AUSTIN MILLER

Destination: TOKYO

Austin, when did you realize that you wanted to take a shot at making an Olympic team?

I initially had distant ambitions of trying to make an Olympic team when I first went to High Point University for track and field as a decathlete. But after I switched to just vaulting and didn’t jump quite as high in college as I would have liked, the dream started to fade. It wasn’t until the end of my senior year that the ambition was rekindled by my coach and now training partner, Scott Houston.

Who has been the most influential person in your athletic development, and why?

Scott Houston. He joined the HPU coaching staff my senior year and convinced me to keep training post collegiately. I didn’t think I was jumping high enough to seriously consider training after college, but he said with more time and further training we could accomplish some cool things. Here we are, 4 years and over a foot and a half later. We’re a pretty good match. I can be a pretty excitable human, especially when it comes to training. There are few things I love more than pushing myself to my limits in a workout and in my jumping. Unfortunately, that isn’t exactly a recipe for consistent long term success in pole vault. On the flip side, Scott is very evenkeel and levelheaded and he’s much better at seeing how all the training will come together later on in the year. So he keeps me focused on the bigger picture and keeps me from flying too far from center.

What changed in your training to take you from an average pole vaulter to an Olympic hopeful?

For me personally, I started to flourish as an athlete when I started pushing myself harder on the track and in the weight room. Speed and power are two crucial parts of pole vault. The other training adjustment was really becoming a student of the event, studying not just other vaulters’ jumps, but my own, to try and figure out the most efficient and effective way for me to pole vault. Working with Scott, and also Earl Bell, cemented the importance of those two things in me as a vauter.

How did the postponement of the 2020 Olympics affect you?

The postponement definitely helped me. I think I could have gone to the trials and, if I had a great day, snuck a spot on the team. But the quarantine gave our group a great block of time to really dig into some high quality training and work on some weaknesses without having to worry about being fresh for competitions. I think now I can comfortably say I’m much more prepared now than I was then.

How have you handled adversity or setback in your athletic career, and what was the process like?

The only real setback I’ve experienced was a couple of freak accident injuries that happened back-to-back in the 2019 season. They kept me from getting consistent training for the first half of the year. In the grand scheme of injuries, they really were not that bad, only keeping me out for about month each. But that was the first time I was sidelined for more than a week or two, so it jarred me and made me start doubting myself for the first time. Thankfully, through the levelheadedness and uplifting support of my coaches and other vaulters and friends in the amazing pole vault community, I was able to salvage a pretty good season out of it.

That’s where having other things in life outside of vaulting becomes so important. Most likely, there will be times when vaulting isn’t going great or, God forbid, you’re injured and can’t vault. If all your self-worth, meaning, and purpose comes from your vaulting, those times can be brutal. Acceptance of the situation, patience to see it through, and finally, realizing that pole vault is just one square on this big quilt of life are three pillars that helped me tremendously with dealing with setbacks.

What is your training routine in preparation for the Olympic trials?

We lift a couple days a week, jump a few days week, and/or depending on the time of year, sprint a couple days a week, and most importantly, REST a couple days a week. Really nothing out of the ordinary. In general, we just try to consistently get a bit faster, stronger, and better at pole vault every year, regardless of the competitions, all while staying healthy. I’ll adjust as needed. If I need to focus more on vault work then I’ll make sure I’m extra fresh for vault day. If I want to get faster, I’ll get more speed work in, hit some extra running, and take a little focus off jumping big. Thankfully since Scott is good about implementing things in a planned, logical, way, he keeps my excitable self from adjusting anything way more than it needs.

How do you prepare emotionally to train and compete?

