Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 04, 2012–DISC Sports & Spine Center (DISC) today released a story chronicling two-time World Champion and London 2012 hopeful Brad Walker on his journey to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The latest “Champion Care” athlete video being debuted by DISC, Walker’s story details his assent as the world’s best pole vaulter, North American record holder and six-time U.S. pole vault champion whose career nearly ended due to a crash that injured his pelvis and ruptured a disc in his back. For Walker, who was already dealing with a disc bulge in his neck, the new injuries added even more strain and put his future success in jeopardy. After undergoing minimally invasive back surgery (microdiscectomy) at DISC, he had a successful 19’ jump to win the elite Pole Vault Summit in January and is a gold medal favorite for this summer’s Olympic Games. more
Daily Archives: June 5, 2012
Leleux named regional women’s track athlete of the year
Georgia freshman pole vaulter Morgann Leleux has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, according to an announcement on Monday.
Leleux, a New Iberia, La., native, caps her first season with the Lady Bulldogs by competing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Wednesday in Des Moines. She is also pushing for a shot at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., in late June.
Leleux was recently named the Southeastern Conference Female Freshman Field Athlete of the Year after upsetting Arkansas senior Tina Sutej, who is the collegiate record holder and two-time NCAA champion, in the finals. Leleux topped her own school record with a first attempt clearance of 14 feet, 6 3/4 inches to win the SEC title and set a Bernie Moore Stadium record in LSU’s facility.
This is the sixth-best mark for an American in 2012 as Leleux is currently holding down the No. 24 spot on the world performance list.
She has won three this year, also finishing with runner-up honors with a 14-5.25 clearance versus a professional field at the Drake Relays. more
Texas St. vaulter eyes NCAA title
SAN MARCOS — Texas State pole vaulter Logan Cunningham has walked away from competitions before, head down, feeling a knot of disappointment in the pit of his stomach.
He has suffered through long slumps that have left him bewildered, wondering what has gone wrong.
“Sometimes you can lose your confidence,” he said recently. “When that happens, you just have to continue to believe in yourself. You have to believe you’ll come out of it.”
Lately, Cunningham has started to win most of the mental battles.
In fact, the junior from Smithson Valley said he thinks he can emerge with a victory at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week.
He said his goal is a personal record of better than 18 feet, 13/4 inches and a title for Texas State. more
Irwin earns regional honor
DES MOINES, Iowa – In recognition of his standout 2012 season, Andrew Irwin was voted the USTFCCCA South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year, as announced Monday when the organization released its regional awards for the outdoor season. It is the first such honor for the Razorback freshman who is now eligible for national selection. The USTFCCCA awards are voted on by the nation’s coaches.
Irwin was the Southeastern Conference champion in the pole vault. He leads the NCAA with an American junior-record clearance of 5.72m/18-9.25, nearly seven inches higher than the second-ranked collegiate performer this year. With that performance, he improved upon his own school record and hit the Olympic Games ‘A’ standard. Irwin completed a sweep of the SEC indoor and outdoor titles in the pole vault.
The Mount Ida, Ark., is currently tied for the top jump by an American this year and tied for the third-best mark in the world with his performance at the SEC Championships. This latest honor adds to the list of accolades for the Irwin during the outdoor season that includes being voted the SEC Field Athlete and Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, receiving First Team and All-Freshman conference honors, twice being named SEC Field Athlete of the Week and once earning SEC Freshman Athlete of the Week. Continue reading
Ehrisman Promoted To USF Track Coach
SIOUX FALLS — University of Sioux Falls athletic department announced the promotion of assistant track and field coach Reid Ehrisman to the head men’s and women’s track and field coach position. Previous head coach Gene Brooks will remain on staff in an assistant role, as he has also accepted a new position as USF’s Vice President of Student Development.
Ehrisman has spent the last five seasons in an assistant position for the Cougars’ track and field team and has served as the assistant head coach since 2008. Specializing in Pole Vault, Ehrisman has also taken additional duties, including the track and field team’s recruiting coordinator.
