Daily Archives: February 7, 2012

Notes: Off to an amazing start

February 6, 2012 –The Weather was perfect for the first day of Moon Valley High School Track.  Approximately 40 athletes were cleared and ready to go.  After a quick speech by Head Coach Brian Raper; the team did a lap running; stretching; form work and then we split into event groups.  Coach Raper joined us adding his knowledge and enthusiasm.  We had 8 vaulters on this first day with no upperclassmen. Everyone worked hard and made great progress.  At the top of the heap was Will Hooper, Arizona’s best freshman now in his sophomore packing 20 more pounds of muscle and speed.  Will: Thanks for helping you are a super coach and had the advanced vaulters doing a great job on the high bars.  You advanced to a strong run on your 1480 and flew.  Your run problems are happening in the last half of your run.  A bit more concentration on high knees and some box drills should do the trick.  Also, you will swing to vertical in practice 2 easier because you know what to do and how to break the bad habit. Framarz: You are a different vaulter this year.  Just your second year and your plant is amazing.  Everything is there for a great season, just need some time and practice.  Your run is even but we need to speed it up a bit.  Your plant is usually tall, but occasionally that bottom hand gets in the way.  Your swing just needs more practice.  I see you qualifying for State this year.  Jeff:  You have an amazingly fast run.  That will get you high this year.  Need to build some strength.  High bars will help that.  Most of the time you got your plant up early enough for good vaults.  Need to work a bit on that though.  The big Continue reading →

Pole Vault PROGRESSIONS AND FORMULAS

 

By: Jan Johnson

 

PART 1. GRASS VAULTING-THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROGRESSION

 

Selecting the proper starting grip is very important for learning the be- ginning drill sequence. Choosing a grip that is too high will make it impossible to learn the most efficient takeoff technique. Once the proper starting grip has been established, don’t hesitate to progress quickly to the optimum grip, by raising hands in 2″ or 3″ increments, until the correct amount of pole speed is obtained. For the purposes of learning the grass vaulting sequence outlined below, start by gripping the pole only as high as you can grip with your top hand when the pole plug is between your feet.

  1. Overhead carry tip taps. Walk and jog while carrying the pole overhead, tapping the pole plug on the ground with each left-foot contact. Tap the plug directly in from your takeoff foot so that your arms are extended directly over- head. Continue reading →

Struggling Steve Hooker pulls out of Perth Track Classic

OLYMPIC pole vault champion Steve Hooker is fighting a serious confidence issue which is threatening the defence of his crown in London.

And the immediate future of another of Australia’s star athletes, Jana Pittman, is again up in the air after she suffered a foot injury over the weekend.

The alarm bells have been sounding about Hooker’s preparation for some time but they reached tipping point today when he pulled out of Saturday’s Perth Track Classic.
Continue reading →

Frank Sevigne Invitational

LINCOLN, Neb. — Senior Kenna Wolter set a school record and won the triple jump to lead the South Dakota women’s track and field team at the final day of competition at the Frank Sevigne Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. The Coyote men had a good showing against the stout competition as well, led by a personal-best sophomore Travis Brenner and their 4 x 400 relay team’s impressive time.

For the second time in three days, a redshirt at USD hit Olympic trials qualifying standard in the pole vault. Bethany Buell, a junior at USD who is redshirting for the indoor season, cleared 14-2 to win the event and qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, joining Kaitlin Petriollose, who qualified at USD’s home meet on Thursday. Petriollose finished second Saturday, clearing 13-10.

Men Pole Vault

  1 Scotten, Ray                 UNATTACHED             5.50m      5.45mP  17-10.50

  2 Scott, Jordan                KANSAS                 5.30m      5.35mP  17-06.50

  3 Burney, Seth                 NEBRASKA               5.30m      5.15m   16-10.75

  4 Barroilhet, Gonzalo          FLORIDA STATE          5.30m     J5.15m   16-10.75

  5 Cooper, Kirk                 KANSAS                 5.12m     J5.15m   16-10.75 Continue reading →

G-Vet and the Special Sauce

By

 Garrett Vetesnik has something in common with his father, just like most sons. What is different than many father-son relationships is that his involves pole vaulting. Vetesnik, a redshirt junior on the UW-Milwaukee men’s track and field team, started learning as a young teenager from his father, Gregg Vetesnik, the art of pole vaulting.

