D.C. Vault Washington, DC Head Coach: Edward Luthy
Josh Weinstein While playing on a playground at age 6, Josh Weinstein saw DC Vault athletes training at the adjacent facility. After watching the practice, he began harassing his mother daily, asking if he could pole vault. His parents finally acquiesced and reached out to ask if we would train someone his age. We agreed and he began practicing shortly after. Training was not easy for Josh initially. Due to other commitments, he could not train locally in DC and had to travel late on Sunday evenings, an hour away to one of our satellite facilities north of Baltimore - at age 6 mind you. Additionally, when we first met Josh, we learned that he had been diagnosed with ADHD, making it hard for him to focus.
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Now age 11, Josh has grown physically and matured mentally. Watching him many times with a look of determination on his face, as he fights to focus in order to perform to the best of his ability during practice, has been impressive. Many of us don’t realize how easy day-to-day activities can be for us and we take things for granted. But when we see someone like Josh not only succeed, but excel when he has to work so much harder than most others do, is inspirational.
Our coaching staff and other athletes exercised a lot of patience the first few seasons, as Josh was often distracted during practice and extremely full of energy. But as time went on, he became more focused and obsessed with learning to vault properly and achieve higher heights. Season after season, Josh’s determination has only grown. He is so committed to his training that his family has to drive him back to practice even when they are hours away on vacation. He is currently preparing for his first competition of the season, and the DMV Pole Vault Championships in June.
Photo provided by D.C. Vault
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