The VAULTER Magazine June 2012

Get Ready To Soar

Like Never Before While on the ground, it’s just a pole. But in the hands of a talented vaulter, it’s the tool to SOAR . . .

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J U NE2 0 1 2I S S U E WWW. T HE V A U L T E R MA G .

C O M

T A B L EO FC O NT E NT S 8KYLIEHUTSON

L o o ko u tL o nd o n: He r eC o me sk y l i eHu t s o n b ys t a f fwr i t e rMi c he l l eWa l t ha l l

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C O L L E G EC A R E E R B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

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NOP L A C EL I K EHO ME B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

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ME XI C A NO L Y MP I CT R I A L S B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

B I GP L A NS B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

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P R O MI S I NGC O L L E G EC A R E E R B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

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F A MI L YL E G A C Y B YS T A F FWR I T E RMI C HE L L EWA L T HA L L

On t he cover St eve Lewi s and Kyl i e Hut son Phot ogr aph byJamesPat ri ck

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VAULTER

F R O MT HEE D I T O R W

i t h t he 2012 Ol ympi c Games comi ng t hi s summer,and t he Ol ympi cTri al sunderway, t hi sJune i ssue ofVaul t erMagazi ne gi vesan exci t i ng l ookatsomeOl ympi cHopef ul si n Pol eVaul t i ng.

You won’ t want t o mi ss readi ng about t he det ermi ned Kyl i e Hut son or t he much f ocused St eve Lewi swhoarebot hl ooki ng t obri ng homean Ol ympi cMedal . These t wo are very seton represent i ng t hei rcount ry t hi s year,and Lewi s says he i s very exci t ed t o compet ei n London’ s new Ol ympi c Park.

The very grat ef ulGi ovanniLanaro,who i scompet i ng f or Mexi co, i s al so anot her f eat ured at hl et e who i swort h readi ng about .I ti sdi f f i cul tnott o be i nspi red by Lanaro af t ert aki ng a l ook athi sheart f el ti nt ervi ew.

Thi s mont h we al so t ake a l ook atsome very i nspi ri ng U. S.Pol e Vaul t ers who hope t o make t hei r mark i nt he worl d ofPol e Vaul t i ng. The young and i nspi ri ng Jake Bl ankenshi p wi l lbe st art i ng hi s col l egecareeratt heUni versi t yofTennessee,and has some bi g goal s you wi l lwantt o read about . U. S. Ol ympi c Hopef ul s Mi ke I rwi n (Uni versi t y ofArkan sas),Mi keWoepse(TheUni versi t yofCal i f orni aLos Angel es),and Scot tRot h (Uni versi t y ofWashi ngt on) al so have i nspi ri ng st ori es t hat any at hl et e coul d gai n much f rom. Don’ tmi ss readi ng about t hese wonderf ulyoung men.

Notonl y does t hi s June i ssue l ook i nt ot he st ori es ofsome greatat hl et es,butwe wi l lal so t ake a l ook att he ci t y ofEugene,Oregon where t he U. S.Track and Fi el d 2012 Ol ympi cTri al swi l lt ake pl ace. Thi s exci t i ng ci t y i s def i ni t el y wort h checki ng out .

JenksHi gh School ,whi ch hasbeen veryi nst rument ali nt he worl d ofhi gh schoolpol e vaul t i ng,wi l lbe vi si t ed i nt hi si ssueaswel l . Thi sschoolhast urned outsome amazi ng at hl et esand coaches. We hope t hatt hi si ssue get s you geared up f or one oft he worl d’ s mostt hri l l i ng event s- t he 2012 Ol ympi cs.

Keep a l ook outf ort he Jul yi ssue aswel lwhen we wi l lt ake a l ook atwhi ch at hl et es have succeeded i n comi ng one st ep cl osert o maki ng t hei rOl ympi c dreamscome t rue.Enjoy!Doug Bouma Editorin Chief

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J U NE2 0 1 2I S S U E WWW. T HE V A U L T E R MA G .

