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Your new (longer) pole; the first jump. You can do this.
TIME TO FLY
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CONTENTS FROM THE EDITOR
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THE CONFLICTED TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE
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THE LAKERS POLE VAULT SQUAD
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THE EVENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
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POLE VAULT CAROLINA: BECOMING MORE THROUGH SPORT
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Cover photo by Doug Witte - GVSU Assistant SID
Cover photo by Lisa Mathis
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FROM THE EDITOR Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is already 2016? Can you believe that The National Pole Vault Summit is only 15 days away! To keep you occupied until then, we have a wide range of articles for you to read!
Jenna experienced the athletic “freshman 15” of muscle mass and thought that she no longer had that ideal body. Having experienced a massive weight loss, Jenna realized that there is no “ideal pole vault body,” but an ideal healthy body for pole vaulters. Our hope is that Our featured club this month her story will help anyone who is Pole Vault Carolina. Adele San thinks that they have to look a Miguel has written the story of certain way to be a pole vaulter. how this club began with the Jenna learned that to look good, need of a pole vault coach and you just need to be healthy— a man who was willing to give it not skinny. Her experience a shot. Now, Jose R. San Miguel is inspirational, and we hope is a well-known pole vault that her story will help anyone coach and has helped so many thinking that they need to have become successful. Not only a certain body type. that, but now their club has an indoor facility that allows Did I mention that the Pole them to train all year and host Vault Summit is 15 days away? It sanctioned meets. Wonderful is! In this issue we have a shortstory and a great read—check and-sweet write-up about the it out! summit. For those who will be attending for the first time this On a more serious note, year, check it out! Jenna Calandro has submitted an article about her struggles Our featured University this with the “ideal pole vault body.” month is Grand Valley State
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University in Michigan. This successful pole vault squad is working hard to make their way back to the NCAA D2 Nationals with the help of Coach Lou Andreadis. This pole vault team has a successful history at Nationals and has a wonderful program that will continue that success. Great school with so much to offer the pole vaulters. Coach Andreadis only coaches pole vault and he has created a program that will help his pole vaulters improve. Great team! Check them out! That’s all for now! We can’t wait to meet all of you at the Summit! Be sure to stop by our table and say ‘hi.’ Also, be ready to learn and have the experience of a lifetime! Until Reno, or next month, continue to tell us about how you are improving and remember to always have fun! Editor Sadie Lovett Sadie@vaultermagazine.com
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Jenny Wartinbee
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THE CONFLICTED TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE By: Jenna Calandro
With the escaping road and the darkness ahead, I can sense the rhythm of my stride and the beat of my heart. I feel no pain, no anger, no anxiety, no frustration. I feel nothing.
In fact, I feel everything. I feel the air. I feel the movements of my clothes against my body. I feel the joints of my body moving and my feet carrying me forward effortlessly. I feel the world. I feel complete in the purest form. My only focus is on my breath. My mind is clear. There are no thoughts. This is the only time I go about a task without the voice in my head. It’s refreshing, and it’s addicting.
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Running away from problems seems like it would be a really easy thing to do for a member of a Division 1 track team. However, running from my problems just made me run straight into them.
I’m a varsity track and field athlete at Bucknell University. As a high school pole-vault standout, I’ve been addicted to the high of competition and fitness since the end of my sophomore year. There’s nothing I loved more than traveling down the road of hard work and arriving at success. Looking back, those are my happiest moments. Looking back, the happiest
I’ve ever been in my life was when I was training hard and seeing results. I was happy with myself, happy of my accomplishments, happy of my work ethic, and happy of my body. I felt strong, powerful, flexible, lean, toned, and great.
Although I felt on top of the world, I was crazy. I’ve always been crazy. Like any athlete, I had rituals and superstitions. Some that many didn’t understand directly, but most understood the concept. Like any athlete, I had the drive. I’ve never been one to sit still, but now I had something to occupy my body. I’d do drills over the couch. I’d do funny
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tricks on the floor while my family would try and watch TV. “Can’t you just sit down for five minutes?!” They’d say. And I’d think, “when I’m the best pole vaulter you guys are going to tell people this story and it’s going to separate me from the people who don’t become the best pole vaulters.”