Under Ehrisman’s guidance, USF pole vaulting program has emerged as one of the nation’s best, accumulating 34 national qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, 11 top-10 NAIA National Championship finishes, and two outright National Championships. Continue reading
3rd USD athlete hits ‘B’ standard
Freshman Emily Grove became the third University of South Dakota track and field athlete to attain a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard this spring, accomplishing the feat Saturday in Yankton. Grove, from Pontiac, Ill., cleared 14 feet, 2 inches (4.32 meters) in the pole vault to surpass the U.S. Olympic Trials “B” standard of 4.30.Grove joins junior Alexa Duling of Gregory and sophomore Bethany Buell of St. Louis, Mo., in reaching the qualifying standards. Duling accomplished the feat in the 400-meter hurdles (57.40) at the NCAA West Preliminaries, while Buell cleared 14-3½ in the pole vault at the Long Beach State Invitational on April 21.The “B” standard is a provisional standard. It depends on how many attain the “A” standard prior to the Trials to determine if the three will qualify. The Trials are June 21-July 1 in Eugene, Ore.All three will compete at the NCAA Championships starting Wednesday in Des Moines. more
Miller Signs with High Point University
Herndon High School senior Austin Miller has signed a letter of intent to compete in track and field at High Point University near Greensboro, North Carolina.Miller is the District Champion in indoor and outdoor for the pole vault. He is also the outdoor Regional pole vault champion. This past weekend he place third in the Virginia High School State Championships, vaulting 14-ft, 6-inches.Miller also played varsity boys lacrosse at Herndon High School, making him a three-sport letter winner for the Hornets.Jonathan Frohm, HHS director of student activities, says, “We look for him to have an amazing collegiate career in Track and Field at High Point University.” more
Robinson inks with Gardner-Webb
ICARD, NC –East Burke High record-setting pole vaulter Kailey Robinson signed a national letter of intent Friday to continue on at the collegiate level in track and field at Gardner-Webb University.“Gardner-Webb is getting the total package, as well as a very hard worker,” said East Burke head track coach Odell Williams. “(Kailey) has that hate-to-lose attitude, which is very vital to being a great competitor.”This spring, Robinson tied the 2A state girls pole vault record twice (10 feet, six inches) and won the event at the 2A West Regional with a mark of 10 feet flat.She was also a member of the Lady Cavaliers’ Catawba Valley 2A Conference championship 4×400 meter relay team. The relay team won seven times total in 2012, also including the East Burke Invitational and Hibriten’s C.W. Porter Relays. They took second at regionals.After coming down with a late-season ankle injury, Robinson battled through the competition at the 2A state championships to still finish fourth place.“I visited Gardner-Webb last Monday, and I loved the campus,” said Robinson. “I also was able to talk to the pole vault coach Mary Wood. … I’m so excited to have the opportunity to pole vault during my college career.”“I plan to vault at GWU and use the skills that I learned from Coach Williams and Coach (Andy) Sparks,” Robinson added. “I also plan to experience great friendships with the Gardner-Webb track team just like I have at East Burke.”From the News Herald more
Pole Vault in Cornwall Canada
CORNWALL — It’s a sport that, out of necessity, requires plenty of dedication. From both the athletes, and the coach.Somewhat surprising then, that pole vaulting has grabbed such a foothold in these parts. Most area high schools don’t offer it as part of their track and field program, due in large part to the lack of equipment, facilities and coaching. Still, of the 13 SD&G athletes who qualified for the Ontario high school track and field championships (OFSAA) last week at the East Regionals, six are pole vaulters.Of the six, three are from Char-Lan District High School (William Lecky in senior boys, Ally Lecky in junior girls and Brett Lapointe in junior boys) and three are from North Dundas District High School (Anja Manuel in senior girls, Daniel Trumper in junior boys and Connor Findlay in midget boys).There is one common denominator of course, and that is Rory Blackadder, the track and field coach who has promoted the sport wherever he has taught/coached. He is now at North Dundas, following a stint at Char-Lan. Get ready those wearing the blue and gold of the Saints, Blackadder is moving to St. Lawrence Secondary School next year. And yes, he plans on introducing pole vaulting to the phys-ed curriculum.“We’ll try to get them going there,” said Blackadder on Monday, from North Dundas. “I think it will be fun.”Not that Blackadder will abandon those he’s coached previously. He will continue to offer the sport to any athletes in the Upper Canada District School Board who are willing to commit to the training.For the past few years, there has been an informal pole vaulting club in the area. So informal in fact, it doesn’t have a name. From The Standard Freeholder more