C O M

NICKFRAWLEY

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VAULTER

L O O KO U TL O ND O N: HE R EC O ME SK Y L I EHU T S O N A

very det ermi ned Kyl i e Hut son st at es, “…don’ t be surpri sed i fyou see see me i n London t hi s summer! ” Hut son i s busy geari ng up f or t he 2012 Ol ympi c Tri al s,and she has a much f ocused mi nd setwhi l e prepari ng f ort he event . “I ’ m def i ni t el y f ocused on t he Ol ympi c Tri al s, but I t ry not t ot hi nk about i tt oo much, ” says Hut son,“My preparat i on so f ar has been great . I ’ m j ust f ocusi ng on t he process and bui l d up of my t rai ni ng.

When I t hi nk of t he Tri al sI get a f eel i ng of exci t ement , nervousness, and happi ness.

Icompet ed att he 2008 Ol ympi cTri al sand wasgrat ef ulf or t he experi ence,butt hi st i me around Iam bound and det ermi ned t o be on t he podi um. ” Hut son t rai ns i n Phoeni x,AZ atParadi se Val l ey Communi t y Col l ege,wi t h hel pf rom Greg Hul l ,t he head coach t here, and she i senj oyi ng t he f aci l i t i es whi l e doi ng so. “I l ove t rai ni ng here i n Phoeni x, ” says Hut son, “We can t rai n out doors al lyear round wi t h pi t st hatgo i n 3 di f f erentdi rect i ons.

I ’ m a very out doorsy person so I l ove t he vi ew of t he mount ai ns and greatweat her everyday! ”I n ordert o arri ve att he poi ntshe i s now i n her pol e vaul t i ng career, Hut son hast aken qui t eaj ourney and

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VAULTER my vaul t i ng career was over. Lucki l y t here was no nerve, t endon, or muscl e damage and Ionl y had t o have about12 st i t chesi nsi de and out .I n ordert o make i tt o nat i onal s Ihad t o vaul ti n Regi onal s t hree weeksl at erand pl ace i nt he t op 12.

Wi t ht he hel p of t rai ners and coaches I wasabl et ovaul tand makei tt onat i onal s.

To t op i tal lof fIwon my l astNCAA Champi onshi p! I n si x weeks I went f rom t he l owest ofl ows,t ot he hi ghest ofhi ghs. ” No doubtal lt hi s experi ence and t ri umph has had a hand gi vi ng Hut son t he det ermi nat i on she needs f or t hese Ol ympi c Tri al s.

Experi enci ng so many di f f erent sport s, and havi ng such a wel l -rounded at hl et i c career,has gi ven Hut son a huge support syst em. Shesays,“Ihaveal otofsupport f rom my f ami l y and f ri ends. My mom, dad,and brot herhave been my mai n support ers t hroughoutt he years ofcompet i i ons. Mom and Dad wi l lbet heret owat ch Kyl i e Hut son Ol ympi c Trai ni ng Cent er,Chul a Vi st a, t me att he Ol ympi cTri al si n Eugene,OR. Cal i f orni a.May 24t h,2012 Ial so have a l otofsupportf rom my homet own ofTerre Haut e,I N. The whol e ci t y has been behi nd me si nce Ist art ed schoolsport s back i n mi ddl e school .

Havi ng t hose f eel i ngs ofsupporthas got t en me t o where I ’ m att oday. I t ’ sa real l y good sense ofsecuri t y and a conf i dence boost ert o have so many peopl e behi nd me. Ihave anot hergroup ofsupport ers where It rai ni n Phoeni x,AZ. My t rai ni ng group consi st s ofKel si e Hendry,ToriPena,Ni ck Frawl ey,Just i n Norberg,Coach Greg Hul l ,and wei ghtcoach Ti m McCl el l an. We’ re l i ke a bi g f ami l y. We l ook af t er,hel p,encourage,and push each ot hert o new hei ght s.

