June 2018 Scott Kendricks

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CONTENTS ne

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FROM THE EDITOR

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SCOTT KENDRICKS: HUGE SUCCESS FROM A HUMBLE START

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ACTIVE RECOVERY TECHNIQUES FOR SUMMER MONTHS

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Cover photo by Scott Kendricks

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FROM THE EDITOR Is it summer yet? Soon you will be heading out to the closest or farthest camp that you can find to fulfill your pole vaulting dreams. The sun will bless the sky, and you will be all set to jump higher than you ever have in the past. Keep up the hard work and have some fun along the way! It’s your summer, get out there and make it happen.

Pole Vault news, “Kendricks tops pole vault as Germans dominate javelin in Oregon” (EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) American world champion Sam Kendricks outlasted a highquality pole vault field in tricky conditions while Olympic gold medalist Thomas Rohler led a German domination of the javelin at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on Friday. (2018). (https:// www.reuters.com/article/usathletics-diamond-eugene/ kendricks-tops-pole-vault-asgermans-dominate-javelin-inoregon-idUSKCN1IR05W) “Jenn Suhr breaks pole vault record at Prefontaine Classic” (Jenn Suhr set a new meet record

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Saturday at the IAAF Diamond League Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. (2018).

Retrieved from (https://www. democratandchronicle.com/ story/sports/2018/05/27/ jenn-suhr-breaks-poleva u l t - re c o rd - p re fo n t a i n e classic/648759002/) On the cover, Scott Kendricks, World Champion Pole Vault Coach. “Sam, however, trains year-round. “For 12 years Sam and I didn’t take a break,” recalls Scott. As long as Sam stayed injury free, his limitless energy meant they never needed downtime.” Scott and Vaulter Magazine will team up for a clinic at Vista Murrieta High School in June to discuss more of the items discussed in this heartfelt article. Samantha Kaplan, along with Scott, put together one heck of an excellent article for all coaches to read.

Kreager Taber writes about downtime and the importance of taking some time for yourself to recover during summer.

“Resting during the summer months, particularly right after

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the spring season ends, helps to refresh athletes mentally and physically. “ Although kids are full of energy and this may not be your cup of tea, there is plenty to think about in this article. Good job Taber!

Check us out next month it’s nice to read about the rest of when we start our club the world. magazine covers and features.

We will cover clubs throughout Doug Bouma the world, and next month we Editor, Vaulter Magazine have West London Pole Vault Vaulter Club Inc. Club. Will be a great time and editor@thevaultermag.com CIF SS Kaelym McCann D4 Champion 11’6

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RIGHT NOW N O T H I N G E L S E VAULTER

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MATTERS TIME TO FLY

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Sam Kendricks medal collection

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SCOTT KENDRICKS:

HUGE SUCCESS FROM A HUMBLE START

By Sam Kaplan

Instagram: @eat_sleep_pv_repeat

Scott Kendricks seems to have a knack for transforming teams and athletes from hopefuls with big dreams into national caliber champions.

But before he was coaching high school national champions and an Olympic medalist, Scott was an athlete himself, with coaches of his own that inspired him to become the coach and man he is today. As a high school athlete, what stood out to Scott

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wasn’t any technical expertise his coaches could provide, but their desire to create a positive environment and good program for the athletes they cared about and respected so much. This attitude became the basis for Scott’s coaching style. Once he reached college, the game completely changed.

“My first real taste of great coaching was my college coach at Ole Miss, Joe Walker,” says Scott. “He coached a bunch of

Olympians so he really knows his technical coaching, but more than that, Joe lived and coached in a way that testified to his faith. He was committed to his athletes’ best interests and desired to help young men and women achieve the highest level that they possibly could.”

College was the first time Scott saw a great technical coach and passionate motivator all in one person, and knew that if there was any coach to model

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himself after, Joe Walker was the one.

