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RIGHT NOW N O T H I N G E L S E VAULTER
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MATTERS TIME TO FLY
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CONTENTS t s u g u A
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12 FROM THE EDITOR
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THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE WATER
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THREE-TIME OLYMPIC TRIALS WINNER – THREE-TIME OLYMPIAN
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ARKANSAS FRESHMAN LEXI WEEKS HEADS TO RIO
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NO-HEIGHTING WAS NOT AN OPTION
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TEAM KENDRICKS HEADS TO RIO
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SANDI IS HEADED TO RIO!
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UNDERSTANDING DREADED RUN-THROUGHS
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8 Photo Art by Doug Bouma
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FROM THE EDITOR Is it really already August? This year is going by so fast! But what’s exciting about this August is the Rio Olympic Games. They’re finally here! This month’s magazine is full of all six USA Olympians who will be competing in Rio. All six of them have a quick story talking about their Road to Rio journey and how they competed the day of the Olympic Trials final.
Jenn Suhr and Sam Kendricks, the two first place finishers, are the best two to lead the pole vault team to success in Rio. Cale Simmons, Logan Cunningham, Sandi Morris, and Lexi Weeks are all incredible pole vaulters who no doubt will be tough competition. Be sure to read each one of their stories and show them your support. Don’t forget to follow them on their social media pages to keep up with their journey in Rio.
Men’s qualifying round in Rio is Day 2, Saturday the
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13th in the evening. The competition starts at 8:20pm. The men’s final will be that following Monday the 15th, Day 4, at 8:35pm.
Women’s qualifying round is Day 5, Tuesday the 16 at 9:45 in the morning. The finals will be the following Friday, Day 8, at 8:30 in the evening. Men’s Pole Bags at 2016 USA Olympic Trials © Drac Williams
Also, the pole vault for the Decathlon will be Day 7, Thursday the 18th at 1:25 in the afternoon if you are interested in watching Ashton Eaton compete. The timetable showing all the events is on the IAAF website for you to download.
We also have a new writer for the magazine. Robert Andrews is a Sports Injury Specialist and Performance Consultant at the Institute of Sports Performance in Houston, Texas. Robert has worked with athletes from all over the world. He has worked with pole vaulters, volleyball players, baseball players, the list goes on! He coached athletes who competed in the London Olympics and was lucky enough to travel with them to the Games. He currently works with Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez, two of our USA women gymnasts competing for Team USA in Rio, to name a couple. This month is the first article of Robert’s series, and he has written about run-throughs. Robert is very familiar with pole vaulters who can’t stop running through. He actually helped a girl, who had been running through for nine years, figure out what the cause of her run-throughs was and get off the ground. Can you imagine getting stuck in a run-through rut for nine years? Robert is very knowledgeable and breaks everything down so you can understand what exactly your mind and body are doing when you run-through and don’t know why. His articles will be worth every second of your time. Enjoy! We hope everyone enjoys the Olympics! If you’re lucky enough to be in Rio for the Games, please share pictures for all of us to see! Enjoy the August weather and good luck at any meets you will be competing in! Until next month, fly high! Editor Sadie Lovett Sadie@vaultermagazine.com
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AUGUSTWWW.UST-ESSX.COM 2016 ISSUE
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THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE WATER By: Sadie Lovett
There’s something about Placer County and its pole vaulters: 2000 gold medalist, Stacy Dragila, 2008 Olympian, Becky Holliday, and NCAA Champion, Scott Roth are all from Placer County. And just across the county line, Derek Miles. The Simmons family has three successful pole vaulters in their family. Cale and his twin brother Rob, and their older sister Rachel attended the Air Force Academy and all three of them currently serve our country. Rachel is third on the Air Force Academy’s all-time list with 12’10.25 and Rob had cleared 18’0 in his time.
Now, this family of pole vaulters has an Olympian. After graduating in 2012 with a school record and a 5th place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships, Lt. Cale Simmons was stationed at
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Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. Cale did not want to give up on pole vaulting, but it was hard to stay in shape. That’s when he applied for the Air Force World Class Athlete Program: a program designed to give Air Force athletes a chance to train for the Olympics full time. Cale was accepted into the program and he began his training in the Fall of 2015 with his Air Force coach, Scott Steffan. “He’s been saying ever since he came back that he’d make the Olympic team,” Coach Steffan said about Cale. Cale never let up. He wanted to be on the Olympic Team.