Gregg Vetesnik also competed in pole vaulting growing up and showed Garrett the way throughout his middle school and high school years as his coach and mentor at Richland Center High School. A highly touted track and field athlete in the state of Wisconsin during his career, Vetesnik came to Milwaukee with a state championship already under his belt from 2007 and the 6th highest jump ever recorded in pole-vaulting in WIAA history at 15 feet, 7 inches.

Battling injuries throughout his UWM track and field career, Vetesnik did not get rattled and became one of the leaders of the team. Choosing UWM as a high school senior was not a difficult choice for Vetesnik due to the winning tradition in track and field. Currently, Vetesnik is the Horizon League record holder in outdoor pole-vaulting at 5 meters. Continue reading →

Richartz Sets Another School Record in Pole Vault at Orange and Blue

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Stephanie Richartzset yet another school record at the Orange and Blue Open, recording a mark of 13-9 ¾ (4.21m). The sophomore set her fourth consecutive Illinois record, setting a new mark in each of the meets she’s competed in this season. Overall, the Illini recorded eight first place finishes in Illinois’ last meet at the UI Armory.

“I was really pleased with our performance today,” head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. “Overall it was a really good day. Of course we had yet another highlight by Stephanie Richartz setting another school record. I think we are definitely improving and in a good place right now. We’re about as ready as we can get for our first big meet next weekend.”

Illinois Orange & Blue Open

Women Pole Vault

1 Richartz, Stephanie SO Illinois 4.21m!

2 Bartnovskaya, Natalia SO Vincennes 4.11m Continue reading →

Sergei Bubka Plays Down Concerns Over Euro 2012 Accommodation in Ukraine

Former Olympic pole vaulting champion Sergei Bubka played down concern by soccer fans there won’t be enough hotel rooms during this summer’s European Championships in Ukraine and Poland.

“Huge progress was made in the last two years, when the new president and government came in,” Ukraine’s Bubka, who is a member of the organizing committee for the European Championships, said in a round table interview in London today. The country is hosting with Poland.

London’s Daily Telegraph reported in December that England fans could face “a chronic shortage” of rooms. All of England’s group matches will be played in Ukraine. Dutch newswire ANP reported in January that the majority of Dutch fans would be flying in and out of Ukraine on the same day because there aren’t enough hotel rooms available. Dutch tour operators may also put some fans up in hotels in Turkey, and fly them in and out for matches from there, ANP reported. Continue reading →

Kids Become Track Stars In ‘Little Bobcat Track’ Event

By Lauren Maschmedt

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Before the festivities of Sunday’s Superbowl, Montana State University held a sports competition of its own. 250 kids participated in the annual Little Bobcat Track, which aims to connect kids with MSU track and field athletes. The MSU track team, Health Enhancement Club and Bozeman Noon Optimist Club host the 3-week program. Participating children are in grades first through fifth, and come from Bozeman, Belgrade and Manhattan. During the first two weekends, kids got together with students and athletes to learn how to be healthy and active. Sunday’s track competition completed the program. It included all the traditional track events- from shot put, to long jump, to hurdles. But the events were kid-friendly- hurdles were made of pizza boxes, the pole vault was done with a rope swing. Continue reading →

Conlon catapulting vaulters to new heights

By Ben Seidman, For the Daily

Late one night, sophomore Victoria Wesley received a text message from Shean Conlon asking her to open her e-mail. Wesley found an in-depth e-mail about how he could improve her performance, and Wesley could tell how much time he put into it. A husband, coach and former athlete, Conlon is a mad scientist at heart.

Unpaid volunteer assistant coach Shean Conlon has transformed the Michigan men’s and women’s pole vaulting program through innovative techniques and a contagious passion for the art of the pole vault.

Originally from Colorado, Conlon has two major interests – archaeology and pole vaulting. At Oberlin he earned a degree in archaeology, and then a master’s degree in exercise physiology at Eastern Michigan University some years later. Through his connections at Eastern Michigan, he met Michigan men’s track coach Fred LaPlante.

His love for pole vaulting runs deep. He tried to articulate why exactly he cannot get away from the sport.

“The actual physical experience of it is like a roller coaster ride,” Conlon said. “There’s nothing like the feeling of jumping into a fifteen foot fiberglass pole and feeling it bend on the energy you created – it’s kinda weird – but by far the greatest feeling is once you get upside down and the pole thrusts you into the air. Continue reading →

Hunter, Collier sparkle at Mercer County Track Championships

LAWRENCE, New Jersey — Robbinsville’s Craig Hunter and Trenton’s Jermaine Collier earned their frequent-flyer miles at the Mercer County Indoor Track Championships yesterday.

