By Jerry Alan Donley

Why would a sane 81 year old person pole vault? I am, by normally accepted medical standards, a sane person, but I do compete in Masters pole vault competitions in the 80-84 age group. In my early forties I was primarily a civil trial lawyer, carrying a significant case file load. One day I realized that trial practice was hard work; it took lots of energy and endurance. I was running out of each. I became aware that in my community there were few trial lawyers over 50, and determined I must do what was necessary to obtain the physical condition required by my case load. To add fuel to the fire my clothier told me I was beginning to get the “middle age” spread.” Two of my boys and two neighborhood friends were interested in pole vaulting. I tried to help them. We built a pit in my backyard. I began running, a block at a time, and put up a climbing rope in a tree, also in the backyard. I found a book of exercises used by the Canadian Air Force as a model of exercises to do. As I helped my boys and their friends I resumed my vaulting career. As my wife said “You resumed your second childhood.” About that time a group had formed a national master’s track and field organization. It was spreading internationally. I located a meet in Vancouver, Canada where I had my first competition, and the following week a competition in Portland, Oregon. That was in 1974. I was hooked and have been competing ever since.

read more http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/senior_lawyers/pole_vault_article.authcheckdam.pdf

FOR ALL his injury woes you would think Steve Lewis would be happy to see the door close on 2011, but the pole vaulter insists this couldn’t be further from the truth

The 25-year-old was more accustomed to the treatment table than the mat early on in the season after breaking his hand and injuring his knee in February.

But he fought his way back to full fitness to ensure he ended his season on high, jumping a season’s best 5.65m to finish ninth in Daegu at the World Championships.

And while some athletes are welcoming the long winter break to iron out the creases, Lewis can’t help but think the timing could have been better after his South Korean adventure.

But Lewis has vowed to be patient, adamant he will take to the new season like a coiled spring as he looks to propel himself to London 2012 glory.

“I was happy with what I did in Daegu but to be honest I was left wanting a little more,” said Lewis, who attended an Aviva Athletics Road-show in Milton Keynes alongside Paralympic shot putter Dan Nobbs.

read more http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/athletics/1515454-lewis-insists-he-was-just-getting-started-daegu

Brussels, Belgium – The weather forecast is set fair for the secondFinal of the 2011 Samsung Diamond League which takes place tomorrow night (Friday 16 September) at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium, where the remaining Diamond Race Trophies and prize money will be distributed.

Back on 6 May in Doha, Qatar, the world’s finest athletes began their season long quest for the coveted mantle of ‘world’s most consistent performer’ in 32 event disciplines. It was a battle which has been fought out across the 14 meetings of the Samsung Diamond League, the sport’s premier global invitational series of meetings which climax in the Belgian capital.

In total 8 Million US$ in prize money has been at stake during the 2011 series, with the Finals at the last two meetings, Weltklasse Zürich (8 Sep) and tomorrow’s Belgacom Memorial Van Damme, seeing the final distribution of prizes, a spectacular Diamond Race Trophy and US$40,000 in cash to each of the 32 overall event winners. 16 event disciplines were decided last week in Zürich, and the last competitions in the remaining 16 events take place in Brussels.

Lavillenie vs Mohr

Malte Mohr is the only man who can prevent Renaud Lavillenie from securing a second successive Diamond Race trophy in the Pole Vault.

The Frenchman took bronze in Daegu with 5.85 behind the surprise packages of Lazaro Borges, who set a Cuban record of 5.90, and Poland’s Pawel Wojciechowski (currently injured), who also managed 5.90 and took gold on count-back.

In Brussels, however, his main challenge will come from the German who stands six points behind him on points with a total of 10.

read more http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/dlm/news/newsid=62530.html

One man faces a count of aggravated battery, and a former Lobo baseball player may also be charged following a summer fraternity party fracas that landed a UNM pole vaulter and a New Mexico Highlands baseball player in the hospital.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Kenny Feria, 24, on one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony, following an incident at the University of New Mexico’s Sigma Chi fraternity in the early morning hours of July 31.

According to the warrant filed last week in Metro Court, Feria struck Highlands baseball player William “Cody” Calhoun in the head with a pool cue during a dispute between fraternity members and a group that included some baseball players.

Calhoun suffered a frontal epidural hematoma and required surgery, according to the report.

NMHU baseball coach Steve Jones said Calhoun, a pitcher/outfielder who redshirted last year, was supposed to be on the Cowboys’ roster this year but has been advised by doctors to take this semester off from school.

Calhoun is expected to return this spring, but Jones said nothing is yet certain as Calhoun had experienced some lingering health problems fol lowing the surgery.

“The last time we talked, that was his plan to come back in the spring,” Jones said. “We’re just waiting to find out how everything is going to go.”

read more http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/2011/09/15/ex-lobo-pitcher-among-two-accused-in-frat-party-brawl.html

STERLING – Perry Johnson and Emily Singer, author and illustrator of “Buford Biffolomew Bison Finds His Niche,” are back with their second children’s book, “Prosely the Pole-Vaulting Pronghorn.”

“It’s an exciting adventure filled with pronghorns, pheasants, wolves and humans,” Johnson said.

The book tells the story of Prosely, an “industrious and intelligent” pronghorn. When pronghorns come to a fence they usually crawl underneath it on their belly, but Prosely gets tired of doing that and decides to find a better way to navigate under fences.

One day while on the plains with his herd he finds a sports magazine discarded by humans, next to the highway. The magazine has an article on pole-vaulting. Prosely wonders if humans can use poles to help them vault over bars, why can’t pronghorns use vaults to get over fences.

read more http://www.journal-advocate.com/ci_18901887