The window to clear the qualifying standard for the Trials was short. While others had from May 1, 2015 to July 11, 2016 to clear the qualifying standard, Cale had less time to get in shape and Olympic ready after his two-year break.
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Cale Simmons Cheering after A Successful Jump © Drac Williams
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Cale also had to focus on clearing the Olympic standard, 5.70m (18’8.5) before the US Trials. Even if he jumped the qualifying standard to compete at Trials and placed in the top three, that did not mean he would be on the Team: he had to clear the Olympic standard or higher first.
On June 26th, Cale cleared 5.72m (18’9.25) at a last-chance meet in Denver. With that, Cale could focus just on placing in the top three at the Trials. On the day of the finals, Cale was tied for third place. When the bar moved to 5.65m (18’6.5), Cale cleared it on his first attempt, which put him into second place behind Sam Kendricks. When he, Sam, and one other vaulter moved to the next height, Cale knew he had made the Team. Cale was on cloud 9 when he was attempting 5.70m: “I was trying to focus with the biggest smile on my face.” Now, Cale is representing his country in two ways. Cale shared this day with his parents and two younger sisters. His identical twin, Rob, was preparing to fly a C-17 to Qatar when Cale made the Olympic Team. Cale was able to talk to Rob before his flight, but they were not able to stay on the phone for that long because Cale was in drug testing.
Right now, Cale is taking it easy and is being cautious leading up to the Games. The last thing he wants to happen is to become injured, so he is focusing on his training and eating healthy to be in tip-top shape for Rio. Cale doesn’t know what the future holds for him after Rio. He has to finish the remaining two years of his Air Force commitment once the Games are over, but after that, Cale can continue to train and prepare for the 2020 Olympics.
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Cale Simmons - 2016 USA Olympic Trials © Drac Williams
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THREE-TIME OLYMPIC TRIALS WINNER –
THREE-TIME OLYMPIAN By: Sadie Lovett
Jenn Suhr is very familiar with the Olympic scene. The Rio Olympics will be her third time attending the Olympic Games. She is the reigning Olympic Champion and has a world record to chase. Jenn broke the Indoor World Record with 5.03m (16’6) in January this year—just three centimeters lower than Yelena’s world record of 5.06m. Not that anyone doubted that she would make the Team, Jenn officially punched her ticket to Rio when she won the Olympic Trials competition. The Trials victory was Jenn’s 17th national title— the most ever. Can you think of any other pole vaulter who has made it into three Olympics?
Even though Jenn had made the Olympic Team twice before, she still felt a lot of pressure going into the Trials. After qualifying, Jenn felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. “It’s a big relief. I don’t think people know the pressure that goes along with it,” Jenn said in an interview.
Jenn Suhr Smiles after She Clears a Bar at the 2016 World Indoor Championships Image by Doug Bouma
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The weather conditions for both the qualifying and final round competitions were less than ideal to say the least. There was a steady rain for the qualifying round, which either prevented the competition from continuing with several
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weather delays, or vaulters were forced to vault in the wet conditions. The final round competition wasn’t much better. There wasn’t any rain, but temperatures struggled to reached 60 degrees. For both competitions, Jenn had to wait for the bar to reach her opening height—staying warmed up and loose is not that easy when it is raining or when temperatures are cold. But Jenn went out and won the competition by jumping 4.80m (15’9). She tried to clear 4.85m (15’11), but failed at all three attempts. Jenn is sure that if the conditions in Rio are better, that she will jump much higher. “I’m definitely in 5-meter shape right now. These conditions were really tough and I can’t wait to get to a meet and jump something I’m capable of,” Jenn said in an interview.
