Twins Pair Odd Couple of Events

The 200 goes with the 100. The long jump goes with the triple jump.

The long jump might even go with the 100. Certain events in track and field go hand-in-hand.

But distance running and pole vaulting usually aren’t in the same mix.

Yet you can’t prove that to Brooke and Brandi Page, senior twins at Granada Hills High.

Last year, both were among the top distance runners in the City Section. This year, they have become pole-vaulters.

Brooke, who placed sixth in the 1,600 meters in the City championships last year, has vaulted 8 feet 6 inches.

Brandi, first in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200 in the 1995 City meet, has a best of 7-6.

The sisters became intrigued with the pole vault last season.

“It looked like fun and I wanted to try it out,” Brooke said. “It looked challenging and I like a challenge.”

So does Brandi, although she has not been as successful in the pole vault as her twin.

Brooke, who will attend the Air Force Academy in the fall, will compete in the pole vault and 3,200 in the City preliminaries at Birmingham High today. Brandi did not qualify in the vault and will run in the 3,200.

Although some have suggested the Pages’ rise in the pole vault has led to a decline in their distance-running performances, Brooke said there is no correlation.

“I still enjoy distance running,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for quite a while, but that doesn’t mean I can’t vault. It’s not like the vault takes up that much time in practice. I only jump about once a week and I make sure it doesn’t interfere with my hard running workouts.”