MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
1
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
Your new (longer) pole; the first jump. You can do this.
TIME TO FLY
2
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
CONTENTS
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
32
FROM THE EDITOR
4
SETTING NEW WORLD RECORDS
8
IT’S IN HIS BLOOD
14
4.88 WELCOMES DEMI INTO THE 16-FOOT CLUB
22
FROM THE GROUND UP
28
THE FRESHMAN MOVING MOUNTAINS
32
22 16 8
14
Cover photo by Randy Miyazaki
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
3
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
FROM THE EDITOR The last month for the polevault world has been crazy! National Records being broken, vaulters making history! 2015 was said to be the year of pole vault, but whoever said that spoke too soon! There have already been massive jumps and it’s only indoor season. This month we have articles on several different vaulters who have grabbed everyone’s attention.
First we have 16-year-old, Mondo Duplantis. Growing up surrounded by pole vault, Mondo took to the sport naturally and has been known ever since he broke his first age-group record at age seven. We all saw the videos or heard about his recent 18’0 jump as a high school sophomore, and we all were amazed. It is amazing to think that someone that young is jumping elite-level bars. We will be seeing even bigger jumps from him in the future! Lexi Weeks is another vaulter who has recently made history. This Razorback freshman broke the NCAA Freshman Collegiate
4
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
Record by jumping 15’1. Just 19 years old, Lexi is at the top of the leaderboard in the NCAA. Lexi had set her goal early in the preseason wanting to clear the 15-foot mark, but never imagined to meet that goal at her fourth college meet. We have not seen the end of this freshman. She still has outdoor season and three more years after that! We also have the next article in Michael Soule’s series. This month, as he writes to the people who want to get back into pole vaulting, he tells those how to find a facility to train. He also explains how to lift and train effectively, and in a way that will help you improve and not hurt you. It is important that we listen to our bodies and know where our limits are. The last thing we want to do is train too hard and not be able to compete. In this article, Michael explains how to know where our limits are. Also, finding a facility to train can be challenging, but having trouble finding one is not a reason to be discouraged. Michael knows how to look for places to train,
and in this article, he teaches you how to do it too. Another great article encouraging those to get back into pole vaulting— check it out!
Next we have Jenn Suhr. Everyone knows this vaulter. This American record holder is making more history. January 30th, Jenn broke her own Indoor World Record. Jenn is now the leading vaulter in the world thus far. It is only early in the 2016 season, and big bars have already been made! Training hard at drills and vault practices, Jenn is not done and will be making more big bars this year. She is so close to breaking the world record, and she has everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for the day that she does! Last but not least, we have Demi Payne. Where do we begin with this amazing vaulter? She amazed the pole-vault world with her incredible comeback after having her daughter, Charlee. Then she had an unbelievable 2015 season. Now she started the 2016 season even faster and stronger, and
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
on February 6, she vaulted into a whole new level of pole vault: the 16 Foot Club. She is one of six women to ever clear the 16foot mark. But she didn’t stop at 16’0 (4.88). No, she has her sights set on 5 meters. So ‘see ya’ 4.88, she’s now onto 4.90 (16’0.75) and by the time you all are reading this, probably into the 5 meters! This vaulter is moving on up so fast, that the media can’t even keep up with her. By the time one article is published, it’s already old news because she cleared a higher bar. Don’t get in this vaulter’s way because this girl is determined! It is amazing to think how far women’s pole vault has come. It is amazing to think how far high school pole vault has come. This year we could see the first women over 17 feet and the youngest pole vaulter in the Olympics. These vaulters are only a few who are pushing the barrier. The Olympic Trials this year will be incredible and full of outstanding vaulters. Imagine what bars will be cleared between now and the Trials. But until next month, continue to tear it up and get closer to achieving your goals. Editor Sadie Lovett Sadie@vaultermagazine.com
Sandi Morris, 2016 Pole Vault Summit
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
5
VAULTER
MAGAZINE Madison Kast sporting the Vaulter Magazine Tattoo
6
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Representing the magazine with a tatoo at the pole vault summit
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
7
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
SETTING NEW WORLD RECORDS By: Sadie Lovett
Jennifer ‘Jenn’ Suhr – a vaulter with a long list of accomplishments. A pole vaulter everyone knows. She is the current Olympic Champion, and has been number one in the world for the last two years. She has been the number one American vaulter since 2006, and has won 15 US National Championships. Jenn was always involved in sports starting at a young age. In high school she played softball, basketball, soccer, and track and field—three spring sports! Her senior year she won the New York State pentathlon title in 2000. Jenn went to Roberts Wesleyan College where she competed in track and field and basketball. For the 2003-04 season of basketball, Jenn lead her team to the NCCAA Championship game.
