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March 2014 issue

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FROM THE EDITOR

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Multi-Sport Vaulters and the Transition to College

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Australian Painter Phillip Carrero Captures the Art of Pole-Vaulting

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Only Strong Competitors Will Do for UNL

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Canyon High Cowboys Hope to Round up the Competition

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Problems With the Approach Run

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Photo by Ray Simmons

Photo by Josh Premako

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FROM THE EDITOR It is hard to believe that it has now been two years since our first issue! We have had so much fun getting to know all the vaulters, coaches and programs we have featured that the time just flew by! We hope you, our readers, have had just as much fun with this journey as we have. In this two-yearanniversary edition, we have many more exciting stories to share with you.

shedding some light on the issue. It is hard enough making college decisions when you are involved in one sport, let alone two. We hope this article will help ease your mind if this is the spot you find yourself in.

Read up! We hope it helps.

Makayla Linebarger

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The University of NebraskaLincoln (UNL) is our featured college this month. Coach T.J. Pierce and his crew have brought their team to great heights and look for only the strongest competitors. Don’t miss it!

Our featured high school, and cover feature, this March is Canyon High School of Santa Clarita, California. This vaulting program is as unique as the area where it is located. Coach Frank Rock has created something great there with a great support system. You will surely be inspired by the team. Enjoy!

Of course Vaulter Magazine would not be the same without some input from Bubba Sparks.

This month he has laid out some sound advice on the approach run. He knows how frustrating it can be when the approach is not right, and he wants to help those who need it in getting a handle on it. If this seems like it is for you, we hope you will read and improve.

Penny Hanson has, yet again, brought us even more important college information this month as well. This time she is interested in speaking to multi-sport athletes who need help deciding what to do about college. This is a dilemma that does not get much attention, so it is wonderful that she is

Make sure to read all about him and find a way to take a look at his work. You won’t be disappointed.

A treat this month is our feature on an Australian artist named Phillip Carrero. Carrero is a master painter with works displayed in the Olympics Athletic Centre in Sydney. He is known for his paintings of athletes. It is very inspiring what he is able to create.

Thank you, as always, for sticking with us this long. We hope to keep bringing you the best scoops and bits of information there are in the world of vaulting. Here is to another two years, and we hope you will reach that mark with us as our much-appreciated readers.

Editor Doug Bouma editor@thevaultermag.com

March 2014 issue

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75 SC STATE CHAMPIONS, 10 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, AND 3 “TEAM USA” (WORLD TEAM) SINCE 1998.

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Multi-Sport Vaulters and the Transition to College As we all know, pole vaulters are exceptional people! Many of them are gifted athletes who participate in more than one sport in high school. Since they excel in and enjoy more than one sport, how do these students choose their college athletics path?

In writing this article, I spoke with Kelly McCormick, a graduate of Dana Hills High School who is currently a junior at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). In addition to her pole vault prowess, Kelly is also a talented soccer goalie. When she selected her college, she had to consider her options in both sports. Here is Kelly’s story:

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“Aside from vaulting, when deciding what school to attend there were many things that I was looking for. First off, I am ten times better at soccer than I am at pole vaulting, so I wanted to make sure I could go to a school where I could play soccer at a high and competitive level and still vault as well. I also wanted a school that put a lot of money into athletics; there is nothing better than having a chartered plane and receiving a lot of donations and support for both soccer and track! Aside from Ole Miss, I was being considered by Texas A&M, Harvard, Cornell, Auburn,

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for the team. If you don’t speak beforehand, go on your visit and just walk into the track facility and see if they are there.

Make sure you come prepared with questions and do a little research about the school and some of their athletes so you are one step ahead. I would also send out resumes to the coaches as well as your track schedule. If they have time to come see your perform that would be ideal.

Honestly, I continue to vault because I love it and I have a passion for it. I wasn›t ready to stop after high school was over.