Upon entering college, my athletic career was destroyed. Dramatic, I know, but too true to ever choose another word for description. Now I have never, and will never, lose my drive. But when you work, and work, and work for something and all you see is a dramatic decrease in ability, it hurts. It cuts deep. It messes with your mentality in a way you can’t ever replicate in another situation. It depressed me. Nothing seemed to be going my way. With the stresses of college added on, it made for one hell of a nightmare of a human. That’s me! So I gained a little over 30 pounds. My lean, toned, and great body was gone. Yeah I could bench press more than most of my male counterparts. And yeah I could probably move a car provided enough adrenaline. But none of this mattered to me because all I wanted was to love my body again. This killed me even more than the extinction of my ability to pole
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vault from adjusting to the excessive weight gain. I started off by thinking, well if I’m still in the sport I love, I guess I might just have to get used to this. However, I couldn’t find the love I once had for my sport in my heart to overpower how uncomfortable I was with my body. People would offer condoling words and tell me that my weight gain was all muscle. And maybe at least some of it was muscle, but I couldn’t see that. They tried to make me feel better, but no one knew how much I was really struggling inside. Nothing made me more upset than the incorrect notion being imprinted onto me that “athletes need to be bigger.” It wasn’t long until the emotions of self-hatred started to overshadow anything else. It became my new center of focus. Pole vault moved to the back burner as all I could think about was the horrific change that was occurring in my body. I didn’t know what to do to fix it. I missed my old body like I missed a lost childhood friend. The type of feeling that just hurts your heart in an inexplicable way. But it’s just a body, why should it matter so much? It shouldn’t. But it matters more than anything else in the world. And it soon became my world.
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Phrased like this sounds extreme as well. I guess I’m just an extreme person. This proved to be true as I topped the scale at 140 pounds and in a few short months, I was a breath-taking 95.
I’ve chosen to share my story with the world because I feel as though an athlete mentality with regards to body image is one that contrasts highly with society’s perception of femalebody images. My hope for the future of female athletes is to realize that you don’t have to sacrifice your happiness with your body to succeed in your sport. The athlete body is beautiful. It is in fact more beautiful than the stick figure body that’s unjustly glorified by the media. For any conflicted athlete out there, read on.
What I struggled with was something that I’m not proud that I succumbed to. However, I’m glad that I went through it to foster the appreciation that I have for the world right now. Back then, I let media and those around me influence me. I let my mind completely take over and morph my views into irrational thinking. In a way, I
rebelled against every single person who told me athletes are supposed to be big. “You’re a pole vaulter? You look like a distance runner.” This was a common response I got when people noticed my “skinny” figure and compared it with their stereotype of what I should look like. Many things about this one particular quote angered me. Why should a distance runner look like this, and why should a pole vaulter look like that? Why can’t I look like however I want to look regardless of the event I partake in?
With this frustration, I went crazy. These responses from people just pushed it further and further into my head that I didn’t ever want to “look like a pole vaulter” because that was basically everyone’s way of saying I was big. After feeling so disgustingly huge, I wanted to feel the farthest from that. I thought back to how many times people have said, “yeah you have the perfect body for a pole vaulter,” and thought wow… I must have really been a lot bigger back then. But this is where my mind had it all wrong, and it was all a distortion. During my struggling period of time, I failed to remember what I said in the beginning
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FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW
that the very first Pole Vault Summit was in 1991. This year, 2016, is the 25-year anniversary of the National Pole Vault Summit.
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about how much I loved my perfectly toned, strong, lean, and fit body. That didn’t matter anymore because I formed this ridiculous notion in my head that that body was way too big. The voice in my head told me that the athlete body is just too big. And I wanted to be skinny like everyone else; I didn’t want to be “athletic looking.” I thought, why do I have to be big to be good at sports? Can’t I just be skinny and be good too? Absolutely not. “Skinny” is a word that kills. “Fit” is a word that thrives. Seeing this difference was impossible for me when I was in the peak state of my frustration.
To make matters worse, I became absolutely terrible at pole vault. I overworked my body. I thought I was being “healthy” and exercising, but I never gave my body a rest. I was unaware of the fact that taking health to the extreme is actually one of the unhealthiest things you can possibly do. I never let myself heal; I abused what I loved most, which was working out. I ruined it for myself. I turned the image of “Jenna’s always working out, she’s so dedicated” to “Jenna’s always working out, she has a problem.” This is an image that I’m still fighting to erase to this day.