8
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
It was not until 2004 that she started pole vaulting with Coach Rick Suhr. In 2005, Jenn competed at the USA Indoor Championships as an unseeded competitor. Jenn won the US title having only trained for 10 months prior to the competition. Later that year, Jenn won the pole vault title at NAIA Nationals.
2006 was her first post-collegiate year. Coach Rick Suhr helped support her career financially. Almost every meet that indoor season, Jenn would set a new PR. That season she became the second best American with a jump of 4.68 (15’4) behind Stacy Dragila. She won the USA Outdoor Championship title that year as well.
In 2007, Jenn broke her first American pole vault record by
jumping 4.84 (15’11), beating the previous record by 1cm. That mark did not last long. Two weeks later, she broke her own record with 4.88 (16’0), becoming the second highest vaulter in the world and the second woman vaulter to jump the 16-foot barrier.
In 2008, Jenn competed against Russian vaulter and world record holder, Yelena Isinbayeva at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. Both cleared 4.75 (15’7), but Yelena placed 1st based on attempts. Jenn broke her own record countless times that year, but could never clear the bar needed to break the world record. At the Olympics in Beijing, Yelena broke her own world record by jumping 5.05 (16’6.75), which was later broken in Zürich by Yelena in August of 2009 with
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Jenn Suhr completing the vault in 2012 Olympics
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
9
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
a jump of 5.06 (16’7). Winning countless titles, Jenn won her first Olympic gold at the 2012 London Olympics with a jump of 4.75 (15’7). Finally, in 2013, Jenn broke Yelena’s Indoor World Record with a vault of 5.02 (16’5.5), which also made her the second woman vaulter to ever jump over 5 meters. Now in 2016, on January 30th, Jenn broke her own Indoor World Record by jumping 5.03 (16’6). So far, that is the highest vault in the world this year. Thus far, she is the only vaulter over 5 meters, but her competitors are not far behind her—13cm to be exact. 24-year-old vaulter, Demi Payne and Greek vaulter, Katerina Stephanidi are right behind Jenn with 4.90 (16’0.75) jumps.
Jenn is only 3cm (1 inch) away from breaking the world record. Jenn has a number of meets to jump that bar. Coach and husband, Rick Suhr knows what he is doing and knows what training to have Jenn do to get her where she needs to be. The world record jump can’t be too far into the future. That bar is right at Jenn’s fingertips, and she has the capability to take it. Jenn is so close,
10
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
that she needs to be practicing at heights that will get her to that jump, but she is so close to hitting the ceiling in her indoor facility! A couple weeks ago, a video was posted showing just how little room there is between the bungee and the ceiling. There is room for her to safely jump, but if she improves too much more, she will be too good for her own training facility.
Luckily, warmer weather is not too far away and she can move her pits outside where no ceiling is keeping her bottled up, where nothing will confine her, where the sky is the limit! We all know that she will soon have the world record. We all want it for her. Hopefully, for us at home, she will break it at a meet that has coverage of pole vault because that will be a jump everyone will want to see. This legend pole vaulter has so much left in her. Who knows where the next couple years will lead. Will she lead the American vaulters over the 17-foot mark? How many more of her records will she break? Time will tell. I just hope to be at a meet to witness one of her history-making jumps.
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Jenn Suhr Swinging Up at the 2012 Olympics
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
11
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
12
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Pole Vault Clinics & Camps
“The Unfair Advantage!” 803.315.5998
www.ShealyAthletics.com
85 SCHS State Champions, 11 National Champions, and 3 “Team USA” (World Team) since 1998.
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
13
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
IT’S IN HIS
BLOOD By: Sadie Lovett
Raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis started pole vaulting at 4 years old.
With a pit at his house, and three close family members involved in pole vault, Mondo has pole vaulting in his blood. Both of his brothers and his father pole vault(ed). His brother Andreas vaulted for Sweden in 2009 at the Youth Championships and in 2012 at Youth Worlds. His father, Greg vaulted for LSU and has a PR of 5.80 (19’0.25). Mondo is surrounded by people who guide him to success. He picked it up naturally, and soon became known by everyone in the pole-vaulting world.