I vaulted 11 feet in high school and I have only vaulted 11›2›› in college. Unfortunately for me, I have not been able to put in the time and effort that the other vaulters have. In the spring I have to continue to play soccer 5-6 times a week as well as vault 1-2 times a week. I get tired from soccer practice which consists of 2 hours of soccer, 1 hour of weights and fitness and there have been many times when my legs feel like 100 lbs each and I can only take 5-6 vaults. Obviously I am not the best pole vaulter and I don›t score points for my team, but I can be of assistance to all my other teammates. I push my teammates to be the best they can be with work ethic.

If I got injured and was never able to play soccer or pole

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vault again, I would still stay in Mississippi. That was one of the criteria I had when deciding what school to attend. I wouldn›t change my experience for anything. I love my school!

The community here is amazing. Ole Miss is the definition of a small college town and there is so much character and charm here. I feel like a celebrity here when I see my soccer poster on the walls of shops on the square.

The community supports all the athletes and students and vice versa. No one can truly understand what Ole Miss has to offer until they visit this wonderful place.

To my fellow vaulters, I recommend you go to a college where you will be able to grow and get better as vaulter, but also be able to compete at competitions, meaning you should go to a place where you are one of the better vaulters. I say this because if you don›t get to compete and travel you will probably be miserable and not enjoy your experience as much. Since I just vault for fun, this isn›t an issue, but since soccer is my main sport, I would be very upset if I wasn›t starting and getting the playing time that I am now. Even though it seems unimaginable being able to get an education, be in a sorority, and competing in two sports, I feel like I am living the dream here at Ole Miss.

Kelly did an excellent job of focusing on her options! I encourage high school athletes to continue their sports in college, but it is critical that you look at the other components of your college education when doing your sports research. If and when you get injured as a college athlete, will you be able to continue attending this college? If you lose scholarship money, can you afford to stay?

During the hours you are not participating in your sport, do you have friends and social activities that you enjoy? Can you achieve the degree you need for your chosen profession at this school? All of these pieces should be considered when you are looking to play sports in college. Kelly was an 11’ vaulter in high school and not on the track coaches’ radar at the Division 1 schools she was considering, but she did her research and found the place that met each of her needs. When you can match all of those criteria and still pole vault, you have hit the jackpot!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!

Penny Hanson Hanson College Consultants 720-883-6800 penny@hansoncollegeaccess.com

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Kelly McCormick

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Australian Painter Phillip Carrero Captures the Art of Pole-Vaulting

By Grant Overstake

For more than forty years, Australian master painter Phillip Carrero has meticulously captured the likenesses of public figures, military heroes, and outstanding athletes, whose images are on display at the Olympics Athletic Centre in Sydney.

Over and above all, the artist from Down Under is on top of the world when painting the graceful athletes who soar in one of the world’s most beautiful and artistic sports, polevaulting.

Carrero’s dual passions are manifested in his most recent work, a stunning image of American legend Joe Dial, one of the world’s all-time great

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vaulters. Dial, who was the first high school pole-vaulter to clear 18 feet, and the first college pole-vaulter to clear 19 feet, is the first US vaulter to have his career captured by

meet held at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City in 1986 with an American flag as a backdrop.

Because it was his first painting of an American pole-vaulter, CarSteve Hooker rero was compelled to do his best work.

“I was acutely aware I had been asked to do a painting of an American icon and really wanted to produce something as good as the subject was,” he said.

the world’s greatest painter of pole-vaulters.

In the painting, then worldrecord holder Dial is shown clearing the bar at an indoor

The artwork was commissioned as a surprise 51st birthday gift

by Joe’s wife, Shawna.

“The biggest meaning of this painting is that everything I’m passionate about comes together in it: painting, pole-

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Steve Hooker

“My challenge as an artist was to portray an athlete I had never met, and whom I certainly didn’t know personally in 1986, from a photo that didn’t help,” Carrero said.

While the photo captures the moment, Joe’s face is unrecognizable, his hands are blurry, and there’s no detail visible in the socks, shoes, pole or crossbar. So, Carrero solicited help from friends who competed against Joe in those years.

They provided him with color photos of the type of pole and the crossbar used back then, and Shawna came up with color photos of the shorts and singlet her husband wore on that day. To capture the person behind the pole-vaulter, Carrero relied on Shawna’s descriptions, and articles in the press and how they portrayed him.