In the midst of trying to shed the weight that I gained with training that wasn’t compatible for me in my first year of college, I still kept pole vault in my mind since that is what I am going to be doing for the next three years at school. I tried, and tried, and tried, but I was just getting worse. I couldn’t get off the ground, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. I could barely even think about getting off the couch once I’d sit down for a moment, let alone last through a two-hour jump session. All my energy was drained. I had no life in me; I was just a walking skeleton. But I never said anything to anyone. I frequently felt so awful and the amount of fatigue I had was inexplicable. But I couldn’t tell anyone, because the last thing I wanted to hear for the thousandth time was “maybe you should eat more and you’ll feel better.”
So I secretly fought a battle with myself. I put on a fake smile and forced myself to pretend like I had energy because I knew that if I didn’t work out, my life would begin to crumble. Looking back now, that sounds ridiculous. At the time I couldn’t think of anything else (literally, my mind would not let me) unless I worked out. Even
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during working out, after working out, I would still be thinking about what I would do next, what I would eat next, and when I would work out after eating. It was too time consuming. I barely had enough energy after all these thoughts and forcing myself to do things that I could barely keep my eyes open past 9pm.
Nothing showed immediate results in my weight loss, but once it did, my whole world flipped around. It was really drastic, and everyone noticed. Everyone called my mom asking what was wrong with me. And everyone stared at me everywhere I went. I couldn’t see it myself, so anytime anyone would mention something I would freak out. It didn’t register to me that I really did look different. It was frustrating. It was sad the way I went about pole vaulting while this was going on. I didn’t care. I lost the love and fire I once brought down the runway. I lost the aggression I would bring when approaching a high height. The life was again gone. I jumped because I knew I should, not because I wanted to. I was terrible, and I knew why. It was because I had just run 8 miles the day before and had half an apple for breakfast.
But I 100% didn’t have it in me to ease up, lay off, train smart, eat right, and just focus on what would make me better. Deep down, I didn’t care about getting better. I just wanted to look the way I wanted to look. I’d mess up every single jump and not be able to get off the ground, but I wouldn’t get upset because hey, at least I was skinny.
Stupid. So, so, so, stupid. I wish I could go back and slap myself in the face. I wish I could yell at myself and show myself all that I was missing, how dumb I looked, how irrational my thoughts were, and how much better life is now that I’ve reached the ideal definition of healthy. I’m kicking myself for this all now as I train for my
second collegiate season and want more than anything to have that speed, power, and strength that I used to have. I have the same drive that I’ve always had, and I’m working my butt off to get my strength back. I push myself as hard as I can in each practice, and I care about what I put into my body from the perspective of what’s going to help me live better, not becoming fearful of things that are going to change the way I look. I want to win this year. I want to PR. It’s not going to be easy, as I’ve had to start from complete scratch due to the complete depletion of my entire body. I’m mad at myself that I hurt my body so much, and now what I want more than anything seems out of reach for me at this current moment due to my physical incapacity. But will never give
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up, and this come back will really be something special. After all this, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned what’s truly healthy and what’s obsessive. I’ve learned the value of life. There’s more to life than appearance. Once you focus so much on one thing, life passes you by and you really do have nothing. I am proud to say that I am comfortable in choosing happiness with my life over focusing on my aesthetic appearance. A clear mind and a loving soul are far more attractive than skin and bones.
I have never been more proud and confident to say that right here, right now, I love my body. I’m strong, I’m athletic looking, I have a 6 pack abs, broad shoulders, defined triceps, and finally, THE BEGINNING OF A BUTT. I have learned to love and cherish the athletic body, and I’m absolutely disgusted with the glorification of models and other figures that are clearly abusing their bodies to look a certain way. No one should ever have to sacrifice their happiness and their life to achieve a certain look. And in the realm of the athletic
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world, muscles show hard work and determination and everyone who possess these qualities should flaunt it to their maximum capacity. I love my friends, my family, and my teammates more than anything on this planet. I can’t believe for a small window of time that I would have given up all of that to prove a stereotype wrong. I can finally say that with all of this, I truly love myself.
