ISU honors Assistant Coach
Jackie Poulson tragically died last Thursday on Aug. 30, 2012. Poulson had spent 12 years at Idaho State University and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. During her time at ISU she competed on the track and field team. Since then she has worked as an assistant coach for the team under Dave Nielsen. Michele Smith was Poulson’s college roommate and teammate on the track team. She shared her thoughts on the passing of Poulson.
Jackie was my first friend in Pocatello. She’s the reason I moved there after being my host on my recruiting trip. Little did I know that she would become my roommate and best friend. We lived together and were on the track team together training in the same events and we even had the same classes together throughout college.
She was a wonderfully supportive and loving friend, roommate and teammate. She was always putting others ahead of herself. I was lucky enough to share a bond with her in all of those ways, especially as a best friend and fellow heptathlete. We “heps,” as we called ourselves, had a very special bond.
She was always the life of the party and the spirit of the team. She just had one of those vivacious, infectious personalities that seemed to always lift you.
Of course spending day and night together, I have thousands of memories of her and it’s hard to pick just a few to share. She was always laughing. I remember our household of girls, all on the track team, spending many evenings just laughing and giggling practically to tears. We have so many funny memories. She was also very caring and motherly, serving as the mother of our household many times.
As a roommate, I remember family dinner nights, going to Wal-Mart to take family photos and our roommates Christmases, which were always the best. I remember her wearing the craziest outfits to costume parties, like Rainbow Brite one year, or even to track practice at random.
We often spent time with our friends at our Third Street house, the track house or the Berg, just hanging out. I even remember her bringing a portable radio to the Berg during football season to listen to the games when we couldn’t travel to them. She just had to cheer for her Bengals.
She took me in like a sister, bringing me along to many family dinners and events, making me feel like I was part of the family. Looking back, that was so important to this transplant from Nebraska.
She had a very inspirational side as well. She could cheer for you during a race or event, and you could hear her from anywhere at the track. She was always cheering and always supportive, even if she was in the middle of competing in her 15 events that meet.
She was an amazing athlete that grew into an amazing coach. As a heptathlete you can image that training day-in and day-out for a seven -event competition can be grueling, but she always made it interesting. She’d make practices fun, usually by performing one of her childhood dance routines, but also pushed us to the max with her competitiveness. She was always pushing us to do better, to be better. She was such a fighter, such a competitor. I always feared standing next to her at the starting line or even at home when she challenged one of us to an arm wrestling contest. She wasn’t afraid to challenge anyone, and I mean anyone, to an arm wrestling contest.
It’s hard to put into words what Jackie meant to my roommates, my teammates and Idaho State and I. I have been asked, “What was she like?” All I can think of was, “She’s Jackie.” It’s hard to describe her. She was her very own person, unlike anyone else. She was in a league of her own. Simply put, she was just Jackie!
I can’t even express how missed she is going to be, and by so many people. She has touched so many lives in such a positive way. Pocatello just won’t be the same without her.
We love you Jackie and will never forget you.