Ial so have supportf rom my sponsorsGi l lat hl et i csand Ni ke. I twoul d be very di f f i cul tt ot rai n wi t houtt hei rhel p. Ican’ tt hank t hem enough. ” Wi t hi n her supportsyst em,Hut son has many who have been i nst rument ali n hel pi ng her t oj ump hi gh. “There have been mul t i pl e peopl ei nvol ved i n my pol e vaul t i ng career, ” she says,“Iwoul d have t o st artwi t h hi gh schooland work up. My coachesMi ke Dason and Travi sHerb gave me my f i rstl ook atpol e vaul t i ng by t eachi ng me how t o hol dt he pol e and getmy body overt he bar. When Iwent t oI ndi ana St at e Col l i n Gayde was my f i rst coach f or about 4 mont hs and hel ped me l ay down a t rue f oundat i on ofbasi c pol e vaul t i ng. Af t ert hatJef f Mart i n came i nt ot he pi ct ure. He st ayed wi t h me t hroughoutt he restofmy t i me i n col l ege and hel ped me go f rom an 11’ 9”vaul t ert o a 14’ 9”vaul t er. We worked t hrough many i nj uri es and ups and downs. Il oved hi s coachi ng st yl e and t he way we worked t oget her i n pract i ce and compet i t i ons. He keptt he vaul tf un f orme. We are st i l lgreatf ri ends t oday. Duri ng t he l astcoupl e of yearsofmy col l ege careerJef fi nt roduced me t o Greg Hul l ,my currentcoach.

He hashel ped me become a bet t erperson and bet t ervaul t er. The f i rstyearI waswi t h hi m i n 2011 Ij umped 15’ 5”(4.

70m). He hasa si mi l arcoachi ng st yl e t o Jef f ’ s. We keep t hi ngs f un and ent ert ai ni ng,as wel las t rai ni ng ata hi gh l evel . I coul d not have made i t where I am t oday wi t hout t hese wonderf ul peopl ei n my l i f e. ”

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C O M Hut son has many goal sf ort hi s year. She says,“My mai n goalf or2012 i st o make t he London Ol ympi c Team. I n ordert o achi eve t hatgoal ,many smal l goal s were made and used as a bui l d up t ot he mai n event . Goi ng i nt ot he 2012 season Iwant ed t of i xaf ew aspect sofmy vaul ti ncl udi ng: [1]Changi ng my run f rom a 16 st eps t o 18 st eps. Thi si nvol ves bei ng st rong and powerf ul outoft he back,get t i ng a rhyt hm,and set t i ng up t he t ake-of fwi t h good post ure and a hi gh pl ant . [2]Rol l i ng my shoul dersback and geti nt i me wi t ht he pol e, [3]15 f ootpol es, [4]Make t he I ndoorWorl d Champi onshi p Team,[5] Hei ghtgoal4.

75m(15’ 7”),[6]Keep f ocus on t he bi g pi ct ure ofpl aci ng i nt he t op 3 att he Ol ympi cTri al sand maki ng t he Ol ympi cTeam,[and 7]Maki ng i tt o t he Ol ympi c Fi nal s. These were/are al lreal i st i c goal sf ormy 2012 season. I di d notmake t he I ndoorWorl d Champi onshi p Team,butt hatwasnott he mai n goaloft he year.I fal lgoes wel lIwi l lbe on t he Ol ympi ct eam i n London t hi s summer. ” Wi t h al lt he personalsupport ,and supporti n herat hl et i c career, Hut son hasmanypeopl ehel pi ng hert oreach hergoal s. Sheal sohasher14’ 6” 145 t o 160 f l exed bet ween 23.

2 and 20.

8 Carbon Myst i cPol esf rom one ofher sponsors,Gi l lAt hl et i cst o keep herj umpi ng atherbest . Hut son’ sheal t hy l i f est yl ei sal so veryi mport antt o her,and hel pst o keep herperf ormi ng wel l . She says,“Iwoul d say Iam a very heal t hy person. Igraduat ed f rom I ndi ana St at e wi t h an Exerci se Sci ence Bachel or’ sDegree,so Ienj oy readi ng aboutnut ri t i on and f i t ness. Iread a l otofbooksand surfa l otofwebsi t esf ornut ri t i on t i ps.