14
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
When he was seven, Mondo broke his first age-group world record. At age 10, he jumped 3.86 (12’8). Jumping that high that young, people agreed that he was incredible, but some also thought that he would
plateau. But onward and upward he went, never giving up and always improving. He holds the age-group world records for ages 7-12, and Freshman Class and now Sophomore Class Records.
Age Group
Height in Meters
Height in Feet
7
2.33
7’8
9
3.20
10’6
3.91
12’10
8 10
11
2.89 3.86
9’6
12’8
12
3.97
13’0.25
Sophomore
5.50
18’0.5
Freshman
5.30
17’4.5
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
In 2015, his freshman year at Lafayette High School, he set national freshman records for both Indoors and Outdoors and was named Gatorade Louisiana Boys Track and Field Athlete of The Year.
Tommy Dial and Mondo Duplantis at the 2015 Pole Vault Summit
Mondo has dual citizenship for both America and Sweden. In June 2015, Mondo announced that he would pole vault for Sweden. That year, Mondo represented Sweden in the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia and won the gold with a jump of 5.30 (17’4.5), which was a PR by 2cm and a new championship record. At the 2016 Reno Pole Vault Summit, Mondo cleared 17’6 to win his pit. He then moved the bar to 17’10, but missed all three attempts even though he had an incredible amount of room between him and the bar.
It was only a matter of time before everything fell into place. On February 6, 2016, Mondo amazed the pole-vault world by clearing 5.50 (18’0.5) as a high school sophomore at the LSU High School Last Chance Qualifier in Baton Rouge. With that jump, Mondo broke numerous records. He broke the previous state record of 17’1 set by Devin King back
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
15
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW
There are 6 women who have cleared 4.88 (16’0): Yelena Isinbayeva Jennifer Suhr Yarisley Silva Katerina Stefanidi Demi Payne Svetlana Feofanova
16
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
in 2013. He broke his family record that his father had at 17’11.75. He broke his own personal record that most likely won’t last very long. Then he broke the Indoor National High School Record. Mondo’s jump at 5.50 was comfortably cleared showing much more room for improvement. Mondo’s high school track coach, Coach Ron Baillargeron, said that Mondo is one of the most talented athletes he has ever coached. Mondo’s dad, Greg, is his pole vault coach, but Mondo is still a valuable athlete to the high school team.
The next two bars Mondo should be aiming for is the Outdoor National High School Record held by Canadian vaulter, Shawn Barber, and the Junior World Record recently set by Greek vaulter, Emmanouil Karalis. Shawn set the national record of 5.57 (18’3.5) at his last high school meet before heading to the University of Akron when he competed at the AAU National Junior Olympics. 16 year-old Emmanouil set a new Junior World Record on February 13, 2016 with a jump of 5.53 (18’1.75).
With so much more in him, and records at his fingertips, Mondo will continue to amaze us. Who knows where he will end up. Will he be the youngest pole vaulter to compete at the Olympics? Will he clear 6 meters before he is 21? Time will tell, but it is safe to say that he will be jumping more big bars in the near future.
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Noa Toledo
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
17
VAULTER
MAGAZINE Representing the magazine with a tatoo at the pole vault summit
18
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Representing the magazine with a tatoo at the pole vault summit
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
19
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
20
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
Demi Payne WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
21
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
4.88 WELCOMES DEMI INTO THE 16-FOOT CLUB By: Sadie Lovett
The name ‘Demi Payne’ is not new to us. She was one of the top vaulters last year— one who had everyone waiting every weekend for meet results or videos to be posted to see what bars she cleared. She was all over social media, and still is,—videos posted, tweets made—have you seen this girl vault? The Stephen F. Austin State University vaulter has one more collegiate outdoor season and everyone is ready for it. Everyone is ready to see what records she will break and how far into the 16 Foot Club she will go.