Kym Howe

“From that I had to build a personality as close to that of Joe as I could, and reflect all that in the painting as faithfully as I could,” Carrero added.

The artist rendered the scene in every detail, even capturing the transparency of the fiberglass pole, and the sticky spray material on the tape grip.

The thrilling moment came when Joe told him the painting, “Looks just like the jump felt… Awesome!” An accomplished artist herself, Shawna critiqued the painting in one word... Fabulous!

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carrero began painting and pole-vaulting in his early teens.

The artist and athlete devoted every waking hour to these passions, leaving little room for anything else. By the late 1960’s, Carrero’s artistic career was in full-flight, and, at age 19, he pole-vaulted to a world-class height of 4.20 meters (13-8) on an old-school aluminum pole.

Today he pursues his passion for painting and pole-vaulting in his adopted home of Sydney, where he also is an Level III pole-vault coach.

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Joe Dial

Joe was the indoor world record-holder in the pole vault in 1986, 19-43/4 (5.91). He also held the American pole vault record for nine years (1985-94), breaking his own record nine times in that span.

Joe’s personal record is 19’6 ½ (5.96). He won the bronze medal at the 1989 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

In 2011, he was inducted into the Pole Vault Hall of Fame in 2011.

His coaching resume at ORU includes three NCAA National Championships, including one by seven-time All-American pole-vaulter, Jack Whitt, who won the NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault in 2012 and placed second last season. Whitt, who turned pro last summer, was ranked No. 3 in the US in 2013.

A native of Marlow, Okla., Dial set the current Class 2A state record in the long jump with a leap of 23’05″ in 1981.

He was the Oklahoma Class 2A state long jump champion in 1980 and 1981, and was a four-time state champion in the pole vault (1978-81). Dial was the first high school pole vaulter to clear 18 feet. Dial

attended Oklahoma State University where he was a fourtime NCAA and six-time Big 8 Conference pole vault champion. Dial was the first collegiate pole vaulter to clear 19 feet, as he broke the Big Eight Conference record at the 1985 championships after vaulting 19’01.5”. He was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame in 2002.

Joe won many medals and trophies during his career.

Some have been pulled out of storage and are on display at his high school, college, and the track office. The mementos mean more to him now, reminding him of what he accomplished and the places where he vaulted around the world.

The new painting is perhaps the greatest memento of all.

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MarchChristian 2014 issue Left to right guys standing: Kyle Craw, Beau Simmons, www.thevaultermag.com Sanderfer, Brandon Benson, and Craig Driver.

Left to right the ladies in the pickup: Allexis Menghini, Lauren Welch, Katie Rancourt, Tess Merrill (sitting), Maggie Maher.

Herbie Husker is Zach “Chuckles� Mayhew.

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Only Strong Competitors Will Do for UNL

By: Michelle Walthall

The University of NebraskaLincoln, also known as UNL, currently has a strong pole vault team of 14 which is evenly divided into 7 men and 7 women. The Cornhuskers also have 12 track and field coaches: 6 full-time and 6 volunteer. “…we have a booster club (the Relay Club),” adds Coach T.J. Pierce.

“Most, if not all, of the parents of the athletes are members. We also have the Husker Officials Association which is a group of 130 volunteers who officiate and manage all of our home competitions.” All of these components put together have created amazing results.

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It all starts with finding the best athletes. Coach Pierce says he is looking for “Ideally – strong, fast athletes who are competitors. When the Conference Championship is on the line, we want to know the vaulters will pull their weight and score critical points for the team! Of course, NCAA-eligible athletes who are strong students are always a high priority for us. We lead the Nation in Academic AllAmericans and have always felt great students make the best athletes and fit in very well with the culture of our program.”

The men of the UNL vault team are, as listed by Coach Pierce: “Christian Sanderfer (5.28m), Craig Driver (5.20m), Steven Cahoy (5.16m), Beau Simmons (5.12m), Will Eichenberger (4.72m), Kyle Craw and Brandon Benson (4.69m).” And the women are: “Paula Andrie (4.06m), Maggie Maher (4.03m), Tess Merrill (3.98m), Lauren Welch (3.85m), Katie Rancourt (3.84m), Allexis Menghini (3.65m) and Melanie Blum (3.58m).”

