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SEATTLE – A second chance. And in a second sport, too.

Back when she was 15, Carly Dockendorf never dreamed either one would ever happen for her.

But now, a dozen years after she turned down – at the last minute – an opportunity to go to the Commonwealth Games and represent Canada in gymnastics, the Seattle Pacific volunteer assistant track coach has that second chance to don her country's red uniform. Only this time, it won't be a leotard.

It'll be trunks and a singlet when she heads to Dehli, India, for competition in the pole vault.

“As you get older, you have a different perspective on things and what it takes to get there,” said Dockendorf, who's now 27. “Everybody has their battles they have to face to get there. It makes getting there that much more rewarding, knowing you conquered whatever kind of battle you needed to conquer. For me, it was mental toughness.” 

The Games begin next Sunday, Oct. 3, and run through Oct. 14. For Dockendorf, the pole vault preliminaries are on Oct. 10, with the finals on Oct. 12. 

The Commonwealth Games, an Olympics-style event, take place every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle. They're open to the 54 sovereign member states of the Commonwealth of Nations – most of which formerly were part of the British Empire. Also taking part are other dependencies and overseas territories that still have ties to the British crown. The last Commonwealths were 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. Previous Games have been in Vancouver, B.C. (1950) and Victoria, B.C. (1994).

Dockendorf secured her Commonwealth spot in early August by finishing second at the Canadian national championships in Toronto. She went 4.20 meters (13 feet, 9 inches), as did two other women.

She wound up No. 2 behind Kelsey Henry because Dockendorf needed one more attempt than Henry did to clear the opening height.

That placement, along with Dockendorf having met the 'A' qualifying standard of 4.45 meters (14-7¼) in a meet in the summer of 2009, started her on the way to Dehli.

“The bottom line is I had to make the top three, no matter what, and I had to make the qualifying height,” Dockendorf said. “Going in (to Canadian nationals), I was the only one who had met the 'A' standard. So I knew I was sitting in a good spot.”

“Making it was pretty unreal,” Dockendorf added. ”Once I started pole vaulting in college, I thought it would be really cool to get back to that point and make the Commonwealth team.”

JUST DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT
Like the vast majority of gymnasts who excel at the highest level, Dockendorf was approaching her mid teens when she was deemed ready to display her talents on a world stage. She was selected for the 1998 Canadian Commonwealth team that would compete in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The native of Port Moody, B.C., never caught that plane.

“I wasn't loving gymnastics anymore,” Dockendorf said. “I didn't enjoy going, and I was afraid to do a lot of things.
“I was supposed to go to a two-week training camp (just prior to the Games). But the night before I was supposed to get on the plane, I said I was done.”

And, for a whole year, Dockendorf was done.

“I didn't think I would come back,” she said. “I wanted to be a high school kid and play. I felt so much pressure in gymnastics at that point. It was almost a sense of relief not to go. I would be letting my coach down, letting myself down and letting my country down.

“Physically, I was ready to go. But mentally, I was not.”

Dockendorf ultimately did return to the gym, with four outstanding seasons (2002-05) at the University of Washington. During her career, she posted a Husky-record six perfect 10s, won or shared three NCAA West Regional titles, and was a two-time All-American on the floor exercise.

POLE VAULT? WHAT'S THAT?
Although gymnastics was a huge part of her life, Dockendorf did try other sports. In high school, she competed in volleyball, wrestling, rugby and soccer.

But not pole vaulting.

“I'd never even heard of pole vaulting at that time,” she said.

As a UW freshman, she borrowed a pole and some shoes for the only meet in which she competed. With just two weeks of practice prior to that meet, she cleared 12 feet, 2 inches – high enough to qualify for the Pacific-10 Championships and for regionals.

“I didn't have any standards to compare it to, so I didn't know that 12-2 was an OK mark,” Dockendorf said. “I thought, 'Oh, cool – I just qualified for Pac-10s and regionals. Maybe I should keep pole vaulting.' ”

Pat Licari, an assistant UW track coach whose specialties include pole vault, certainly agreed.

“Going 12-2 was a bit of a surprise, but not a total shocker,” he said. “When she came out after her freshman year of gymnastics and had a curiosity about the pole vault, right away you could see she had potential.”

From that humble beginning, Dockendorf went on to qualify for the NCAA Division I outdoor championships as a sophomore (placing 13th), junior (sixth) and senior (tying for 11th). She was an All-American in that sport, too.

This past February, she set a Canadian indoor record by clearing 4.42 meters (14 feet, 6 inches) in the Husky Classic at the UW. Windy conditions during the nationals at Toronto made it tough to fly that high again.

“It was gusting sideways all day. We knew going in that the wind was going to be really bad,” Dockendorf said. “My coach (Licari) basically said to me, 'Here's what the wind is. Deal with it.' After that, my warm-ups were all right, but I got hit hard with the wind on the first jump. My second attempt, I had a little bit better wind, and that definitely helped.”

Licari and Dockendorf have worked to strike just the right balance between preparation time and down time – so she can peak at the right time.

“She has been jumping since the beginning of indoor season, all the way through nationals,” Licari said. “She took a little time off to let herself recoup. Now, it's just getting herself conditioned to push all the way through until October.”

SHE'S GOING FOR IT
With Henry in the field, along with Britain's Kate Dennison (who cleared 4.55 meters (14-11) twice during a 10-day span in late July), the competition will be stiff.

But Dockendorf isn't backing down.

“I'm setting myself a goal to potentially medal there,” she said. “I'm going to just treat it as I would any other meet. The hard work is done, and the pressure of making the team is over. This is my reward, to go and have the best opportunity of doing well there.”

And make no mistake: This time, Dockendorf is going.

“I set my mind to something and made it happen,” she said. “I wasn't ready to do that in gymnastics.

“It's great to be successful,” she added. “But the times when it's tough is when you learn the greatest lessons.”

Or earn a second chance – sometimes, even if it's in a second sport.