Ial so getnut ri t i onaladvi ce f rom my wei ghtcoach,Ti m McCl el l an. Ieatbet ween 5 and 6 meal sperday wi t h al otofprot ei n,veget abl es,and f rui t s. I ’ m noti nt ot he‘ f ad di et s’ ,buthaveaheal t hybal anced di et . Eat i ng somanysmal l meal s perday keeps yourgl ucose l evel s ata st eady l eveli nst ead ofwhen a person eat s 3 bi g meal s perday t hey wi l lhave spi kes and l ows oft hei rbl ood sugar l evel s. ”And ofcourse, l i ke al lofus, Hut son has her rol e model s she l ooksup t o when st ri vi ng t o accompl i sh whatshe set soutt o achi eve. Forher, t hi s person i s St acy Dragi l a. . “She [St acy Dragi l a]was t he one who st art ed i t al lf ort he women’ s pol e vaul tand real l y gott he bal lrol l i ng, ”Hut son says,“I l ook up t o heri nt he way she handl ed hersel fon and of ft he runway.

She was an amazi ng vaul t erand l oveabl e person. ” Thi s dri ven at hl et e def i ni t el yi s no sl acker when l ooki ng t o real i ze her goal sand dreams. She i smostl i kel y correct when she says we wi l l see her i n London t hi ssummer.

Young pol e vaul t ers are l ef t wi t h some sound advi ce f rom Hut son. To t he begi nni ng vaul t er, Hut son says, “I woul dt el l t hem t ot ry t hei rbestand nevergi ve up.

I was once a begi nner pol e vaul t er t hat f el tawkward wi t h a pol ei n my hand and coul d barel yj ump 8 f eet .I fyou l ove t he sport , become a st udent of i t . Wat ch vi deo, read books, e-mai lgreat coaches and pi ck t hei r brai ns f or i nf ormat i on.

Most ofal l …have FUN! ” Good words f or young at hl et est ol i ve by.

Kyl i e Hut son Ol ympi c Trai ni ng Cent er, Chul a Vi st a,Cal i f orni a.May 17t h,2012

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VAULTER

NOP L A C EL I K EHO MEF O R S T E V EL E WI S S t eve Lewi si s superexci t ed about t he very realpossi bi l i t y of compet i ng i nt he 2012 Ol ympi cGames f orand i n hi shome count ry ofEngl and.

On May 14t h oft hi syearhe headed out t ot he UK t o prepare f or t he Ol ympi c Tri al si nt he ci t y ofBi rmi ngham. Lewi s says,“Bi rmi ngham i st heci t ywheret he US wi l l base f or t hei r pre Ol ympi c camp. ” I f Lewi si s successf ulat t he Ol ympi cTri al shewi l lnotonl ybevaul t i ng i nt he 2012 Ol ympi c Games i n hi s home count ry, but he wi l lal so get t o compet ei n London’ s new Ol ympi c Park whi ch has been underconst ruct i on f or t he l astf ew years. Fora l otofat hl et es t he i dea of bei ng i nf ront of a home crowd i n a new st adi um woul d bri ng on anxi et y, but not f or Lewi s. “…I am purel y exci t ed t o have t he experi ence ofcompet i ng i nf rontofahomecrowd, ” Lewi ssays,“Al lt he GB t eam i sso l ucky t o have t hi s chance t o have a home Ol ympi cs. I j ust want t o enj oy every moment . ” Besi des t hi s exci t ement Lewi s has about goi ng home t o compet e,anot herreason t he pressure has not been get t i ng t o hi m i s because Lewi shasdeci ded t o keep hi msel fbusy by comi ng t o t he Uni t ed St at es t hi s spri ng. He says,“…I deci ded i n 2011 t hat t he best preparat i on f or me was goi ng t o be spendi ng as much t i me [as I can] prepari ng i n out door condi t i ons awayf rom t hedi st ract i onsoft heOl ympi c bui l dup. Af t ert he Worl dI ndoors I f l ew t o Phoeni x t o st art my f i rst 3 weeks t rai ni ng. These 3 weeks were spent wi t ht he GB spri nt ers Chri st i an Mal col m, Marl on Devoni sh and Mark Fi ndl ay under t he gui dance of Coach McMi l l an.

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J U NE2 0 1 2I S S U E WWW. T HE V A U L T E R MA G .