Of course, finding these great athletes takes experience. This may be

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the photo of Ina vaulting here at Nebraska, you haven’t searched the internet for old pole vault pictures near enough!, Jessie Graff - #3 vaulter in school history (4.20m) - Jessie is now killing it in Hollywood as a stuntwoman! Check her out at www.jessiegraff.com/, and Natalie Willer – our women’s school record holder (4.37m indoors and 4.38m outdoors) was a multiple-time AllAmerican and an Academic All-American.”

In addition to top-notch vaulters, UNL has phenomenal facilities for its team to train at. Coach Pierce says their indoor facility, the Bob Devaney Sports Center (www.huskers.com/ViewArticle. dbml?&ATCLID=208569672&DB_OEM_ID=100), has “A 200m hydraulically-banked track with one pole vault pit and one floor-recessed wooden runway. The entire facility is surfaced with Mondo Super Performance X rubber track surface. At the Bob Devaney Sports Center we have: a full men’s gymnastics room, a swimming pool for water workouts and/or rehab, a diving well, over 225 vaulting poles (mostly Spirit), 2 long jump pits, 2 high jump pits, 3 throwing rings, 2 throwing nets, a weight room (the Hendricks Strength Complex), and any and every pole vault ‘gadget’ known to man!”

As if that is not impressive enough, Coach Pierce also tells us about UNL’s outdoor facility, Ed Weir Track (www.huskers.com/ViewArticle. d b m l ? & & AT C L I D = 2 0 8 5 7 0 9 6 4 & D B _ O E M _ ID=100). According to him, the track has a 400m Mondo Super Performance X Surface. He says it has “2 pole vault pits and 9 vaulting plant boxes. We have the capability to vault in nearly any direction for practice and competition.” Coach Pierce also adds that the track has “5 long jump pits, 3 high jump pits, 2 hammer/discus cages, 5 shot put rings, 2 full-length football fields for running, 1 Fieldturf football field for running, 2 indoor Fieldturf football fields for running in inclement weather, over 225 vaulting poles (mostly Spirit), an Athletic training room and medical care facility

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March 2014 issue

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Sitting - Coach TJ Pierce Front Row LtoR - Lauren Welch, Maggie Maher, Tess Merrill, Paula Andrie, Allexis Menghini Back Row LtoR - Kyle Craw, Beau Simmons, Christian Sanderfer, Steven Cahoy, Craig Driver, Brandon Benson, Will Eichenberger

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Canyon High Cowboys

Hope to Round up the Competition

The Canyon High School vaulters shared such great insights into what pole vaulting means to them that we had to lead with their own words in starting this feature. And here they are: “Pole vault, to me, is a constant challenge. There is always something you can do to get better.”

– Christopher Jakeman, senior

“Pole vault can be really frustrating at times, but it is also something that relaxes me after a stressful day at school.

It’s where I can spend time with some of my best friends and enjoy doing what I love.”

- LeighAnne Grace Dones, senior “Pole vault is my release for a stressful day. I get to spend time with my best friends while improving my vault. I can’t imagine a day without pole vault.”

– Marisela Glasgow, junior

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By Michelle Walthall

“Pole vault means a lot to me because it is an awesome, challenging sport. Also, I have met my best friends while participating in this great event.”

– Troy Leidholdt, senior “Pole vault means a lot to me. Not only is it a challenging and a unique sport, but also a team of awesome friends and an amazing coach.”

– Ged Kerezis, senior “Pole vaulting means opportunity, challenges, open doors and friendship.”

– Jeremy Kimmer, senior “Pole vaulting means overcoming seemingly impossible tasks. Heights like 10 or 11 feet may not seem like much, but, looking at it differently, that’s clearing a basketball hoop with one’s whole body. Pole vault is a mix of sprinting, jumping and gymnastics that come together to let someone overcome the

impossible. Also, I made some lifetime friends.”