Scott first experienced the coaching lifestyle himself when he was just a high schooler. A standout track and field athlete, Scott showed promise as a middle distance runner, so in order to really hone those skills, he needed to join the cross country team. However, there was one problem; the school lacked a cross country

program and a coach willing to form one. Rather than letting that stop him, Scott decided to take training a team upon himself. He and six other guys made up his school’s first cross country squad. “I drove us to meets in my mom’s station wagon,” recalls Scott. Twenty years later, after honorably serving in the Marine Corps, Scott still had the coaching bug. “I decided my next career would be teaching at Oxford High School

and coaching track,” explains Scott. Although his passion for coaching was at an all time high, Scott found it difficult to balance everyone’s various skill levels. After finishing 11th at the state championship his first year, Scott realized where the team was lacking. “I didn’t know enough about the technical events and where to put each kid.” In order to bring his technical knowledge up to the level of his enthusiasm for Sam and Scott Kendricks

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Sam and Younger Brother

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coaching, Scott attended clinics and spoke with college coaches about how to approach the tricky events, especially pole vault. Once the field athletes got the technique coaching they needed, Oxford High won backto-back state titles, with a majority of the points coming from the field events.

Scott had finally gotten his high school team to the competitive level he had always hoped for, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

“After about seven years,” says Scott, “I asked college coaches why my kids weren’t getting recruited.” It was then that Scott was told about the importance of getting his athletes to the New Balance Nationals, a competition that Oxford High just couldn’t afford to travel to.

Scott knew that his kids needed to be competing on the national stage in order to have a chance at a collegiate career, so he did everything he could to get his athletes to Greensboro the next year. Eventually, Oxford High sprinters and jumpers were earning top spots at Nationals.

“I always took my twin boys Sam and Tom with me,” recalls Scott. “I still remember Sam’s little voice saying, ‘Dad, do you think I could jump here someday?’” Years later, Sam did jump at Nationals for Oxford, continuing the school’s tradition

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MAGAZINE Sam As a high school Junior jumping 15-4.

(Bruce Newman photo)

of excellence in individuals to better the team as a whole.

After 14 successful years as a high school coach, Scott moved on to coach pole vault at Ole Miss for two years, just as Sam was making a breakthrough as a vaulter there. The reunited father-son duo experienced great achievements at Ole Miss, so when it was time for Sam to go pro, Scott left Ole Miss coach him at the next level.

Today, Scott’s main focus is still Sam. After all, coaching the reigning Olympic bronze medalist takes a lot of time.

However, Scott just can’t ignore the next generation of vaulters who are eager to learn. “On Mondays, I volunteer my time to coach 5 or 6 kids at Oxford High School, on Tuesdays I volunteer to coach 7 kids at Lafayette High School, and Sundays I coach a wide variety of kids from the North Mississippi Area.” One of these kids is Scott’s youngest son, 7th grade John Scott. “Sam likes to joke, ‘Johnny has a better coach than I did!’” says Scott. “He’s right, I’ve learned so much along the way and I’m still learning.”

Coaching athletes at such varied levels means Scott has many different programs to keep track of. “Most of my high school kids play multiple

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sports, so when I get them in the spring, they are fit and fresh,” says Scott. Sam however, trains year round.

“For 12 years Sam and I didn’t take a break,” recalls Scott. As long as Sam stayed injury free, his limitless energy meant they never needed down time. The first real break Sam and Scott took from vaulting was after the Rio Olympics when Sam served his Army Reserve Duty for four months. These days, the duo knows they need the rest, and take about a month off every September after the European circuit comes to a close.

One luxury of training with Scott Kendricks is access to “Rancho Olympia.” “My buddy Bruce Caldwell, who started the ESSX pole company, also started a company called Velocity Sport USA making pits and runways,” explains Scott.

“They sent Sam a personalized pit and roll-out runway and we loved it!” The custom pit, super fast raised runway, and ESSX brand carbon poles that Sam is known for all come together to create Rancho Olympia, a pole vault paradise located within the trees about a quarter mile from the Kendricks’ house. The facility is almost too perfect, so in order to train in more realistic wind conditions, Sam and Scott also jump at Ole Miss and Oxford High. In order to

Coak Kendricks Trusty Book

share their pristine facility with the world, Scott hopes to host a Rancho Olympia summer meet to help local high schoolers unwind from their season. “We also hope to host a street vault in our historic downtown square,” says Scott. “The mayor is on board so maybe it’ll happen!”