“3X US Olympic Trials winner – 3X Olympian… This picture describes it best. People have no idea the pressure. Stress. Worry. After I won, I went over and hugged Rick and cried. It’s the first deep breath I took in months… behind the scenes isn’t as glamorous as the TV portrays. The intensity and the emotions are real and it doesn’t come easy. Rick and I have sacrificed more than what will ever be known to become
Jenn Suhr Clearing a Bar at The 2016 World Indoor Championships Image by Doug Bouma
a 3X Olympian for Team USA!” Jenn said in a post on FaceBook with a picture of Rick with his arm around her shoulders after the competition was over.
Team USA could not ask for a better pole vaulter to represent for a third time. Jenn knows
exactly what to do and what to expect at the Olympic Games. She will be the best role model for all the pole vaulters making their Olympic debut in Rio. It will also be very exciting to watch her defend her Olympic title and chase the World Record!
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CONTINUING THE POLE VAULT LEGACY – Arkansas Freshman Lexi Weeks Heads to Rio By: Sadie Lovett Competing in the rain is nothing for 19-year-old Lexi Weeks. She’s been there and done that at the NCAA Championships: a meet she won. So when it was raining during the Olympic Trials qualifying round, Lexi knew what to do.
Lexi just finished her freshman year at the University of Arkansas, though her freshman pole vault season has technically ended as well, she hasn’t had a break yet. The Indoor and Outdoor NCAA champion has had everyone’s attention since she was in high school, then even more so when she cleared 15 feet as a freshman.
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Easily clearing the Trials qualifying mark, Lexi headed back to Eugene with a dream. “Obviously everyone wants to make the team,” she said. But the field was full of professionals and Olympic hopefuls just like her. Sure she would be a competitor, but would she be good enough to make it into the top three? “I just wanted to go have fun,” Lexi said. At the qualifying rounds, Lexi jumped 14’5.25 and advanced to the finals two days later. For the finals, she and her coach, Coach Bryan Compton, looked at the height progressions and thought that they
would be perfect for Lexi. Lexi also knew that first attempt makes would be important if it all came down to misses.
On the day of the finals, Lexi channeled all of her energy into each jump and cleared each height on her first attempt. When the bar moved to 4.65m (15’3), Lexi was not fazed about it being a PR bar. Clearing it on her first attempt, Lexi was cheering before she hit the mat. The competition for the third spot on the Olympic team wasn’t over yet: there was still three more vaulter attempting that height. Lexi sat alongside the runway with Razorback
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WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Lexi Weeks Clebrates with Sister Tori after Lexi Cleared 15’1
Alums Sandi Morris and April Steiner Bennett. When the last competitor failed to clear their third attempt, Lexi made the connection that only she, Sandi, and Jenn Suhr were left in the competition and she burst into tears—she was headed to Rio.
But the excitement doesn’t end there. Lexi got all her emotions under control and cleared 5.70m (15’5) on her second attempt another PR—before ending the day on a good note. “I knew if I had a good day and had a PR, it was possible, but I didn’t think it would happen,” Lexi said.
Lexi has proven herself time and time again that she is a competitor and can be completely focused when she needs to be: in the rain, in the heat, in a competition full of professional athletes, Lexi can compete under the highest amount of pressure.
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FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW? Three of our USA pole vaulters are twins: Sam Kendricks, Cale Simmons, and Lexi Weeks.
With incredible support on social media and her hometown Cabot, Lexi and her family were able to book flights and accommodation in Rio for the Games. Alongside Lexi is Razorback alumna, and training partner, Sandi Morris who continues to encourage Lexi and boost her confidence. “I told you, you could do it! We are going to Rio!” Sandi posted on Instagram with a picture of her hugging Lexi on the mats after Lexi had cleared 4.70m. When Lexi was in high school, classmates always told her that they couldn’t wait to see her in the Olympics one
day. Lexi never took those comments seriously, but now it’s all really happening and those classmates will be able to watch her compete for Team USA in Rio.
Lexi has come a long way since 7th grade when she and her sister Tori started pole vaulting. Clearing just over 8 feet her first year vaulting to 15’5 her first year of college, it is safe to say that Lexi was meant to be a pole vaulter.
Lexi Weeks after Clearing 15’1”
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WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Lexi Weeks Clearing 15’1
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NO-HEIGHTING
WAS NOT AN OPTION By: Sadie Lovett Logan Cunningham started pole vaulting when he was in 7th grade. When he saw it, he knew that’s what he wanted to do.
