their teams for the Olympics which will be held in August in China.

All three also believe that this will be their final attempt at Olympic fame.

Buller, who is 29, said that he and Dana want to begin a family and both have other endeavors planned. He's set to enroll in chiropractic school while she has been accepted to medical school.

Ennis-London, who is the wife of McNeese State assistant track coach Lincoln London, said that she planned to compete on a national level one more year following the Olympics but then take a year off and decide what course of action she will take.

Olympian Delloreen Ennis London with husband Lincoln London.

Buller will go into the trials with the fifth best pole vault effort among Americans this year. Brad Walker has the top mark, a 19-4 that he jumped only a few weeks ago in Nike's Prefontaine Classic.

Three others also have higher heights than his 18-5 this season but Buller has a personal best of 19-0 3/4

The former McNeese coach and LSU standout had finished eighth in the trials for the last Olympics.

"I think that a key this time will be in making the right adjustment. I would rather have misses early in the competition than late because it's going to be a battle. They'll take 24 to the trials and about eight of us for sure will be in the mix," he said.

"I've got to make sure that I am 100 percent ready for the finals at the trials."

He said that a key will be in making his first vault no matter what the height.

"I think that Dana and I are looking at the end of the road. It's been a very positive experience for me. I've traveled the world and the only thing eluding me on my resume' is the Olympics. I've been a world champion, have a Pam Am silver, went to the world cup in Athens. There's not much more. I would love to go until I'm 33 but there is so much in our lives that is changing.

"I've gotten into chiropractic school and have a lot of job offers. Dana has been accepted to medical school and we want to have a family. The bottom line is that my body can't take much more of this. I've been vaulting on the national level since high school.

"I go to a competition and give 100 percent but then come back and am not able to walk for three days. There's a point in every athlete's career when you have to hang it up. This is track. You're not going to make a lot of money.

"This will be my last attempt at the Olymics and I think that this is my best shot. We've (USA) been one-two in the last two Olympic games and will probably do that again. If you make the team you have a good chance of medaling."

As for Ellis Buller, she's got the top height for any performer in Canada this season, a 14-8 that she jumped at the Ty Terrell Relays in Beaumont.

She holds the Canadian national record of 14-11 which she produced a year ago but she is also presently on the injured list.

"I have a couple of tears in my right Achilles tendon and one in my left calf," she said. "I've been advised by doctors that it would be better to not push the injury to get ready for the Canadian trails but to rehab to be ready for the Olympics."

To that situation she has submitted an appeal to her country's federation asking for a bye from the trials and automatic admission to the team.

"I've jumped the Olympic A standard, was sixth at the last Olympics, sixth at the national championship and am the Canadian record holder. We've asked them to take me based on that," she said.

"Putting me on the team would not be knocking someone else off," she added. "I wouldn't feel right about that . But there are only two women pole vaulters in Canada with the Olympic standard and I am one of them."

She is expected to hear soon about her appeal.

Ennis-London has been spending the past few weeks getting sharp with her running and she will leave next Thursday to go home. Competition for her trials will be June 29th.

She is presently ranked No. 3 in the world in the women's 100 meter hurdles, with a 12.54 clocking, having produced that effort early last month.

"My goal is to come back to my country with a gold medal," she said. "It will be a very competitive field."

Two of the other top hurdlers in the nation are also from Jamaica but their times are below that of Ennis-London.