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CONTENTS y r a nu Ja
FROM THE EDITOR
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VAULTING INTO 2019
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JOHN CLARK
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PREVENTING HAMSTRING INJURIES DURING THE TAKEOFF
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FROM THE EDITOR 2018 is gone already! I know, I know, it just started, and now we must see it leave. To finish off the 2018 year, we will have the wonderful opportunity to sponsor and attend the TEXAS EXPO Explosion in Belton, Texas. This is sure to be the place to be with some of the best jumping in the Nation. We decided to get behind this event and see what the other half of the country is all about. So please stay tuned, and we cover this event and bring you the news needed to attend next year.
Pole Vault news, “Rising pole vault star Armand Duplantis” With one eye on the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and the other on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, over the course of the next two weeks – Monday through Friday – we’ll highlight the rise of a new generation, 10 exciting prospects under the age of 21 who are set to become stars of the sport over the next few years. (2018). (https://www.iaaf. org/news/series/gen-10-armand-duplantis) “Erica Ellis will make jump to Division I college track and field at Penn State ” A senior at Gates Chili, Ellis will make the jump to NCAA Division I track and field while on scholarship at Penn State University, about a 3½-hour drive south of Rochester. (2018). (https://www. democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/ high-school/2018/12/19/erica-ellis-polevault-penn-state-college-track-and-field-gateschili/2357852002/).
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On the cover, we have 2018 and 2019 year in review. Covering all aspects of the vault from college to Pro Elite pole vaulting in 2018 and what’s to come for 2019. 2018 saw some crazy feats and the years of 2019 and 2020 with being some serious excitement. Looking forward to this great read and we cannot say enough about how well Kreager Taber did with this article. Good job! Tight hamstrings while you pole vault is no fun at all. “In particular, taking off inside can lead to hamstring tightness, which can cause additional problems in the lower legs, back, and hips as it progresses. “Coaches around the world are plagued with athletes that have hamstring problems throughout their career.“ To prevent hamstring injuries from arising in the first place, any muscular imbalances between the hamstrings and quadriceps or between the athlete’s two hamstrings should be resolved in the weight room.” Keep an eye on those hamstrings; maintenance is key to a healthy set for the upcoming season. John Clark is a Masters Vaulter and has a wonderful story to share. “When I saw something on Facebook posted by a long-lost childhood friend talking about winning a gold medal at the 2017 World Masters Games in New Zealand, at the ripe old age of 64, I thought, “Wow. Track for old folks … pretty cool. Maybe I could do that.”” A great read for all ages and a
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Katie Nageotte
true testament to the ability to make a change in your personal life at any age.
2019 will be one heck of a year, full of surprises and anticipation for the 2010
Olympics. Stay tuned as we cover all aspects of the pole vault and more. Doug Bouma Editor, Vaulter Magazine - Vaulter Club Inc. editor@thevaultermag.com
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Sam Kendricks
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Sandi Morris
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VAULTING INTO 2019 By: Kreager Taber Kendricks, Morris, Barber, Nageotte, Lavillenie, Stefanidi. These names have become more than familiar in the pole vault community as a byproduct of past Olympic Games, World Championships, and Diamond League Competitions. However, each of these athletes has continued to build their legacy during the competition season of 2018, solidifying their positions as some of the best vaulters in the world and making them vaulters to watch in 2019 leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
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Heading into the IAAF Diamond League Finals, held in Brussels for the men’s pole vault competition and Zurich for the women’s, many of these familiar names once again topped the Qualification Standings. Sandi Morris of Team USA had accumulated by far the most points throughout the Diamond League season, followed by Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, Katie Nageotte of Team USA, Anzhelika Sidorova, competing as an Authorized Neutral Athlete, and Jennifer Suhr of Team USA. During the women’s championships, Kat-
erina Stefanidi jumped 4.87 meters, a season-best, for the gold. Sandi Morris and Anzhelika Sidorova took silver and bronze with jumps of 4.82 meters. Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain and Katie Nageotte tied for fourth with 4.57 meters. However, the Qualification Standings provide a more accurate representation of the athlete’s consistency throughout the Diamond League season because the points earned are cumulative, and therefore are more useful looking towards future seasons.