22
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
The daughter of U.S. pole vaulter, Bill Payne, Demi grew up with a pole vault pit in her backyard. But it wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that her father finally convinced Demi to try pole vault: “He’d always tell me I had the tools to be a champion.” Obviously taking to it quickly, Demi graduated high school and attended the University of Kansas for two and a half years where she was a mid-13-foot vaulter. She never broke the 14-foot barrier at Kansas, but pole vault was not number one. Her attitude changed when she had her daughter Charlee
in October of 2013. Because of Charlee, Demi transferred to Stephen F. Austin to be closer to home. Here, she found her perfect coach and began to improve. She became stronger, faster, and more focused after having Charlee. “Charlee is the one who gets me through my toughest days. She’s made me a stronger person mentally and physically,” Demi told us. Because of one adorable little girl, Demi is now one of the most successful pole vaulters in the world. Demi had an incredible year in 2015. We all watched her
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Demi Payne Clearing the Bar
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
23
VAULTER
MAGAZINE Demi Payne Drake Relays
videos as she and competitor Sandi Morris broke record after record. Breaking the other’s record by 1cm at a time, Demi and Sandi ended their indoor season competition with Demi holding the indoor record at 4.75 (15’7). Starting 2016, Demi is the only female track and field athlete who is not from a power five conference on the top-ten list for the 2016 Preseason Women’s Bowerman Watch List, also making her the only returning athlete for that award. Demi started off her 2016 indoor season strong with great jumps from short approaches. Then something clicked when she moved back to longer runs. Just one week after Jenn broke the indoor world record, Demi competed at the University of New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque. Going into this meet, Demi’s indoor PR was 4.75 (15’7), which had her tied for the 4th best in American History. Demi was off to a good start, clearing 4.76 (15’7.5) for a new PR and moving up to the 3rd best American jump with Sandi Morris. Demi set the bar to 4.82 (15’9.75) and cleared that for another PR on her second attempt. This bar moved her to the 10th best vault in women pole vault history, and only 1cm behind American vaulter, Stacy Dragila.
24
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Now to 4.88 (16’0). Clearing the 16-foot barrier is a whole new level of pole vault, and Demi only needed one attempt to make history. Becoming 3rd on the all-time indoor list and one of five women to ever clear 16, Demi didn’t even make it off the mats before collapsing with disbelief. Once she finally got off the mats, her teammates and coaches could finally stop running around and celebrate
her major accomplishment with high-fives and hugs.
But 4.88 wasn’t the end of her indoor journey. She cleared 4.90 (16’0.75) at the 2016 NYRR Millrose Games on February 20th in New York. With 4.88, Demi was tied for the 4th best in the world with Russian vaulter, Svetlana Feofanova. Now she is tied for 4th with Greek vaulter
Katerina Stefanidi, who also jumped 4.90 at the same meet. 4.90 is just 1cm behind the 3rd place mark held by Yarisley Silva. “I want 5 meters so bad!” Demi said, and she is only 10cm (4 inches) away! Demi is on fire and has so many opportunities to make that 5-meter mark. 10cm to 5 meters, 13cm to the Indoor World Record, and 17cm to breaking the overall World Record.
Demi Payne and Coach at the Drake Relays
Last year, just after Demi jumped 15’7, Demi said “be fearless and trust the plan God has for your life. Take any opportunity to put yourself out of your comfort zone— because that’s when something great is going to happen.” What wise words spoken by someone whom God had planned to do so much more with in the following year.
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
25
VAULTER
MAGAZINE Demi Payne Standing next to 16’ Indicator
26
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
27
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
FROM THE GROUND UP
A guide for the returning Masters Pole Vaulter By: “The Vaultin’ Geezer” Mike Soule M60 pole vaulter
Mike Soule
28
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
So you’ve made up your mind to re-enter the wonderful world of pole vaulting for geezers. Good for you and welcome back. A quick recap of my last article spoke about you making a commitment to the road ahead. We covered “Mike’s rule of 65”, Doug “Bubba” Sparks vault specific workouts and setting the wheels in place for you to get out on the runway sooner than later.