I’ve made peace with so many things that have helped me get my life back. I understand why people say I didn’t look like a pole vaulter. Because how could anyone weighing 95 pounds foster the strength to propel themselves over a bar with a 13 foot long fiberglass pole? I’m bigger now, but I’m not big. I am stronger now, and I’m healthier. I will never let myself slip into letting food consume me. Food is something I merely consume. I view food as fuel to help aid me in my workouts and give me the energy to sustain the happy life that I realized is so incredibly precious. I’ve made peace with the fact that yes, athletes are bigger. But when this is said, it’s related
to the fact that athletes are in constant unfair comparison to stick figures chosen for all types of advertising and extremely prominent in media. Do you think a 5’9, 100 pound, clothing model could run an 11 second 100 meter sprint? A 2:10 800 meter race? Clear a 12 foot 6 inch bar in the pole vault? Throw a javelin 140 meters? Definitely not. But me and my teammates can. And that’s a lot more to show for than having your mind consumed with thoughts merely to reach an “ideal,” but extremely unhealthy, weight. I now have a love for life, athletics, and my own body. This love is so strong I feel sorry for the media-altered women who once made my mind escape me. I’ve stepped out of my mind and into my life. There’s no better feeling then this, and I wish for all women who’ve struggled like I have, to be able to experience it fully.
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THE LAKERS POLE VAULT SQUAD By: Sadie Lovett
Just 10 miles from the giant city of Grand Rapids is Grand Valley State University. Here, 167 of the 25,000-student population compete for the track and field team. The Lakers pole vault squad has been training since the Thursday after Labor Day and are
Kevin Leland
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ready to lead their team back to Nationals. “The last two years we have had five women and one male represent GVSU at our National Championship—that is 25% of the women all from GVSU,” says 15-year pole vault coach, Coach Lou Andreadis.
Returning leaders are senior All-American Jaime Roberts with a PR of 4.02m (13’2 ¼), along with three other National qualifiers: Whitney Bice with a PR of 3.77m (12’4 ½), Krista Nausea with a PR of 3.72m (12’2 ½), and Michaila Lawcock jumping 3.70m (12’1 ½). Also returning is Junior Skylar Schoen who jumps 3.68m (12’0 ¾). “Our Senior class is the real leaders in our program,” says Coach Andreadis, “we only have three sophomore men and five freshmen so the women do most of the leading.” With eight men and six women on the team, it can be hard for all of them to see plenty of competition time. However, GVSU hosts 11 home meets giving everyone the opportunity to raise their PR! At all of their indoor home meets, they run two pits. Both runways are raised and are incredibly fast. With the two runways going, the
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competition keeps moving and vaulters are not sitting down for too long, and they get more jumps in during warmups. Coach Andreadis also assigns each vaulter to the pit with those who jump around the same height. By doing this, starting heights are fair for everyone. Each week, the bar increments are adjusted to reflect the NCAA D2, descending order list: “If you jump a bar at our home meets, it will be the right height to get you a mark
for the Championship,” Coach Andreadis tells us. GVSU also offers its pole vaulters all the poles they need. They have poles ranging from 12’6 to 16’1 with the right progression of poles from shortest to longest.
Coach Andreadis is one of six full-time coaches at GVSU. He only coaches men’s and women’s pole vault. “As their coach, I never leave the vault area to coach other events.
Our vaulters get great one-onone coaching at meets and in practice, on the runway or in the weight room, gymnastics room, pool, track—I am with the vaulters at all practices and meets. I also meet once a week to watch video during one-onone meetings,” Coach says. The six coaches at GVSU are: Head coach, Coach Andreadis as the associate head coach and pole vault coach, distance coach, jumps coach, throws coach, and sprint/hurdle coach. Hixson and Coach
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To be a GVSU pole vaulter, one must meet Coach Andreadis’s requirements. “I want the right fit with academics, athletic ability, and work ethic—all being parts I look at during the recruiting process,” he says. Being a fulltime coach, Coach Andreadis gets to see most of the vaulters in Michigan. He also can get to some summer meets and state meets in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. “The first two things I ask for in recruiting is 1) ‘what are your grades,’ and 2) ‘please send me video of you vaulting.’ From there I look to see if their weaknesses meet my strengths. If so, I know our system can make them a better vaulter,” Coach says. Coach Andreadis has been the GVSU pole vault coach for 15 years now: he has been associate head coach for the last 10 years. While in high school and in college, Coach Andreadis did a few decathlon meets. At Anderson High School, Coach’s brother was the Ohio State Champion in pole vault. It was his brother and high school coach, Andy Wolf, who introduced Coach Andreadis to pole vaulting. Now, he trains national pole vaulters to be their best at the sport that was introduced to him back in high school.