Hunter, a junior, set a county and meet record when he cleared 15-feet, 1 inch in the pole vault and also placed first in the high jump with a leap of 6-6.  Hunter, wearing purple and gold polka-dot socks, cleared 15-1 on his second attempt. He cleared the same height Jan. 29 during a tri-meet at Lawrenceville. However, the jump went unrecognized as a county record then because there were only three teams participating in the meet instead of the required five.

“I brushed the bar on my first attempt, but on the second, I cleared it by at least eight inches,’’ Hunter said. “I saw the ball below me -— way below me. It was the best vault of my life.’’

The 6-foot-2, 155-pound Hunter Continue reading →

U Wisconsin Parkside Classic Open

Men Pole Vault

1 Waech, Matt Milwaukee School of 4.11m 13-05.75

2 Cosentino, Mike Milwaukee School of 3.96m 12-11.75

2 Barthel, Andrew Carroll University, 3.96m 12-11.75

4 Chizzo, Andy Unattached 3.96m 12-11.75

5 Hendrickson, Marcus Carroll University, 3.65m 11-11.75

6 Olson, Kyle Carroll University, 3.65m 11-11.75

7 Poppe, Jon Concordia – Chicago 3.50m 11-05.75

7 Grimm, Timothy Concordia University 3.50m 11-05.75

9 Ruiz, Mitchell Carroll University, 3.50m 11-05.75

10 Mueller, Daniel Concordia – Chicago 3.35m 10-11.75

11 Wallander, Malachi Wisconsin Lutheran C 3.35m 10-11.75

Women Pole Vault

1 Wiegert, Jessica Carroll University, 3.20m 10-06.00 Continue reading →

Josh Owens Named Men’s Indoor Field Athlete Of The Week

 

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference named Gustavus junior Josh Owens as its Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for his performance at the Ted Nelson Classic at Minnesota State University-Mankato on Saturday. Owens won the pole vault against a field of NCAA Division II teams, clearing a height of 15-9.25 feet – 5.75 inches higher than the second place vaulter.

Owens’ mark in the pole vault was his personal best and broke the program record as well. The previous Gustavus men’s indoor pole vault record was 15-7.25 feet set by Josh Sorenson in 2007. A Brooklyn Park, Minn. native, Owens also jumped to the top of the MIAC performance list and moved into the top 10 nationally, ranking ninth in all of Division III.

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Pole Vault City Invaded Gator Town on Sunday

Pole Vault City athletes performed well on Sunday at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational at the University of Florida. Personal bests were enjoyed by Haley Rigdon, Kristen Petry, Asher Shashaty, Winston Perry, and Marcus Blessing. Haley, a seventh grader, enjoyed a PR of 6’6″ to win the 12-13 age group. Asher, a sophomore, vaulted 13’6″ for a double PR to win the 15-16 division. Kristen, a senior, enjoyed a 10’6″ PR with vaults that promise to increase that PR throughout the season. Winston Perry, a senior, vaulted 13’6″ to finish 5th in the boys 17-18 division. Marcus Blessing, a senior, upped his PR to 11’6″ with a big vault at 11’6″ which should lead to more PR’s throughout the season.

On the girls side of the competition, Haley won the 12-13 division, Amanda Rigdon finished 5th in the 15-16 division with a vault of 9′. In the 17 – 18 group Emily Gale tied for 1st with a vault of 11′ while her sister, Amanda Gale, and Kristen Petry finished tied for 3rd with a vault of 10’6″. Stephanie Cook and Annie Harwig tied for 10th place with heights of 9’6″, Devon Grussmark finished Continue reading →

Cougars Ink Illinois Sprinter and Hawai’i Pole Vaulter

PULLMAN, Wash. — Mercedes Young and Kristine Felix have signed National Letters of Intent to attend and compete in track and field for Washington State University starting in the fall of 2012, Cougar Head Coach Rick Sloanannounced Monday.

Young is a sprinter at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Ill., and Felix is a two-time state pole vault champion from H.P. Baldwin High School in Wailuku, Hawai’i.

A three-time All-South Suburban Conference quartermiler, Young was the runner-up in the 400m dash at the Illinois state AA Championships last spring, running a lifetime-best time of 55.72 seconds. She had placed sixth in the 400m at the state meet as a sophomore. Young has also qualified for state competition in the long jump, triple jump, and as a member of the 1600m relay. Young plans to major in criminal justice at WSU. Continue reading →