The biggest pushback I often get from the returning vaulter is that he or she doesn’t want
to set foot on the runway until they are fully back in shape. To this I remind those athletes that it is their 18-year-old brain talking. That 18-year-old brain isn’t going to be happy until it feels that their older body is in 18-year-old shape. Once again I’ll say, “ain’t gonna happen”. Whereas it’s important to improve your physical condition in a thoughtful and planned manner, it is equally important for you to get on the runway and have fun getting over (or trying to) get over some bars. The fun of being out on
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
the runway with a pole in your hands is the incentive to keep you engaged in this event and down this road you’ve decided to travel. I often joke about the first time that I got a chance to jump after a 35-year layoff. I got into the pit so I considered my comeback PR as 2’6”. Hey, it was a start and you must have your start as well. Whether you are getting your workouts done at home or at a gym, there are just a few things to be attentive to. In the “work out” world the cutoff age between a mid-life athlete and a senior athlete is 50 years old. Depending on your conditioning and past diligence to physical fitness you might need to train as a senior and only be 40 years old. Don’t worry about that. The good news is that you will come back around quicker than the 50+ year old athlete will. The following recommendations are those for a senior but could apply to a younger athlete as well. Your workouts need to be around an hour or so total. No longer. If that means upper body one day and lower body the next then fine. In my case I couldn’t go to the gym but maybe 3 days a week so I put a workout together that worked upper and lower alternately on
the same day but I was out of the gym in an hour to an hour and 15 minutes tops. How you get your workouts in is up to you and depends on your work and life schedule. Key thing is to work all muscle groups equally during your week of workouts. Mix up your routine as well. Believe it or not your muscles will get bored if you do the same exercise in the same rotation each workout. When this boredom sets in physical improvement tends to stagnate. For the senior athlete, rest between reps is imperative. A two-minute rest between reps will allow your energy to return to 95%, which in turn allows you to explode on that next set of 8 or 10. If you are doing 3 sets of each exercise, a nice set structure will be 10 the first, 8 the second and 6 the third. Once again these are done with explosive effort, which feeds the fast twitch muscle development. The senior athlete’s best friend is rest during training. This allows the muscle tissues to repair themselves and grow before the next session. Many of the things I have read suggest a 48-hour span between muscle group sessions. Specific exercises are listed at www.bubbapv.com.
There are two more things to keep in mind. You will want to write down what you’re
doing in the gym so you can plan and follow your progress. Most important is that if an exercise hurts, stop doing it. I’m not talking muscle stiffness or soreness here. I’m talking insisting on doing an exercise that hurts you. For me I can’t do weighted lunges of any type. When I do my knees are shot for a week or so. As I write this I have decided to pass on an indoor meet tomorrow because of my knee pain. The culprit? Bowling (think about it, a lunge before delivering the ball down the lane) and jumping the day after. For the last two weeks, I bowled on Friday night and jumped on Saturday. By failing to take my own advice, I have put myself in a position where I won’t be able to go to one of the few indoor meets that are held here in Minnesota. I should have known better but even I listen to that 18-year-old brain in my head from time to time. When that happens, I find myself in a spot where it bites me in the backside every time. This will happen to you as well. Key thing is to not let it happen too often. Whereas all of this is fine and dandy, if you can’t find a place to jump, the purpose of this series of articles is pointless. I can suggest a couple of avenues that you can try to get this accomplished.
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
29
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW
To qualify for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, women pole vaulters must jump 4.40 (14’5.25) and men pole vaulters must jump 5.65 (18’6.5).
My first suggestion is to go to Google and type in “pole vault clubs” in your state. I tried it for Minnesota and came up with around 8. You should be able to do the same. Another good resource is your states’ USATF site. They have a section that you can go to that will list all of your states USATF registered Track and Field clubs. Many of those clubs will be “running only” clubs so you’ll have to do a little research to find one that offers pole vaulting. If you can’t find a club to jump at, I would suggest that you contact your local high school or college and volunteer to help coach or do whatever they need in exchange for the ability to jump. If this is what you choose, I will recommend
that you take Jan Johnson’s pole vault safety course first and get your credentials of completion before you go talk to the coach. Many high schools are crying for competent, safety-minded pole vault coaches. With Jan’s course completion, you will have a great calling card when you go talk to that coach. That course can be found at: https://www. pvsc b. c om /AboutTheTe st . aspx. Another option is to build your own “field of dreams”. In a future article, I will go through step-by-step what I did to build my own back-yard pole vault set up. As always you are invited to contact me if you have a specific question or comment at: vaultingeezer@yahoo.com.
YOUR TO DO LIST: 1. Formulate and plan your workout routine 2. Don’t get hurt working out 3. Lock in on your place to jump 4. Take Jan Johnson’s pole vault safety course Next, Tips for when you get to the track.