C O M The camp st art ed bet t er t han expect ed runni ng personalbest satParadi se Val l ey Communi t y Col l ege (t hanks t o Coach Todd)and l i f t i ng 3 t i mesperweek atPEP f aci l i t y (t hanks t oI an Danney). Af t er I had bui l t up my speed and st rengt h I drove t o Cal i f orni at o my coach Dan Pf af f . l y want ed t o work on pol e vaul t We real speci f i cs f or t he next coupl e of weeks bui l di ng i nt o Mt .SAC Rel ays and we had some greatbreakt hroughs. Mt .SAC was a success so Ideci ded t o go back i nt oa t rai ni ng cycl e.That ' s where Iam atnow, f i ni shi ng my l ast week i n Phoeni x. ” Of course Lewi shaskepthi msel fbusy t rai ni ng i n hi s home count ry as wel l . He says he t rai ns mai nl y att he Ol ympi c Trai ni ng Faci l i t yi n London,and he cal l si t“…one oft he besti ndoorf aci l i t i esi nt he worl d…”

Lewi s says, ”I t has 2 pol e vaul t areas, gymnast i cs equi pment f or Rol l i e Pol l i es, [a]ki t chen f orl unch,and sl eep areas. ” I n spi t e ofkeepi ng f ocused wi t h hi st rai ni ng at home and i nt he US,Lewi s says, “Tri al sare al waysa t ri cky one. The UK i s st art i ng t o get some dept hi nt he pol e vaul t so I wi l lhave t o be ready t o perf orm. Ihave ment al l y st art ed t o prepare I n t he pi ct ure: St eve Lewi s Mt . Sac f or my season and anyt hi ng l ess t han a Rel ays,Apri l ,2012 wi n att ri al swi l lbe a di sappoi nt ment . ”I t soundsl i ke Lewi si sdoi ng more t han hi sf ai rshare att ryi ng t o st ay f ocused and keepi ng a posi t i ve mi nd setgoi ng i nt ot he 2012 Ol ympi cTri al s.

Lewi s has been pol e vaul t i ng si nce 1999,so hi s preparat i on f or t he Ol ympi c Tri al sdi d notst artrecent l y. “Ihad been i nvol ved i n sport smywhol echi l dhood and,as Igotol der,st art ed t o enj oy t rack, ”Lewi s says,“My brot herwas pol e vaul t i ng,and Iwashurdl i ng and l ong j umpi ng. When t he l ocalcl ub needed t he nextyoung pol e vaul t erIst epped up and j oi ned my brot her’ sgroup! The rest i shi st ory! ” No doubtLewi s’ si ndoorbestof5.

77m i n Dessau,and out doorbest of5.

72 atMt .SAC,bot hi n 2012,are i ndi cat i ons oft hese l ast13 years bei ng spent wel li n preparat i on f or t hese 2012 Ol ympi c Tri al s and hopef ul l yt hese 2012 Ol ympi c Games. Hi s vaul t i ng careerst art ed wi t h hi s brot her,and Lewi s sayshi sf ami l yi sa bi g reason hi svaul t i ng careerhasl ast ed unt i lnow and cont i nues.“Home supporthas been t he mosti nf l uent i alf act or t o my at hl et i cs, ” Lewi s says,“My parent s sacri f i ced everyt hi ng t o keep my brot herand mysel f i n af t erschoolsport scl ubsand t hatdedi cat i on f rom t hem hasshaped me and my at t i t ude t owards at hl et i cs.

My brot her i s al ways t here f or me and havi ng t hatf ami l y saf et y neti s a huge partofmy abi l i t yt o push mysel ft hrough any si t uat i on wi t houtany f ear. ”