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These rankings are reflected in the results of other competitions, such as the World Indoor Championships and USATF Outdoor Championships. Sandi Morris cleared 4.95 meters during the World Indoor Championships for the gold medal and championship record in March, while Sidorova took silver and Stefanidi took third during the same competition. Morris also took gold during the USATF Outdoor Championships, with a jump of 4.80 meters. Nageotte took second with 4.70 meters and Suhr took third, also with 4.70 meters. Morris’s unbelievably successful streak is unlikely to end anytime soon if she continues to train with her eye on Tokyo 2020. The 2019 season will bring the return of Team Canada’s Alysha Newman, who elected to take the majority of her 2018 season to recover from a tear in her patellar tendon to have a better shot at being healthy for the 2020 Olympics and next World Championships. Also, it will hopefully mean recovery for Jenn Suhr, who ended her season due to medical issues in August and did not compete in the remaining Diamond League qualifiers or the final competition.
ized Neutral Athlete, won the competition with 5.93 meters. Sam Kendricks of Team USA took the silver with 5.88 meters, and Shawnacy Barber of Canada took bronze with 5.83 meters. Piotr Lisek of Poland took fourth with 5.78 meters, and Renaud Lavillenie of France followed with 5.73 meters. The men’s final rankings differed dramati-
cally from the Qualification Standings released before the competition: Kendricks, Barber, and Lavillenie were ranked highest, while Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland were ranked fourth and fifth. However, rather than reflecting any poor performances, the discrepancies between the Qualification Standings Bolt and Katerina Stefanidi
In Brussels for the men’s competition, Timur Morgunov, competing as an Author-
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and final performances reflect the depth of the field in the men’s pole vault.
The strength of this field was exemplified during the 2018 Indoor World Championships, in which Renaud Lavillenie took gold with 5.95 meters. Nine men cleared 5.70 meters, and six cleared 5.80 meters, including Kendricks and Lisek. Later, out of the Diamond League field, Sam Kendricks was the only athlete to compete in the USATF Outdoor Championships. He won the competition with 5.85 meters but was trailed by collegiate vaulter Chris Nilsen with 5.80 meters. Nilsen’s performance highlights the closing gap between collegiate jumpers and professionals, which is likely to narrow further as training
Renaud
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for the 2020 Olympics intensifies. All of these professional athletes undoubtedly have their sights set on next year’s World Championships and the 2020 Olympic Games, which will provide fuel for fierce 2019 indoor and outdoor competition seasons. The NCAA National Championships for Division I, II, and III were no less exciting than the most nail-biting finals of the Diamond League Season. Each was wildly competitive in their own right, and few seniors have graduated from the top five finishers for each division, making it likely that the 2019 season will be even more competitive as seasoned champions face recruits and old rivals. Regarding places, Dan Evers, a senior of Monmouth College, won this year’s Division III Outdoor Championships held in La Crosse, WI with a jump of 5.40 meters. Luke Winder, a senior representing North Central College, took second with a jump of 5.35 meters. Devan Gertschen, Dylan Kuipers, and Connor O’Neill of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, North Central College, and the University of St. Thomas each jumped 5.00 meters to take third, fourth, and fifth. On the women’s side, Madison Reed, a junior of Ohio Northern, won the competition with 3.95 meters, while Heidi Nassos, a junior representing Washington University in St. Louis, jumped 3.80 to take second. Kari Stromhaud, Kaitlyn Dermen, and Ashley Craig each jumped 3.75 to take third, fourth, and fifth places. During the Division II National Championships, the women’s competition was highly competitive with many athletes nearing the 4-meter mark. Courtney McQuaide, a senior of Slippery Rock University, won the competition with a jump of 3.95 meters, while Emily Presley of Missouri Southern took second
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with the same mark. Alexandria Whitford of Hillsdale and Haven Lander of Pittsburg State both jumped 3.85 meters and tied for third. As Lander was only a freshman, she has set herself up for an extremely successful collegiate career and will certainly be an athlete to watch during the 2018-2019 season. Heather Shaffer of Angelo State also jumped 3.85 meters to take fifth. On the men’s side, Jake Pinkston, a sophomore of the Colorado School of Mines, took the title for the men’s competition with
a jump of 5.28 meters. Nolan Ellis, a junior of Colorado Mesa University, took second with 5.18 meters, and Jacob Battani, a sophomore of Grand Valley State University, took third with the same mark. Hudson Hall of TAMUCommerce took fourth with 5.08 meters, and Daerek Horton of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania took fifth and matched his mark. No athletes are graduating from the men’s top three, meaning next year’s season will be extremely competitive.