– Nic Zicari, senior

“As a mental and physical sport, pole vault has given me a big challenge, but, in the process, I’ve met many people that share the same passion which has brought us together as a family.”

– Ralyn Abbinanti, junior “Vaulting is a unique sport and lots of people think it is not. It is hard both physically and mentally. It is mostly mental because of the fact that you are launching yourself into the air on a fiberglass pole.” – Jeremiah Chow, sophomore It’s amazing to see young people so inspired by something they love. Coach Frank Rock tells us the location of Canyon High School is also very unique. He says, “The school is located in the Canyon Country area of Santa

March 2014 issue

www.thevaultermag.com Chris Jakeman, Coach Rock

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looking for vast improvement in 2014.”

Leighanne Dones

Pole vaulting in their area has no shortage of support for these CHS Cowboys.

“Pole vaulting is always a crowd pleaser, wherever the program,” says Coach Rock.

“It’s no different here. Each school in our conference (the Foothill League) seems to have a healthy number of new and experienced vaulters each year, along with knowledgeable coaches. There is no shortage of involvement.”

Coach Rock also adds: “Our parent volunteer program is an essential part of keeping our athletes focused on their events and for guaranteeing a smooth-running track meet.

The parents are encouraged to help officiate at the meets.

During the season, team parents host ‘pasta feeds’ in their homes the night before each meet.”

“The number of coaches at Canyon High ranges from 12 to 15,” Coach Rock tells us. “It can fluctuate from year to year.

The coaching staff is made up of teachers and accredited volunteers. I have one assistant, Eldai Pardita, who is a former vaulter of mine. While he works on his college degree, he finds time to work with the kids. He has become a much-

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Jeremiah Chow

appreciated and valuable asset to the vault program.” Good coaching like this surely adds to the possibilities for the CHS vaulters.

Coach Rock, himself, brings with him a rich history with the sport. He shared with us a detailed look at his very experienced background: “I have coached the pole vault at Canyon since 1989. Before that, I coached at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, CA for one season in 1980; at Burbank High School in Burbank, CA from 1976 to 1978 and for one season at Boise State University, Boise, ID in 19751976. I started pole vaulting

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in the seventh grade at Placerita Junior High School in Santa Clarita, and then at William S. Hart High School, also in Santa Clarita, where I was the 1968 school record holder at 14’0”. Also that year, I placed fourth in the CIF Southern Section Finals and eighth in the California State Meet.

I vaulted for two years at Glendale City College in Glendale, CA, where I was the Western State Conference Champion in 1969 and 1970. From 1970 to 1973, I went to San Jose State University on a track scholarship and competed for SJSU under the great vault coach Ernie Bullard.

I also competed in decathlon (6394) and javelin (PR 185’). My vault PR at SJSU was 16’6” and I was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association Champion in 1973. In the same year, I also placed fifth in the NCAA Finals in Baton Rouge, LA and sixth in the AAU Nationals in Bakersfield, CA. These achievements placed me in eighth place on Track and Field News’s Top Ten in the U.S. for 1973.

From 1973-1978, I

competed for the Beverly Hills Striders and Maccabi Union Track Clubs. In 1974, I cleared my PR of 17’0” (5.19m) at the Mt. San Antonio Relays, which placed me on the 1974 Track and Field News World List.”

The vaulters of Canyon sure keep busy, too. Coach Rock says, “We have a yearround program of training and conditioning.

Preseason involves tryouts and selection, 3-, 4- and 6- lefts approaches, slide box, weights and gymnastics (bar) with emphasis on technique. I try to give adequate time and attention in the selection process so as not to miss any developing talent. I end the Jeremy Kimmer

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selection of the squad at year’s end. I have twelve athletes this year; seven boys and five girls. We have set height qualifications for each class that must be achieved to make the team: for boys, Fr 8’0”, Soph 10’0”, Jr/Sr 11’0”, for girls, Fr 6’0”, Soph 7’0”, Jr 7’6”, Sr 8’0”.

If a student has not made the respective qualifying height, but shows signs of developing, I have the option of keeping them on as a manager. We will work with them until they make the required height, or try to guide them into another event(s).”