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Each week, this pole vault crew has various workouts they do to keep them at their top level. “We spend one day a week in the gymnastics room working the rings and rope. We do two days a week vaulting and drilling on the runway. One day a week, we do cross training. And four days a week in the weight room. At least once a week we will have a harder hill or circuit training,” says Coach.
Training with the team is recent GVSU graduate, Kristen Hixson. This past summer she placed fifth at the USATF Championships and was picked to represent Team USA at the NACAC Championships in Costa Rica where she took first place. Kristen is just one of GVSU’s many successful vaulters. The GVSU pole vault crew has a very impressive list of All-Americans and National Champions.
This season, the Lakers pole vault crew has their sights set on the GLIAC Conference and NCAA D2 Nationals. There are a lot of great schools in their conference, filled with competitors who they will see again at the National level. Some of their competitor schools include Missouri Southern, Sioux Falls, Pittsburg State, and Southern Connecticut, Manka-
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Kristen Hixson
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Sandi Morris © Doug McDannald
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Whitney Bice
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AJ Olszewski
Alex Fast
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to State. In the last 15 years, there has been only one championship where GVSU did not have a pole vaulter compete.
FUN FACT DID YOU KNOW
that at the 2015 Pole Vault Summit, Renaud Lavillenie broke the Summit record with a jump of 5.92m (19’5). Sam Kendricks took second place jumping two PRs and ending with 5.86m (19’2 ½).
To get this team to the level they need to be for Nationals, Coach Andreadis takes his crew to the best meets he can get to. The head track coach allows the pole vault crew to travel to one or two meets on their own during the season. Because they are in Michigan, Coach Andreadis tries to pick a school that will have warmer conditions, but also somewhere that will have a raised runway and huge tailwind. The vaulters have competed all over the country: Arizona State, Miami, Florida, Baylor, Abilene Christian, Florida State, South Florida, Mankato State, Mis-
Conference Champs 2015
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souri Southern, UCLA, Drake Relays, and Kansas Relays. This team has also been known to make an appearance at the Grand Haven Beach Vault for a little bit of summer fun before school starts.
Like many coaches, Coach Andreadis has his team’s best interest in mind. He does what he can to get any vaulter who comes to their home meets a mark for Nationals, and he is solely dedicated to the pole vault crew. With this crew’s capabilities and Coach Andreadis’s coaching, there is no doubt that this team will be seen tearing up the runways at the NCAA D2 National meet!
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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.
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THE EVENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
By: Vaulter Magazine
That time of year for the biggest pole vault event in the world. Pole vaulters from all over the world fly in to the city of Reno, Nevada. A city all pole vaulters dream of visiting during the specific weekend in January. An event so huge, even airlines have increased the price of flights to Reno for this weekend. Months in advance, coaches and vaulters look to see if flights into Reno are available yet. And when they are, it’s a huge announcement all over social medias, through emails, and phone calls. This event has been blocked off in almost every pole vaulter’s calendar and is the highlight of the season for anyone who goes. We all know it. Say it with me: The National Pole Vault Summit!
Sam Kendricks
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Any vaulter may be lucky enough to run into an elite vaulter at a meet through the season or one of the larger, summer meets, but this is the only event where dozens of elites will be in one place for all the vaulters to meet.
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New to this extraordinary experience? Then get ready to remember this weekend for the rest of your life and the need to go every year!
The staff of the summit has put so much thought into what is offered at this event. There is a workshop suitable for anyone who goes: parents, coaches, newbies, college level. Be sure to sign up for a workshop!
There is an incredible lineup of speakers this year. Pay attention and you will learn something from the best in the business. If you are staying at the Nugget Casino Resort, be sure to take advantage of the shuttles that run every half hour. Plus, all of the elite vaulters will be staying at the Nugget and it is also where all of the lectures are held. How
fun would it be to see elite vaulters every day at the hotel?