There are several track athletes in Logan’s family, but he is the first pole vaulter. “I remember going to watch the track and field athletes when I first got started. My dad had taken me, and it really is what got me started. I would definitely credit my dad and my grandpa with getting me started in vaulting,” Logan said in an interview.
Logan attended Texas State where he was named FirstTeam All-American and set the school’s indoor pole vault record. In 2012, Logan qualified
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for the Olympic Trials. But because of terrible weather conditions, Logan, along with 12 other competitors, no-heighted in the qualifying round. The Olympic Trials is not the meet you want to no-height. But Logan held his head high. He may have no-heighted at the Olympic Trials, but the way he saw it was that he was ranked among the top 24 pole vaulters in the nation. That alone is an accomplishment.
Fast-forward four years to the months leading up to the 2016 US Olympic Trials, Logan has another chance to achieve his Olympic dream. In these months that lead up to the Trials, Logan was training hard to achieve his
Olympic dream. And on May 5th, he made that dream even more possible when he jumped the Olympic standard as well as a personal best of 5.71m (18’8.75) at the ALTIS Invitational in Phoenix. Now all Logan had to focus on was staying consistent and making the top three at the Trials.
“It’s been such a far off goal for so long, but now it’s like right here and right now. And I’m totally ready,” Logan said in an interview before leaving for the US Olympic Trials in Eugene.
On the day of the qualifying rounds, Logan easily made it into the top 12 and moved onto finals after clearing 5.40, 5.50, and 5.55m all on his first
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WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Logan Cunningham 2016 USA Olympic Trials Image by Drac
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attempt—no-heighting not an option this time.
was
The day of the final, Logan started the competition off a little shaky when he took three attempts to clear his opening height of 5.40m (17’8.5). But once he got the first bar under his belt, he was good to go. Logan cleared the next two bars on his first attempt, which put him into second place be-
fore he failed to clear 5.65m (18’6.5) and Cale Simmons had. Logan then had to wait. Mark Hollis had missed all his attempts at 5.65m as well, but Tray Oates from Samford boldly passed 5.65m to 5.70m in hopes to move his way into the top three. When Tray failed to clear all three of his attempts at 5.70m, Logan was the one who took the bronze because he had cleared 5.60m (18’4.5)
Logan Cunningham © Drac Williams
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on his first attempt where Tray and Mark cleared that height on their second attempt.
What a comeback. A noheight in 2012 to the Olympic Team just four years later. Hard work and dedication does pay off.
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Logan Mid-Jump at The 2016 USA Olympic Trials © Drac Williams
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2016 Vaulter Club Travel Team Left to right: Annie Abicca, Kaitlyn Swenson, Nico Fitzgerald, Allie Gray, Zack Volpe, Kevin Ward, Casey Bostick. Middle: Tammy Bader, Lauren Charney, Kaelyn McCann, Katrina Meier. Bottom: Nicole Silverlake, Kayelene Nicolazzi
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TEAM KENDRICKS HEADS TO RIO By: Sadie Lovett
Four years ago, Sam Kendricks missed out on competing in the 2012 Olympic Trials. He flew out to Eugene, ready to compete, but when he landed he found out that he had been bumped out. He was left sitting in the stands watching the competition. That day he set a goal and made a promise to himself that he would never be on the edge of the bubble again. For four years, Sam used that goal as motivation. On July 4th, the Second Lt. not only competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials, but he also won it punching his ticket to Rio. He also broke the meet record to boot. Sam easily vaulted his way into the finals by clearing all three of his heights on his first
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attempt at the qualifying round competition.
On the day of the finals, the sun was shining, and Sam was ready to go. Sam came in at opening height of 5.40m (17’8.5) and cleared everything on his first attempt until his jumps at 5.91m (19’4.75). Sam won the competition when he was the only vaulter to clear 5.70m (18’8.25), and he continued vaulting, moving the bar to 5.80m (19’0.25). After he cleared 5.80m on his first attempt, he chose 5.91m to be the next height. Sam was blowing up each height this day, so he had a good chance of breaking Tim Mack’s 2004 5.90m meet record. Sam cleared the height on his third attempt. Adrenaline pumping even more now,
Sam had the bar set to 6.00m (19’8.25), but he failed on all three attempts.