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VAULTER I n addi t i on t of ami l y support ,Lewi s has been f ort unat et o have recei ved supportf rom coachesaswel l . When asked who has been i nst rument alt o hel pi ng hi m j ump hi gh,Lewi s says, “I t hi nk I woul d have t o say my coaches, f i rst l y St eve Ri ppon. I moved t o St eve when I was 18 and he was/st i l li s pol e vaul t crazy! He t aughtme and i nt roduced me t o so many t hi ngs i t ' s hard t o say whi ch wast hemosti nst rument al . Current l yIam worki ng wi t h Dan Pf af fwho i s agai n a hi ghl y respect ed coach. He has real l y hel ped me make t he next st ep and I am conf i dent t hat t hi s year my resul t s wi l lst art t o ref l ect al lt he work t hathasbeen done. ”I n f act , Lewi sf i nds good coachi ng so i nst rument al t hat he gi ves t hi s advi ce t o begi nni ng pol e vaul t ers: “Fi nd a good coach! Learni ng t he eventproperl y wi l lsave you i nj uri es and headacheswhen you getf urt her down t he l i ne! ” Si nce Lewi s seems t o cont i nue greatf ami l y and coachi ng rel at i onshi ps,i tshoul d be exci t i ng t o see what comes f rom t hi s Ol ympi cyearf orhi m. ct ure: St eve Lewi s wi ns t he Mt . Sac Supportal one doesn’ tal l ow Lewi st o In the pi R e l a y s A p r i l , 2 0 1 2 perf orm as wel las he has. I nspi rat i on and dedi cat i on are al so very i mtcomes t o hi s di etLewi s says,“I port ant . Lewi s speaks hi ghl y ofWhen i t y st ri ctwi t h my di et ;If i nd t hat some f el l ow pol e vaul t ers who have am pret ot rai n hard and t o st ay heal t hy i t ' st he i nspi red hi m. “I nt he worl d ofpol et mport antcomponentt o getri ght .I vaul t I have spent t he most t i me mosti thave crazy i deas when i tcomes t o wi t h St eve Hooker and Paul Bur-don' ood;Ij ustkeep i tsupersi mpl e. Organgess, ”Lewi ssays,“When If i rstwentf c and Gl ut en f ree are t he basi cs,af t er t o Aust ral i at hey bot h hel ped me so i hati t ' sj ustpi cki ng outwhatworksbest much. They bot h have huge person-t ort hatday. ” Asf arasequi pmentgoes, al i t i es and great i deas and phi l oso-f s says, “I am a UCS vaul t er. The phi es wi t ht he vaul t whi ch i nspi red Lewi ggestpol e Ihave evercl eared a baron me so much t o t hi nk out si de t he bi s 520 12.

2 at t he Worl d Champs i n box. ” No doubt t hi s i nspi rat i on,i ump 5.

77m mi xed i n wi t h al lt he supporthe re-Deagu. My personalbest j 5. ” I t ’ s no wonder cei ves,comesi n handy wi t h keepi ng was on a 500 12. si s headed f or t he Ol ympi c Tri al s on t rack and st ayi ng f ocused i n Lewi t h a mi ndsetl i ke t hi s. t rai ni ng f orLewi s. I n addi t i on t o al lwi t he at hl et i c t rai ni ng, Lewi s keeps hi msel fi n shape wi t h di et ,and uses equi pment he has caref ul l y chosen t o keep hi m j umpi ng hi gh.

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C O M 2012 l ookst o be a bi g yearf orSt eve Lewi s. Hi st rai ni ng,f ami l y and coachi ng supportand hi s dedi cat i on t o keepi ng hi msel fi n good shape creat e a mi xt ure f orbei ng successf uli n reachi ng hi sgoal s. “My goalf or2012 hasal waysbeen t o perf orm att he Ol ympi cs, ” Lewi s says,“wi nni ng a medalata home game woul d be t he ul t i mat e achi evement . Al ong t he way Ihave had smal l ergoal s, whi ch Ihave achi eved,such as get t i ng an A qual i f i cat i on earl yi nt he season t ot ake t he pressure of fpreparat i on and t o al l ow f ort he European rai n! ” He’ s on hi s way. Def i ni t el y keep an eye outf orSt eve Lewi si nt he 2012 Ol ympi c Games.

St eve Lewi s comi ng of ft he runway l ooki ng “YOKED” af t erhi sj ump.Mt .Sac Rel ay Apri l2012.

