I had a feeling this day in high school sports would come sooner than later. Let me first explain what’s going on and offer you some links to help figure it out. There is controversy swirling around Newport Harbor pole vaulter Allison Stokke. She’s an 18-year-old senior and one of the state’s top vaulters. But that’s not why she’s getting attention. It seems that pictures of Ms. Stokke have been circulating around the Internet and they’re not attracting eyes because of her good vaulting form. You can see what I mean by doing a simple google search with her name. I’ve decided against posting any of them here because I don’t want copyright hassles. There’s also a myspace fan page for her, which you can also find by searching either that site or google. Stokke has turned into an Internet superstar for obvious reasons – she’s a female high school athlete with movie star looks and has people toeing a very strange line. And Allison’s father, Allan Stokke, who is a prominent defense attorney, is evidently not happy about his daughter’s new found fame. He voiced his displeasure in a FRONT PAGE story in the Washington Post and more recently the OC Register. Remember, the girl goes to Newport Harbor, and the story is in the Washington Post!!! Think it’s gotten big? The Washington Post article prompted the popular Web site Deadspin.com to say: “Giving an huge interview to The Washington Post about how you can’t stand everyone talking about your daughter — and including two more attractive pictures — is really the perfect way to get everyone to stop talking about your daughter.” And then there’s this from CBS.
The situation has become so gigantic that it’s making its way through several major blogs and the debate has begun. I would suggest checking Sportsbybrooks (scroll down) for another viewpoint. It’s currently the lead item on that blog and there’s more further down the page.