When Sam held the American flag after winning the competition, he held it high and proud. “I love to have the colors in my hands. I’m lucky and I’m very thankful for the grace to befall on me that I get to do this and compete for my country. My commitment to my country comes first and foremost,” Sam said in an interview. Sam gave thanks to his dad and coach who he hugged after he won. “I was lucky to have a coach who had a plan,” Sam said in an interview. Their goal for the Trials was to go out and jump bars just like in practice.
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Sam Staying Loose before Vaulting at USA Olympic Trials - Image by Drac
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Sam was the clear favorite to win the competition, especially since he is ranked second in the world. Sam also has quite the fan base, and he heard their support the day of the finals. Standing on the runway, Sam looked around him at all the people in the stands and heard their thunderous roar and the steady pace of their clap boosting his adrenaline that much more to clear the bar. “It made me feel like everyone was behind me, and that’s what I love about the pole vault. We get to be out there all day, and you can really feel the crowd get behind you,” Sam said.
After the Trials, Sam competed in a few European meets. Now he is home for some training before headed to Rio with his teammates. Second Lt. Kendricks already makes his country proud for his service in the Army. Now he gets to represent the USA in a second way doing what he does best. Rio better be ready—Team Kendricks is about to make history.
Sam Kendricks © Drac Williams
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WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Sam Kendricks Clearing a Bar at The 2016 USA Olympic Trials © Drac Williams
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SANDI IS HEADED TO RIO! By: Sadie Lovett
Staying updated on Sandi Morris’s outdoorseason success was not hard at all. Sandi had jumped her way to the top of the world leading list—she was on fire!
Then everything came to an abrupt halt. Everyone remembers her meet in the Czech Republic when her pole broke. Videos were posted, she dropped out of the competition, and everyone was worried. Sandi kept us up-to-date on everything that was going on via social media, saying that her shoulder got a good smack and her wrist was sore and swollen, but she was fine and going to see the doctor. After seeing the doctor, Sandi announced that she had fractured her wrist. What was going to happen? The Olympic Trials were seven weeks away and she couldn’t vault.
Sandi Morris Warming Up at The 2016 World Indoor Championships Image by Doug Bouma
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But was that going to stop her? No! She went through endless amounts of treatment and never stopped the training that did not require her wrist—weight lifting, check! Sprint workouts,
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Sandi Morris - 2016 Indoor Nationals - Image by Doug Bouma
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check! One-handed drills, check! Sandi never lost her positive attitude.
FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW? Tim Mack was alongside the runway when Sam was attempting to break Tim’s meet record at the Olympic Trials. Tim was also the person to place the gold medal around Sam’s neck at the awards ceremony.
Some anxiety kicked in when the Trials were only a few weeks away and she hadn’t had a vault practice yet. Would Sandi get any vault practices in before heading to Eugene? The doctor hadn’t even cleared her to try vaulting yet. But Sandi stayed positive, as always, keeping everyone in the loop of what was happening and reassured us that her wrist was on the right track to be ready. Sure enough, just two weeks before the Trials, Sandi had her first vault practice. “I was able to vault from short approach today with just a little tension in the wrist but hardly any pain!” she said in an Instagram post along with a video of her vaulting. What a huge relief! When the Trials came, Sandi’s doctor told her that her wrist was fine, but it would ache. At this point, Sandi just needed to block out any pain and do what she does best.
At the qualifying rounds, there was a steady rain during the competition. But Sandi kept a level head. She passed the first two heights of the competition and opened at
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4.40m (14’5.25). Just to keep things interesting—to see how many peoples’ stomach would drop really—Sandi missed her first attempt. But then she easily qualified for finals by clearing her second attempt. On the day of the finals, Sandi had a solid competition with only one miss at her opening height, and then when she went out at 4.85m (15’11). Sandi placed second at the Trials landing herself a spot on Team USA, and proving that her injury would no end her season. Sandi’s mighty comeback doesn’t end with making the Olympic Team. On July 23, in Houston, Sandi blew up the runway by taking back her world leading spot with a massive jump of 4.93m surpassing Yelena Isinbayeva’s jump of 4.90m. Not only that, but she broke the Outdoor American Record previously held by Jenn Suhr at 4.92m. “I’m crying you guys!! I just broke the American Record!!” Sandi tweeted. Sandi is right where she needs to be for Rio. What broken wrist?