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G i o v a nni L a na r og e t sr e a d y f o rt he2 0 1 2Me xi c a nO l y mp i cT r i a l s he 2012 Mexi can Ol ympi c Tri al s are upon us and Ol ympi an Gi ovanni Lanaro i sbusy get t i ng ready f orhi s bi g day. “Ireal l y got t a getf i red up f ori t because t he next guy bel ow me j umps about 17 f eet …, ” Lanaro st at ed as we t al ked whi l e he was busy ri di ng a bus wi t h hi st eam and f ul f i l l i ng hi s dut i es as a coach atMountSan Ant oni o Col l ege i n Wal nut , CA (Mount SAC), “… t he cool t hi ng about t hi s year i st hat i t ’ si nt he Ol ympi c st adi um,t he 1916 Ol ympi c st adi um, so I ’ m exci t ed about j umpi ng t here,and j umpi ng i nf rontoft he crowd aswel l ,and j ustseei ng how i tgoes,and hopef ul l y Ican j ump t he st andard t hatI wantt oj ump t here. ” Notonl yi s Lanaro exci t ed, but he has some pret t y ambi t i ousgoal sf ort hi s2012 year. “My goal s weret o makei tt ot heOl ympi cGamesf or t he t hi rd t i me,and i mprove on my personalbest …, ”he st at ed,“…I ’ m sure t hat wi t hi n t he next coupl e of weeks I ’ l l achi eve bot h;I ’ l lmake t he st andard t o t he Ol ympi cs, and I ’ l lbe pret t y cl ose t oj umpi ng my personalbest agai n. ” Lanaro st at ed t hathi s out door personalbesti s 5.

82 met ers,and hi si ndoor personalbesti s5.

71 met ers.

Whi l el i st eni ng t o Lanaro t al k aboutwhatkeepshi m i nspi red,and why he cont i nuest opol evaul t ,i ti seasyt obel i evet hathewi l lcert ai nl yhaveagreatshot atachi evi ng hi sgoal s. Lanaro l i st sGod,hi swi f e,hi sf ami l y,and hi sown compet i t orsasa f ew pl acesf rom whi ch he gai nsi nspi rat i on. He al so sayst hathe l ooksup t o ot herf amouspol e vaul t ers,such asSergey Bubka,buthe sayst he mai n reason he i spol e vaul t i ng atal li shi sbrot her. “Igota l otofmy i nspi rat i on as a young boy t hrough hi m, and real l y he’ st he reason why I ’ m pol e vaul t i ng, ”sai d Lanaro ofhi sbrot her,who al so dreamed ofbei ng an Ol ympi an.

The support t eam Lanaro has acqui red at Mount SAC i s al so anot her great reason t hi s at hl et e can more t han l i kel y achi eve hi s goal s. MountSAC i sa pl ace where Lanaro spends qui t eal ot ofhi st i me now,and he can’ t speak hi ghl y enough ofi t . “Ial ways coach att he MountSAC Pol e Vaul tChri st mas Camp t hatwe have,butI ’ m al so a pol e vaul tcoach atMountSAC Communi t y Col l ege,and a l otofmy t i me act ual l y goest oward t hat …, ”sai d Lanaro,“…and t hat ’ swhyIt hankt hepeopl eatMountSAC so much.Becausei fi treal l ywasn’ t f ort hem,t hatt hey al l ow me t o work,I ’ m al so a t eacheratMountSAC

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VAULTER Curran wi t ht he camps he hol ds atUCLA. ” Wi t h al lt he supportWoepse recei ves,i tmakes sense he woul d wantt o pass t haton. He says,“My f ami l yi s t he great estsupportsyst em Icoul d everask f or.My dad was a pol e vaul t er, my si st erwasa pol e vaul t eratUCLA,and my ol derbrot herwasa pol e vaul t er atUCLA,so Ial waysgetadvi ce f rom t hem on how t o dealwi t h any si t uat i on I f i nd mysel fi n because t hey have been t here bef ore. My youngerbrot herPat ri ck i s atal mostevery one ofmy meet s,and i s al ways t he l oudestperson i n t he st ands cheeri ng f orme,and my wonderf ulmot her,who Idon’ tt hi nk has evermi ssed one ofmy meet s,i st he one t hatal l ows f oral loft hi st o happen.