Personally, I always make sure I’m having fun. When you don’t enjoy something you’re doing, it will feel like a chore and you won’t be 100% focused and present in doing it. And when you aren’t fully present in training and competition, you’re not going to get as much out of it. Now, there are definitely times when the fun is hard to find and the heavier emotions and doubt can creep in, especially if you fall short at a big meet, or your meet results aren’t reflecting the progress you’re making in practice. It’s at those times that I truly think you have to realize that all those ups and down come as a package deal, as part of the total journey. The ups- the successes and triumphs- those are always fun. But the downs- the set backs- those can be tough, daunting, uncertain times. At the end of the day though, the whole journey is an incredible experience that I’m so lucky to be a part of, and that appreciation and gratitude of being able to chase this dream period is something that keeps me emotionally level.

What have you sacrificed to chase the Olympic dream?

I guess to the outside observer, one could say my social life, some financial security, and professional ventures outside of pole vault have taken a back seat, but to be completely honest, I don’t think I’ve had to sacrifice much. I’m lucky enough to live this chapter of my life devoted to bettering myself physically and mentally and trying to solve this crazy pole vault puzzle. I love it! I may not be going out each weekend with friends, but I am competing most weekends with my friends. I may not work a stable 9-5 every week, but I get to explore the potential of my body and my vault every week at practice with friends, and share my love of this sport with others through coaching. I may not travel the globe for vacations, but I have gotten to go across the globe to compete with friends. It’s not a stifled life at all, just a different one.

What do you do to support yourself financially?

I work security for a local music venue in Greensboro called, The Blind Tiger. I also coach pole vault at the Vault House pole vault club in High Point, NC and at Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, NC. I coach club lacrosse at High Point University. Additionally, I write for a music publication called, This Song Is Sick. I’m involved with a fair number of things, but I love all of it, so none of it really seems like a chore. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my family also. I’m extremely lucky, blessed, and thankful to have a family that is supportive of my pursuit of this dream. There have been a few occasions where they’ve helped me get plane tickets to big meets.

If you knew then what you know now, what would you have changed about your athletic career?

I would have started weight lifting in high school; found a vault club in high school; and become a student of the event way sooner. I didn’t know ANYTHING about pole vaulters past or present until I was almost done with college. You can learn so much from watching other vaulters and experimenting with new ideas on the runway.

With limited meets taking place as a result

of Covid-19, how are you approaching the year?

I am lucky to have a phenomenal facility in Vault House so we’re hosting more club meets for any vaulters interested. The field size is obviously small due to Covid restrictions, but competition experience is competition experience. It’s ironic, even though there are fewer meets in general, we’re competing more this year now that we’ve started hosting competitions at the club.

How do you think becoming an Olympian would change your life?

It will potentially open a whole new world for me. It will definitely open the door to more high level, overseas competitions, and personally it would be a peak highlight of my pole vault journey to represent the U.S. that has such a rich history in track & field. To be completely honest though, making an Olympic team is just one happy by-product of this opportunity. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to jump as high as I possibly can, and if an Olympic team comes as a result-amazing. If not, I’m still going to try and jump as high as possible and savor every second of this incredible chapter of my life.

What are your interests and professional goals outside of pole vaulting?

I’m a huuuuge music buff. Music is definitely my other passion outside of pole vault. And while I don’t perform now like I used to, I’m always searching for and collecting new music. Whenever my time comes to an end in competitive pole vault, I will pursue a career in the music industry. Whether that comes in the form of performance, management, booking, PR, etc. will become more clear as that time draws closer. I love my work for This Song is Sick because it puts me on the front line of new releases and various music scenes and exposes me to loads of different music that I probably wouldn’t find otherwise.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I love lacrosse just as much as I love pole vault. It was always my dream to play college lacrosse and I actually planned on playing lacrosse in college instead of track. I had a pretty good high school senior season in track and one of my coaches, Justin Conway, was an alumni of High Point University. He got the coaches looking my way as a decathlete. I loved High Point when I toured. It felt like the only place that, if I had some career ending injury, I could still be happy as a student, and track & field provided a sure fire path for me to go there. So that took me off the lacrosse field and put me on the track. I miss it so much to this day though. However, I am lucky enough to stay close to the sport as an assistant coach for the club lacrosse team at High Point.