Aside from the actual competition, the highlight of the weekend is the elite competition. Probably the one time each year that all of these elites compete together where you get to watch! The other times that all these elites would be competition together would be at a national meet where you would have to pay a Stacy Dragila Club
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lot of money for seats that are nowhere near the pits. Here, at the summit, not only do you get to watch this competition up close, you also get to meet all of them when the competition is over.
There is so much to take away from this phenomenal event. Soak it all in and don’t be shy when you meet the professionals. Get your picture taken with them and bring a sharpie and paint pen for autographs! It is not too late to book a flight and register! If you are still undecided, book a flight. You will not be disappointed for going: you will be disappointed that you missed it. Renaud Lavillenie
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Mary Saxer
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POLE VAULT CAROLINA:
BECOMING MORE THROUGH SPORT
By: Adele Correale San Miguel
Pole Vault Carolina began 6 years ago at the insistence of a steadfast parent.
Richard Booth needed a coach for his son, then a junior at Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Richard sought out Jose R. San Miguel, who was assisting with track and field practice at another local high school.
But Jose had a day job and only attended practice to make sure his son was properly instructed in the vault. There, he witnessed some brash athletes more focused on showmanship than on respecting the integrity of the sport. He would not coach just anyone. Richard, however, would not give up.
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Jose reluctantly agreed to meet his son. Though he suffered from severe shin splints, seventeen year-old Harrison had committed himself to the pole vault. Furthermore, he was an extremely
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Left to right: Harrison Booth, Antonio San Miguel, Cody Sterrett, Sofia San Miguel, Kreager Taber, Jose San Miguel, Carter Mathis © Lisa Mathis
polite, hardworking athlete—a young man worthy of Jose’s time and attention. They shook hands. Soon after, vaulters from other schools began attending practice and Jose installed a pit and runway in his side yard. A club and a coach were born.
Pole Vault Carolina is a small club with mighty ambition. There is more to coaching an athlete than getting them over the bar. Young people struggle to believe in themselves and Coach Jose challenges them to deeply desire their personal success. When mental churn causes athletes to falter, he
instructs them to fill a journal with affirmations. The intention is to instill an impenetrable mentality of yes, I can. Something is working.
Pole Vault Carolina athletes regularly compete on the larger stages. Cary Academy
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Antonio San Miguel
senior Carter Mathis qualified for New Balance Nationals Indoors in his first meet of the current season. Other vaulters who train regularly include Needham Broughton senior Matt Dillon, also in contention to qualify for NBN; Chapel Hill High’s Dillon Kopec, who will play a key role in the 3A state championships; Panther Creek junior Midori Kirby, a former gymnast, has made great improvements in her form and is expected to exceed 11’ this season; and newcomer Skyler Noble, a freshman high diver
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from East Chapel Hill shows great promise. Athletes range from Jose’s 8 year-old son, Antonio, to masters’ vaulter Kevin Anderson.
In its 6-year history, Pole Vault Carolina has graduated 75% of its athletes to the D1 and D3 levels, including Coach’s son, Jose, to High Point University, and daughter, Sofia, a freshman at pole vault powerhouse, Appalachian State University. Young Jose is the ironic wit behind @polevaultprobs.
Pole Vault Carolina practices 3 times per week, 12 months of the year. During the outdoor season, the club convenes at Cary Academy, a private school with a pristine track, brand new Gill pit, and a history of sharing their top-notch facility with the community. New to Pole Vault Carolina is the acquisition of an indoor space. With firsthand experience of the Tar Heel State’s inclement winters, Coach Jose rented a warehouse. It is a gritty, concrete shell
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with a 22’ ceiling—think Rocky Balboa’s gym. It houses a collegiate-sized pit, an 86’ elevated runway, gymnastics equipment, and a narrow strip for hurdle running. Pole Vault Carolina hosts NCHSAA sanctioned meets, and AAU sponsored clinics. The facility is needed. There is only one other club in the state with an indoor training facility. Until now, indoor season pole vault meets were either polar bear, or held nearly 2 hours away at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.