Wi t houtt he supportofmy f ami l y Iwoul d nothave anywhere neart he success I have had. ” Supportf rom hi s coach,has al so been a bi g hel pi n Woepse’ s vaul t i ng career. “Coach Curran has done a great j ob worki ng wi t h me t hi s year, ”he says,“He pushes me everyday t o be as good as Ican be,he underst andshow i mport antt hi ssporti st o me,and gi vesme everyt hi ng he can. He has made some great cal l si n meet st hi s year,i n part i cul ar i ndoors i n New Mexi co where Ij umped 5.

50m f ort he f i rstt i me. He al so has worked wi t h me and gi ven me a l otoff reedom when i tcomest ot rai ni ng and whatIf eelIneed t o work on i n pract i ce.We work t oget hert of i gure outwhatwi l lwork bestf or me and he keepsme on t hatt rack. ” Woepse’ sl i stofsupport ersand i nf l uences goeson. “My bi ggesti nf l uence when i tcomest o pol e vaul t i ng i smy dad, ”he says,“he wasa worl d cl asspol e vaul t erback i nt he day and hast aughtme everyt hi ng Iknow aboutt he sport .He wasmy coach i n hi gh schooland hasbeen wi t h me i n every st age ofmy career.Even t hese l astf ew years t hatI have been i n col l ege he has cont i nued t o hel p me,and i s someone If requent l y cal l f oradvi ce. He t aughtme notonl y aboutpol e vaul t i ng butabouthow t o work hard and how t o compet e;Iowe vi rt ual l y al lofmy successt o my dad. ” Woepse al so l ooksup t oaf ew f el l ow vaul t erst o gai ni nspi rat i on f orhi sj umpi ng. “…Growi ng up Il oved wat chi ng Toby St evenson, ”he says,“Ireal l yl i ked how passi onat e he was aboutt he sportand how t hatcame t hrough when he compet ed.Anot herone ofmy f avori t esi sa Brui n,Mi ke Tul l y,he wasa phenomenalt echni ci an, and was a great compet i t or,he i s someone Iadmi re very much,butmy al lt i me f avori t e pol e vaul t eri sBi l l y Ol son.Ihave seen a l otofvi deo of hi m and hi st echni que i sn’ tt he best , buthe coul d connectwi t ht he crowd and geteveryone on t hei rf eeti n a way very f ew peopl e coul d do,t hati s somet hi ng I ai m t o do every t i me I compet e. I al so haveal otofrespectf orhow hard hecompet ed i n part i cul ar agai nst Bubka, t hat was one of t he bi ggest ri val ri es i n t hi s sport and Bi l l y never backed down. ” Woepse al so ment i ons Mark Saki oka, Dust i n DeLeo, and Jef f Coover as t hree ot herat hl et eshe gai nsi nspi rat i on f rom.

No doubtt he supportand i nspi rat i on wi l l be needed f orWoepse t of ul f i l lt he goal s he hassetf ort hi syear.

Mi ke Woepse wi t h Dad and Coach Greg Woepse, Ol ympi cTrai ni ng Cent er,Chul a Vi st a,Ca.May 2012

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C O M I fyou’ re st ruggl i ng,st ay posi t i ve and keep worki ng hard. ” “Forany vaul t er l ooki ng atcol l eges, ”Woepse says,“Ist rongl y recommend comi ng t o UCLA,but i fi t ’ snotf oryou Iwoul d recommend get t i ng i n cont actwi t h asmany coaches as you can and seei ng who you getal ong wi t ht he best . The rel at i onshi p you have wi t h yourcoach i s very i mport antand was one oft he bi ggestreasons I chose t o come t o UCLA. Iknew Coach Curran and [t hatwe]woul d work very wel lt oget her,and t hathe woul d bri ng outt he besti n me. ” Be wat chi ng out f orWoepse t hi syear. Wi t h al lofhi sdet ermi nat i on and posi t i vi t y,we may j ust see hi m i nt he Ol ympi cs.

Mi ke Woepse f ocusi ng on t he runway pri ort ot he vaul t .Ol ympi cTrai ni ng Cent er,Chul a Vi st a,Cal i f orni a.May 2012

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