“I coach pretty much yearround,” he also says, “with a month off during the summer.

I encourage my vaulters to become students of their event. They are welcome to enlist club coaches on their own time.” Then he adds: “I offer a four-to-six-week vault camp every summer from June through July. This is where the kids can refine their technique beyond the regular season. It is also where I can work with incoming freshmen who get a ‘jump’ on learning the event before the fall session begins.

This summer’s camp may be postponed as the school district will be putting in a new track at the school.”

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“I have yet to send a vaulter, either male or female, to the State Meet,” continues Coach Rock. “But over the past 25 years, we have constantly been on the conference winners’ stand. Several of our vaulters in the past have made it to the CIF-Southern Section Finals

and placed: Drake Morgan (2000, 2nd, PR 14’7”), Tyler Woodard (2007, 4th, PR 14’8”), Stevie Kennedy-Gold (2011, 4th, PR 12’0”) and Robert Wolfe (2012, 6th, PR 14’6”). Morgan, Woodard and Kennedy-Gold competed in the Masters Meet, but fell short of making it to

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Problems With the Approach Run By: Bubba Sparks

Nothing is more frustrating and confidence killing than step problems and run throughs.

Because of this I have a whole series of various exercises and drills meant to quickly overcome this issue. Rule #1 is that if you run through three times in one day you are done. I’m not going to allow this to become a problem or obsession.

Rule #2 is that you always have to be willing to take a step back if it means solidifying a fundamental skill that will pay career long dividends.

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As always I’m not the expert. I’ve just been around long enough to make every mistake you will ever make. ;-) So these are some of the ideas and suggestions that have consistently worked for me. Combined with your own experience we should be able to fix anyone. So Rule #3 is that I know nothing but we together know everything.

The top causes I see for step problems are not running with rhythm, trying to run too fast,

running too fast to early, letting your hands lower in front of you as you begin to plant, and letting your top hand drift back too far behind your hip over the last three steps. These cause discomfort, lack of ability to accelerate and jump up, and the change of depth perception at a critical time.

Ideally you want to run with your hands up and elbows to your side like you are in a sprinting position. You want to keep your hips up like you are stepping over an intermediate hurdle on each step. You need your shoulders square and not turned partly sideways. All of these skills can be learned by using a heavy pole gripping about 6”/15cm from the end. Even though I jump on 14’1”/4.30m poles, all of my drills are done gripping near the end of a 16’9”/5.10m pole.

Why? It’s heavy so I can’t put it where it’s not supposed to go. It falls by the laws of physics and I merely adapt my body position to find balance. When I do take off and plant drills into a heavy slide box with a pole this big, my pole feels like a toy when I pick it up to vault. When I’ve been planting against a heavy slide box that will knock me on my butt while gripping 16’5”/5m, I’m not too intimidated about gripping 13’/3.96m on my wimpy feeling pole. So it’s a win/win.

March 2014 issue

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Bubba Sparks

Now for the fix. The first thing to do is to find a very low pop up grip so that even if you turned your ankle at take off you would still get into the pit safely. Now set up a fun obstacle course. For example, from 100’/30.5m put a high hurdle, a low hurdle and three cones along the runway. With that pop up grip the vaulter crawls under the high hurdle, jumps over the low hurdle, runs to the first cone and turns around one full rotation to the right, weaves

around the second cone, spins to the left a full circle and then plants the pole. This will shock you but every single vaulter will be able to do this and take off on the first attempt even with these obstacles and no step. Okay so now from the box, run a circle around the back of the pit and run out to 70ish feet and come down the runway with two forward rolls followed by two backward rolls, pick up your pole at 40’ and take off. Again they will all

be able to do this. Now my message becomes, “How important is this step you are so worried about? Look what you just did with no step! “

It’s real simple, once you get the signal from the box that you will be on, THEN you can run with confidence. So now the run from their perspective is that the entire run up to “when the box calls” is really just the on ramp to the freeway.

When the box calls you’re now

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March 2014 issue

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Makenna Powell and Jenn Suhr

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the vaulter magazine 2014