Sandi is back on the runway with an entirely new fire. Look out, Rio, Sandi is coming for you!
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UNDERSTANDING DREADED RUNTHROUGHS By: Robert Andrews, The Institute of Sports Performance, Houston, Texas
There is nothing more frustrating, devastating, and embarrassing for a vaulter then involuntarily running through on jumps. Run-throughs destroy confidence and frustrate coaches. They mysteriously come and go, and take up critical brainpower as the athlete stresses about the next episode and when it might un-expectantly show up. Gaining an understanding of the causes of run-throughs can help athletes and coaches minimize and in some cases eliminate runthroughs all together.
The first thing to understand about runthroughs is that the athlete is not choosing to run-through. The athlete’s brain is distressed and overloaded so it fires brain circuits that prevent the vaulter from going up on the jump. As much as they want to jump, they don’t.
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This can bring on negative scrutiny from coaches and teammates who think they need to “just jump!” Run-throughs can cause frustration and embarrassment for athlete and coach. I have seen similar mental blocks with cheerleaders who can’t backward tumble, gymnasts who can’t perform backward skills on floor or beam, baseball and softball players who can’t throw a ball effectively, and golfers who can’t swing a golf club.
Critical Stress
In looking at causes, we have to look at the diathesis stress model. This model says that we all have certain predispositions to certain things and that it takes a certain level of stress for this predisposition or tendency to kick in. If we have a low predisposition for something, it
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takes a high level of stress for the symptoms to kick in. If we have a high predisposition, it takes a low level of stress for the symptoms to kick in.
In the case of pole-vaulters, those who run-through have a predisposition to run-through on attempted jumps. Their stress levels hit critical levels and the predisposition to runthrough is activated. Much like an illness that lies dormant until stress levels get high enough for the illness to kick in.
Causes
Causes of the predisposition to run through can be obvious or not so obvious. Obvious signs might be a pole break, suffering a serious injury like a broken ankle, torn ACL, or head injury on a fall. Sometimes conflict between athlete and coach generates enough stress run-throughs to kick in.
Not so obvious stressors can be moving up a pole, competition among teammates, transitioning to college, overload from class schedules, workout schedules, and travel demands.
I have talked with vaulters who experience run-throughs who tell me about family and relationship problems that create enough stress for the pre-disposition to kick in. Other athletes create critical stress by engaging in destructive negative thinking and negative mental imagery. They think too much about running through, falling, and getting injured. They see negative images of these experiences in their mind. This powerful combination creates enough stress for the pre-disposition to runthrough to kick in.
Brain Functioning
When stress levels hit critical mass, a part of the brain the limbic system, is activated that is designed to keep us safe and keep us alive. It interprets jumping as a threat because it is too busy trying to process an overload of stressful information. Much like a computer that is running too many programs in the background. This part of the brain shuts down the athlete’s ability to jump. In most cases, the athlete does not jump no matter how hard they try. Forcing the issue only increases stress
and makes things worse. So punishment, harsh or shaming comments from coaches or teammates, negative self-talk, and emotional outburst only make things worse.
Getting Better
The key to solving runthrough issues and minimizing future episodes is to identify stressors in the athlete’s life. Once identified, take action to minimize the impact these stressors have on the athlete’s mental and emotional resources for performance. Think about each stressor as a power chord that drains energy out of the athlete’s energy system. Serious falls and injuries take up a tremendous amount of power. Stressors like competition, moving up a pole, or school demands still take up energy, but not as much as a torn ACL or broken ankle.
Addressing stressors channels mental and emotional energy back into training and performance. The system is recharged. Calming stress levels helps calm the athletes mind.
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WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Sandi Morris does a Run-Through during Warmups at The Reno Pole Vault Summit
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