Freshman pole vaulter Anci Borozan did not anticipate being here in Charleston this semester.

Anci, a Croatian native, arrived at Eastern on Jan. 3 after receiving word the track and field scholarship she was hoping for last fall finally came through.

Anci started to go to a school in her hometown of Split, Croatia, since she did not get a scholarship to come to Eastern last semester.

Then in late October Anci said her mother, Deni, called her and said, “Oh, crazy, silly daughter you got the scholarship. What are we going to do? This is your opportunity to go see the world and new things.”

Anci has had to make a lot of changes since arriving in Charleston on Jan. 3.

“My body is making adjustments and my body is feeling the adjustments,” she said. On everything; on food, on sleeping, on classes, on people.”

Assistant track and field coach Nate Davis said that it is evident just how limited her resources are back home because of how thankful she is.

“She says thank you a lot and talks about how lucky she is to be here,” said Davis, who Anci first contacted about coming to Eastern. “We Americans sometimes just expect things to be given to us but her attitude shows that she doesn’t take this for granted.”

Anci said she is pleased with all of the new facilities here but she also appreciates all that people have done for her back home.

“Back home my coaches appreciate me but they are not able to give me all the things that Eastern can,” Anci said. “And because Eastern can, I accept that with both my hands held out.”

Another thing Anci was surprised with here at Eastern is that students get to decide what they do and when they do it.

“The best thing here is that you can be yourself,” Anci said. “You can plan your schedule and learn what you want. Go to classes you want and it is your life. The best thing is individuality.”

In Croatia a student does all their general studies in high school and is expected to choose their trade upon graduating.

After graduation they go to a specific school for their trade and there is little choice as to what classes you take and when, Anci said.

Like many other high school students Anci would have seven hours of classes everyday and then an additional two to three hours of homework and studying. “I am a lot like an American person,” Anci said. “Because of my lifestyle. I was working all day.”

Anci was a gymnast and would be at the club where she practiced for around eight hours everyday.

Gymnastics took up a lot of Anci’s time and she decided to quit to focus more on her education.

In the meantime she started track and field because it would only require her to practice for a few hours a day.

After seeing Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian pole-vaulter set world records on television, Anci became interested in the pole vault.

“She had to train by herself,” Deni said. “She learned a lot by reading and studying through the Internet.”

The club in Borazon’s hometown did not have sufficient equipment for her to practice pole vaulting.

At first she didn’t even have any poles. Her mother had to have the poles imported from Italy for Borozan to use.

Deni said the poles were expensive because pole vaulting isn’t popular in Croatia, costing around 500 dollars per pole.

At the club in her hometown they have an outdoor track and a box for the pole vault outside. But she did not have one indoors and could not train as much as she needed to.

Sometimes Anci would take 10 to 15 day trips to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, which had an indoor facility.

Zagreb was about five hours from Split, and even though it was an indoor facility, Anci said it doesn’t even compare to Eastern’s facilty.

Anci kept practicing pole vault and decided to start sending applications to schools in America because she knew it would be a great opportunity.

Anci sent e-mails to a few schools in Illinois because she has some relatives that live in Orland Park and wanted to be relatively close to them.

She started talking with Davis about maybe getting a scholarship to come to the school.

“He was very communicative with me from the very first email,” Anci said. “I knew in myself that I would come here. All the positivity and the kind way of coach made me come here. I am very thankful for him.”

Deni said she was also amazed with Davis and how he kept in contact with them.

“He always encouraged her to keep going,” Deni said. ” I just couldn’t believe that someone who doesn’t even know her could believe in her so much.”

Anci said she is more nervous than excited going into her first meet here at Eastern on Saturday.

“This is a big start, a new start for me,” she said. “New coach, new everything. New people, new language, and the way of training is new.

No matter what the outcome Anci said she would keep trying to improve.

“Maybe I will be good, who knows,” she said. “I think I have ability and I am a working person and I am diligent but I am not self-confident yet, in this time, in this moment.”

Freshman pole valuter Anci Borozan goes over video with assistant track coach Nate Davis in preperation for this Saturday’s indoor track meet in Lantz fieldhouse. (John Bailey/The Daily Eastern News)

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