With all of Sam’s recent accomplishments on the professional circuits, it could be easy for Scott to get caught up in the new fads in technique and training. But in fact, Sam and Scott are so successful because they like to keep it simple. Although he’s learned a lot over the years, Scott knows not to

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try and fix what isn’t broken.

“I’ve studied every method as much as I could so that I could try to help any given kid,” says Scott. “ But because of Sam’s unique skillset, we have always leaned toward what I have always called ‘The Pennel Method.’” Any fan of Sam Kendricks knows he’s famous for clearing huge bars while gripping lower than anyone else in the competition. “In the 60s, John Pennel and Bobby Seagren were holding at 15 feet jumping 18,” explains Scott.

“We felt like we could do the same.” Today, Sam has jumped a whopping 4 feet 5 inches above his handgrip by keeping his grips low, his pole stiff, and his form impeccable. To this day, Scott and Sam follow the teachings of Earl Bell; “Right run, right pole, right grip.”

Sam often competes an entire competition on one pole, and knows that with the right form, higher jumps are always possible. “We keep it simple,” says Scott. “If you jump well, you jump high.” Scott’s simple wisdom takes Sam far in competition. “At World Championships last summer,” recalls Scott, “I mostly said, ‘I think you can clean that up and jump better,’ and Sam would respond, ‘Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do it better this next time.’ All the folks listening probably thought I was a complete moron!”

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Scott didn’t always value form over all else as he does today. As a high school coach, all he had to do was hand a pole to a strong, fast football player, tell him to grip high, and he had a decent vaulter. But Scott’s approach to coaching pole vault changed forever when in 2005, Rebecca Mills joined the his vault team. “Our state was the only state that allowed boys to vault but not girls,” recalls Scott. “We changed that.” There was no way Rebecca was going to be able to muscle her way to success, so in order to help her become the vaulter he knew she could be, Scott had to focus less on how to cheat a kid over the bar and more on how to develop technique at the early stages of a vaulter’s career. “Coaching girls has taught me the most! I had to go to more clinics, read more articles, and ask more questions. It really taught me a lot.” This was around the time that Sam had decided to take on pole vault. Scott’s newfound coaching strategy helped him provide his son with the technical foundations that his entire career is based on today.

Even with all of the achievements the Kendricks have made, in both coaching and competing in pole vault, they never forget their family

roots. “My wife Marni is our biggest supporter,” says Scott. “She is my soft side and my smart side, and she’s responsible for making Sam the nice guy he is.” To this day, every PR earns a celebratory family steak cookout, from Johnny jumping his 7th grade best, to his sister Charli’s state crown, to Sam’s World title.

“Sounds pretty boring, I know,” admits Scott, “But it’s us. You have to remember that we never, ever thought we would achieve what we have.” The small town country family never forgets their humble beginnings, and Scott always likes to remember why they do what they do. “Sam’s string of achievements is kind of hard for me to believe, and we don’t take any of it for granted. We enjoy every minute of it and do it, as we’ve always done, for the love of the game.”

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All three Kendricks boys

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ACTIVE RECOVERY TECHNIQUES FOR SUMMER MONTHS By: Kreager Taber

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As collegiate athletes return to their home towns for the summer, they often flock back to their high school vault clubs for fun, the chance to catch up with old friends and training partners, and the opportunity to chisel away at weaknesses in their technique.

Although an additional few months of training after the regular season ends seems insignificant or even beneficial to begin building for the next indoor season, not resting sufficiently can increase the athlete’s chance of fatigue, burnout, and injury during the competition season. While it can be tempting to use

the summer months to vault constantly, hit the track for sprint workouts every day, and get into the weight room as often as possible, athletes often neglect the importance of utilizing the summer to rest and recover. After the long indoor and outdoor track season, nothing is more beneficial than taking time off from vaulting to improve the next season’s performance.

