Renaud the great: Olympic Champ
Daily Archives: September 7, 2012
Pole Vaulting’s Elite 18-Member 6-Meter Club
- Even though the 6-meter (19-8¼) barrier was first broached 27
years ago, the membership has swollen to only 18 in all the time since then, with Björn Otto this week becoming the first newbie in 3 years. The U.S. membership is just 4, with no new members in 7 years.
The chronological roster (with height cleared in that meet):
1. Sergey Bubka (Ukraine) 7/13/85 (19-8¼ | 6.00)
2. Rodion Gataullin (Russia) 1/22/89 (19-8¼ | 6.00i)
3. Okkert Brits (South Africa) 7/29/95 (19-8¼ | 6.00[A])
4. Igor Trandenkov (Russia) 7/04/96 (19-8½ | 6.01)
5. Maksim Tarasov (Russia) 7/16/97 (19-8¼ | 6.00)
6. Tim Lobinger (Germany) 8/24/97 (19-8¼ | 6.00)
7. Dmitri Markov (Belarus) 2/20/98 (19-8¼ | 6.00)
8. Jeff Hartwig (US) 6/04/98 (19-8¼ | 6.00) Continue reading
Former Oregon assistant on Cal Poly staff
Jenni Ashcroft will coach pole vaulters. When Jordan Hasay got back from a family trip to the London Olympics, she was surprised to turn on her phone and find a message from a friend and former coach. Jenni Ashcroft was coming to San Luis Obispo.Hasay, a senior track and field standout at Oregon and arguably the Central Coast’s most decorated high school product ever during a four-year Mission Prep career, was a little jealous not to be returning home herself.But Hasay has unfinished business in Eugene, and she knew it was a good move for Ashcroft, who accepted a job as an assistant track and field coach at Cal Poly.A former All-American women’s pole vaulter at Nevada, Ashcroft, 32, was an assistant cross country coach the past two seasons at Oregon, where she also mentored middle distance runners on the track and 2010 national championship pole vaulter Melissa Gergel.Ashcroft worked closely with Hasay, a Pac-12 cross country champion and multi-time indoor national track champion.“When you talk about being part of a team, a lot of different things go into an athlete’s performance as far as family, coaching and support staff,” Hasay said. “I think with Jenni, that’s where it really showed, how there’s so much behind an athlete. MORE
The Titanic played a hand in UCLA track coach Jim Bush winning NCAA titles
How did the Titanic almost keep UCLA from having the most national championships in college sports? Ask Jim Bush, former Bruins track and field coach. Bush, a member of the National Track Hall of Fame, said that his grandmother was left on the dock in England when the Titanic sailed. “She had her luggage stolen on the dock, so she couldn’t go,” said Bush, who will turn 86 on Sept. 15. “My mom was just a little girl then.” Bush’s grandfather had already emigrated to the United States. He was working for Hills Bros. Coffee when he sent for his wife and daughter. Bush was born in 1926, 14 years after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. “My grandmother and mom would have had tickets on the lower part of the ship, where everyone died,” Bush said. “The first time I heard that story was the day I started believing in God.” Bush spent 20 years as the Bruins’ coach and helped develop some of the top track and field athletes in the United States, sending 21 athletes to the Olympics. His teams also won five NCAA titles. UCLA has 109 national titles. USC has 106. more
Ormstown vaulter brings home gold
The first gold medal to be awarded at the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships, held from August 17 to 19 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was presented to pole vaulter Samuel Burton of Ormstown. The athlete, who will be starting Grade 10 this fall at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School, managed to out jump a number of competitors to land on the podium at his first national championships, and as a relative newcomer to the sport at fifteen-years-old.
“It was a great experience,” says Burton, recounting his time in PEI and his very fast ascent to the top of the standings in the U16 pole vault. “You are basically doing every event,” he says, describing why he loves the sport. “You have to be half sprinter and half jumper at the same time,” he adds, noting that he also enjoys being up in the air. Continue reading
Acting Is Like Pole Vaulting
Acting is Like Pole Vaulting. How in the world is acting like pole vaulting? It is similar in that it takes tremendous skill, talent and especially trust. When I was in High School I was on the track team. My favorite event, and probably my best, was pole vaulting. It was a very difficult sport that took longer to learn than most. It took me nearly four years, until my senior year, before I felt comfortable and talented as a competitive pole vaulter. I’ll explain why, but first a bit of histroy. Back when Olympic pole vaulting began in the late 1800’s vaulters used wooden poles, which often would break. Then somewhere along the line someone had the great idea to use aluminum which led to less breakage and higher vaults. Even so, the heights vaulters were clearing in those days were no where near what we do today. Why, because the poles didn’t bend. Pole vaulters would race down the runway, plant their aluminum pole in the box (which always let out a loud clank) and then tried to muscle themselves over the bar. Once fiberglass poles were invented, everything changed. Now when a pole vaulter plants his pole it immediately bends. Then, as the pole straightens again it shoots the vaulter into the air like an arrow from a bow. That extra boost nearly doubled the heights that vaulters were clearing in the aluminum days. Continue reading
Feofanova blames London 2012 organizers for triple fracture
Russia’s Sevetlana Feofanova says the poor placement of the pole vault area not only prevented her from doing well at the London Olympics, but also led to a serious injury.“It was a strange Olympics for me as it ended without actually being able to begin,” Feofanova told Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper. “I was in good shape and should’ve jumped 4.80-4.85 meters there.” “I’m sure that the pole vault area was placed wrongly. I only wish we had good lawyers,” she added.The Russian, who has silver from Athens 2004 and bronze from Beijing 2008 on her tally, was among the medal hopefuls in London as well.But she couldn’t even make it through qualification, blaming the wind, blowing right in the face, for the weak result.“And the wind was very strong and gusting, there were clouds over the stadium and the umbrellas were flying on the training pitch,” the 32-year-old remembered. “Believe me, it’s not the type of wind you can ignore and keep competing.”“For my height and weight such conditions are just fatal, which proved itself in no time,” she added.Feofanova felt a pain in the knee after the landing and consulted the doctors, with both British and Russian national team specialist saying it’s nothing serious.But another examination on her return to Moscow revealed that the athlete had suffered a triple fracture.Jennifer Suhr of the US managed to adjust to the difficult conditions in London better than the others as she cruised to gold with a rather average result of 4.75 meters.Yarisley Silva of Cuba took silver, while favorite and world record holder (5.06m), Elena Isinbayeva of Russia settled for the bronze medal more