30
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Representing the magazine with a tatoo at the pole vault summit
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
31
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
THE FRESHMAN MOVING MOUNTAINS By: Sadie Lovett
Hitting the ground running on her college career, Alexis ‘Lexi’ Weeks has the pole-vault world’s attention. Only 19 years old, this college freshman is out for greatness.
In high school, Lexi was not strictly pole vault. In fact, her events took her all over the place from pole vault to the 400m race, to long jump then to the 100m hurdles, then would finish off the day running the 1,600m relay with her sister, Tori—they both competed in six events every meet. Lexi and her sister both competed in the heptathlon their senior year at the state meet, and only one point separated their first and second place finishes. Being outstanding in all her events, Lexi made a name for herself in the polevault world when she broke
32
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
the National High School Pole Vault Record at 4.46 (14’7.5): a record previously held by, now teammate, Desiree Freier.
From high school teammates to college teammates, the Weeks twins didn’t want it any other way than to be teammates in college. They always wanted to be Razorbacks and wanted to be Razorbacks together. College coaches asked if they would consider going to different schools, but the twins couldn’t imagine not having the other with them: “we would miss each other too much” said Tori. If they went to different schools, the twins would not be able to win championships together and defend the championship title as teammates for Arkansas. These sisters never get mad when the other does well: “we
are always encouraging each other,” said Lexi.
At Cabot High School, Lexi and Tori would pole vault about twice a month. Now at Arkansas, the twins can focus on just pole vault where they vault twice a week. We don’t have to imagine how much higher Lexi could have vaulted at Cabot if only she had vaulted more, because she is jumping those bars now at her collegiate meets. Lexi did not waste any time when she started college by transitioning quickly into the college-athlete life. Taking on a tough coach like Coach Compton would not be easy, but Lexi knew how great of a coach he was and he knew what was best for her as a vaulter—they were a perfect match.
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Lexi clearing 15’1
After all her hard work in the pre-season, Lexi jumped a massive bar of 4.50 (14’9) at her first collegiate meet. After clearing that PR bar, Lexi attempted 4.60 (15’1), which would be a new Freshman Collegiate Record, but missed all three attempts. But 4.60 wasn’t too far away. Lexi was over 14’ at her next two meets. She attempted 4.60 again at
her 4th meet, and this time, she made it on her second attempt. With that jump, Lexi broke the Freshman Collegiate Record and tied for number one in the NCAA. The bar moved to 4.70 (15’5), but she missed all three attempts. Nothing was going to rain on her parade though. Sharing her excitement with her teammates and professional teammate, Sandi
Morris, Lexi high-fived and hugged her biggest fan: her sister Tori. Lexi’s goal was to break the 15’ barrier, but never planned to clear it so early in the season. When she met her goal, her emotions took over.
The Weeks twins and their teammates are sitting at the top of the leaderboard in the SEC. Pushing each other to do
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
33
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
better and pulling each other along to new heights, the Arkansas vaulters are moving mountains and keeping the Arkansas legacy going. Coach Compton thought he would have “Sandi withdraws” this year since Sandi graduated from the team, but now he has Lexi and all her teammates moving on-and-up behind her. Coach Compton said that Lexi is the first freshman he has coached over 15 feet. All eyes are on Lexi to see what bar she clears next.
“She’s incredible,” “she’s a beast,” people say. Could she be the first woman vaulter over 17? What will she clear next? Everyone knows her name and all the young vaulters look up to her. Being so young and jumping that high, Lexi will no doubt continue to improve. Lexi is the second highest vaulter in Razorback history and one of four Razorbacks to jump the 15’ barrier. She jumped the 4.60 mark and now 4.88 does not seem so far away. Going into SECs and Outdoor season, Lexi still has 3 ½ years of college pole vault and could become the youngest vaulter to make it into the 16 Foot Club. The bar only goes up from here—a few centimeters at a time.
34
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM
Lexi’s reaction after clearing 15’1
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
35
VAULTER
MAGAZINE
36
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Team hug after Lexi cleared 15’1
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
37
VAULTER
MAGAZINE Overjoyed after clearing 15’1
38
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016
MARCH 2016 ISSUE
WWW.VAULTERMAGAZINE.COM Twin sister Tori hugs her sister Lexi after she cleared 15’1
2016 VAULTER MAGAZINE
39
VAULTER
Representing the magazine with a tatoo at MAGAZINE the pole vault summit
???
40
VAULTER MAGAZINE 2016