Resting during the summer months, particularly right after the spring season ends, helps to refresh athletes mentally and physically. Especially for collegiate athletes, who often begin

seriously training during the fall semester, the summer is the only time where it is feasible to take time off from intense training. The athlete’s body can then rebuild itself and heal from the wear and tear of a competitive season, in addition to improving upon baseline fitness levels.

While the effects of post-game rest periods have been extensively studied in rugby and football players, sufficient rest periods for track and field athletes, specifically pole vaulters, have not been explored. Studies performed by scientists Fullagar, Govus, Hanisch, and Murray (2017) have shown that an ideal recovery duration

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for football players is approximately four days, in which the athletes can wholly recuperate from the fatigue and physical stress caused by games. While track and field does not inherently cause the same stress to the body as football does, it can be inferred that track athletes require similar rest periods to recover after meets. During the competition season, it is not feasible for athletes to have a four-day recovery period between competitions, making the summer likely the only period for athletes to fully recover.

Recovery periods do not have to be filled with inactivity

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and lounging around. Rather, it is the perfect time to work on mobility, physical therapy to prevent future injuries, and work on vaulting drills without taking full vaults. In terms of mobility, the summer presents a perfect opportunity to work on hip range of motion through mobility circuits, loosen tight hip flexors with lacrosse ball work, and improve flexibility with banded stretches. Hip mobility takes time to develop, but establishing an effective routine that works for the athlete over the summer sets the precedent for good habits while they are in-season.

Soft tissue work can also

be done over the summer without fear of damaging the athlete’s performance, making it a perfect time to work on nagging knots, stiffness, or other issues. Lacrosse balls or tennis balls can be used to roll out localized knots and issues, or rather, two tennis balls can be taped together into a peanut shape to be used for rolling out the thoracic spine, latissimus dorsi, or the anterior tibialis muscles near the shins. Additionally, three or four tennis balls can be taped together into a pyramid shape and used to release tension in the psoas and hips.

Stiff foam rollers can also be

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used to help release tension in larger muscles, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, or gluteus muscles. Helping the athlete develop an allencompassing mobility and rolling out routine over the summer assists them in forming a habit that can be continued into the season, as well as helping them to avoid further injury or stiffness.

Furthermore, the summer presents an ideal opportunity for strengthening problem areas and resolving muscular imbalances with physical therapy. During the recovery period, the athlete will not have to worry about missing training time to do their therapy or strengthening exercises, and exercise bands are inexpensive and portable enough that the athlete can take them anywhere. Additionally, they will not have to worry about the exercises making them sore or tight, or otherwise compromising their training.

In addition to soft tissue work, mobility training, and physical therapy, the athletes can work to improve their overall flexibility with banded stretches. Thicker exercise bands can be attached to a firm point and then stretched to help pull the athlete into a deeper stretch. These movements can be supplemented with yoga or dynamic stretches to help the

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vaulter improve their range of motion.

Vaulters can also practice their shoulder drop and swing mechanics without putting stress on their legs with inversion drills. While using these drills as a form of active recovery doesn’t allow the athlete to take a complete mental break from vaulting, the drills do help build strength and perfect the athlete’s technique while giving their legs a break from the pounding of full vaults.

These drills can also be used during the competition season between vault days.

While it seems unimportant and is often neglected, taking time off to recover during the summer months helps lay a strong foundation for upcoming competition seasons.

Recovering mentally and physically from the stress of many months of competing is crucial for staying healthy and focused for future seasons.

Utilizing active recovery methods, such as mobility exercises, physical therapy, flexibility work, and non-impact vaulting drills can help the athlete form healthy habits to continue into the season, as well as help to prevent injuries due to tightness, muscular imbalances, or a lack of mobility. The summer months provide athletes with

the perfect opportunity to build their strength and cardio capacity; however, recovery should be the primary focus, rather than putting extraneous and unnecessary stress on the body.

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References Fullagar, H.H.K., Govus, A., Hanisch, J., Murray, A. 2017. “The Time Course of Perceptual Recovery Markers After Match Playing Division 1-A College American Football.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 12:9, 1264-1266.

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