Pole Vault Carolina is committed to the development of this field event. It is the only club in the state that brings in marquee headliners to host clinics. Olympic coach Jim Bemiller visited in 2009; Olympian and World Champion Brad Walker in 2013; and April Steiner Bennett in the fall of
Harrison Booth with Pole Vault Carolina Coach Jose R. San Miguel
Carter Mathis
2015. The clinics provide an opportunity for local athletes and coaches to learn from those at the pinnacle of the sport.
In 2015, there were 829 registered high school pole vaulters in the state and the sport is growing. In recent years, the area has made deliberate efforts to improve the safety of the vault and Coach Jose has been instrumental. A vocal advocate, Jose has formally instructed high school coaches in North Carolina and Virginia at the North Carolina Track and Cross Country Coaches Conference, and through NCHSAA. With an in-depth curricula, he trained participants on starting a new athlete, the physics and psyche of the sport, and why a coach should never put an inexperienced vaulter into a
meet the day of, just so the team can score points.
Jose is Pole Vault Carolina’s only coach and his resume is noteworthy. As a high schooler in his native Puerto Rico, he was an 8-time national champion in the pole vault, decathlon, high jump, and long jump. At the junior and senior levels, he earned a spot on the national team 6 times. He competed in the 1988 Olympic Trials in pole vault. Born in Guaynabo to Jose San Miguel Colon and Carmen Rita Pedrosa, Jose excelled at athletics early on. At the age of 9, he earned a black belt in judo. At 12, he began participating in track and field after witnessing the Pan American Games, held that year in the island’s capital. In 1984, he started pole
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vaulting and Cristobal Lago, who had coached every Puerto Rican Olympian in the pole vault from 1950 to 1980, came out of retirement to train him.
Jose attended the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, where he won the University Championships in 1985. The year following, he transferred to the University of Tennessee where he grew under the tutelage of pole vault maestro Jim Bemiller, who later coached Tim Mack to the gold medal in Athens in 2004. Jose’s name is engraved on a wall at UT, which pays homage to the university’s lettermen. In 1988, at the end of his collegiate career, Jose laid down his poles and did not think about them again until his eldest son expressed an interest in the sport.
At Pole Vault Carolina, it’s not about the bar; it’s about what the bar can help an athlete become: a confident surmounter of obstacles. What the youth achieve as athletes matters; what matters more is how the lessons learned from the sport propel them forward in life. After winning the outdoor state meet in 2012, Harrison moved on to the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where he wrote his first
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freshman composition Coach Jose.
on
He said, “Never have I met an individual so passionate, resolute, and untiring in their
pursuit to spread this desire to succeed. His methods, being dogmatic and persevering, only led me and others to obtain an equivalent aspiration for success. Not only did I have
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Front row, left to right: Matthew Hutchins, Josh Hutchins, Holden Noble, Antonio San Miguel. Back row, left to right: Harrison Booth, Stephen Risk, Sofia San Miguel, Charlie Davisson, Kevin Anderson, Matt Dillon, Dallas Vann, Coach Jose R. San Miguel, Carter Mathis, Midori Kirby, Matt Lang, Kreager Taber, Skyler Noble, Jose San Miguel
basketball shoes for pole vault spikes. He will graduate this coming May with a degree in Criminal Justice and a double minor in Sociology and PreLaw. Harrison intends to serve our country with careers in the military and federal law enforcement.
Coach Jose, now a USATF certified coach, is also a silver level dealer for Gill Athletics. In between his main job as sales director of an engineering firm, and coaching, he refurbishes old pits so they might be available to schools and families who cannot afford the new-pit price tag.
Š Lisa Mathis
the opportunity to be led down such a major path in my life by Coach, but I have also been blessed with longlasting friendship with his family as well. They have been
teammates, friends, and now an entire chapter in my life that I will forever be appreciative of.�
It was Harrison who convinced Sofia to trade her
The club has taken on an energy of its own. Pole Vault Carolina fosters the dream of a higher endeavor and holds the kids accountable in their pursuit of it. Pole vault clubs fill a gap in the general category of youth athletics, where improvement is needed. Every young person merits a shot at greatness and team sports often focus only on the star performers. There are no benchwarmers in pole vault.
Pole Vault Carolina not only teaches the technical skills in an event few attempt, it inspires a will to become more. Coupled with encouragement from the coach and purposeful action on the part of the athlete, success occurs: the pole vaulters believe in themselves.
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