According to her father, the highlight of the weekend for Emily Bartusek was a brush with fame.

Sunday, August 19, 2001

According to her father, the highlight of the weekend for Emily Bartusek was a brush with fame.

The gold, silver and two bronze medals? That was just another day at the track.

&uot;She got within about 30 feet of Jackie Joyner-Kersee,&uot; said Phil Bartusek. &uot;That was probably the highlight of the whole weekend for Emily.&uot;

It happened during the opening ceremonies of the State Games of America at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Emily Bartusek was among about 6,000 athletes from around the country and Olympic star Joyner-Kersee was there as a former participant, as was Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter.

Bartusek went on to star in her own right, capping a triumphant summer with four track and field medals in the girls’ 15-16 age division. She won the 400 meters in 59.0 seconds, took second in the 200 in 26.3 and third in the 100 – an event she hadn’t ran since the summer of 2000 – in 12.97. The 15-year-old Albert Lean was third in the triple jump with a distance of 31 feet, 1/2 inch.

It completed a summer in which Bartusek claimed 10 medals in four track meets, two of them national events. Five of the medals were gold. She set a state Junior Olympics record in the 400.

Bartusek was busy with volleyball practice Friday, hoping to make the junior varsity squad as a sophomore. She plays basketball in the winter.

&uot;She was glad track was finally over,&uot; said Phil Bartusek. &uot;It was kind of long, especially figuring in the high school season. She felt she had a real great time, she saw a lot of places.

&uot;She got to compete against the best.&uot;

And, she showed she belonged there.