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The results of the Division I Outdoor National Championships vaguely resembled those of 2017, in which Matthew Ludwig, Adrian Valles, Hussain Al Hizam, and Chris Nilsen rounded out the top three, with Alhizam and Nilsen tying for third. In this year’s competition, the sophomore Chris Nilsen of South Dakota out-jumped junior Matthew Ludwig of Akron, jumping 5.83 meters to beat Ludwig’s 5.55 meters. Torben Laidig, a senior representing Virginia Tech, also jumped 5.55 meters but took third based on attempts, and Jacob Wooten of Texas A&M cleared the same height for fourth. Tray Oates of Samford and Hussain Al Hizam of Kansas tied for fifth, also clearing 5.55 meters. Al Hizam’s extremely strong performances at the national level coupled with his status as a junior should make him an athlete to watch during the 2019 track and field season. He has also already announced his intentions to train for the 2020 Olympics and compete for Saudi Arabia. Nilsen has also been a standout athlete throughout the beginning of his collegiate career, and his success is not likely to slow anytime
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soon given his consistency and talent. On the women’s side of the competition, Olivia Gruver repeated her championship title with a mark of 4.55 meters and announced she is considering training to represent Team USA in the 2019 IAAF World Championships and 2020 Olympic Games as she celebrated her huge accomplishment. Alexis Jacobus, the junior Olympian from Arkansas, jumped 4.50 meters for the second place title to complete a dominating 2017-2018 season. After winning the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships with 4.66 meters, she won almost every competition she competed in during the outdoor season. Lisa Gunnarsson, the standout freshman competitor for Virginia Tech, took third with 4.40 meters. Soon after, Gunnarsson took second in the IAAF World U20 Championships while competing for Sweden. Bridget Guy of Virginia and freshman Rachel Baxter of Virginia Tech tied for fourth with 4.30 meters, and Lucy Bryan of Akron jumped the same mark for sixth. Baxter and Gunnarsson’s successes during their first collegiate seasons should make every vault fan excited to see how
high they will take the Division I women’s field.
With next year’s World Championships and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on the horizon, the 2019 season will likely be one of the most competitive the sport has seen. The remarkable depth displayed by both the professional and collegiate competitive fields made many of this year’s competitions a gamble for the gold. It is impossible to tell what new heights will be reached in 2019, but the new marks promise to be more exciting than ever.
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Shawn Barber
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JOHN CLARK When I saw something on Facebook posted by a longlost childhood friend talking about winning a gold medal at the 2017 World Masters Games in New Zealand, at the ripe old age of 64, I thought, “Wow. Track for old folks … pretty cool. Maybe I could do that.”
After all, I’d run hurdles and the 220-relay in junior high school. Did pretty well, too, including a district championship in 7th grade and a trip to regionals, where we got smoked by a bunch of dudes who looked like they might have driven their own cars to the meet. Never mind that I was approaching 60 years old, horribly out of shape, at least 40 pounds overweight, mostly sitting around feeling
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sorry for myself and drinking way too much beer. Maybe I could do that …
As a kid, I grew up playing sports year-round, until I got to 10th grade in high school, and gradually dropped completely out of athletics. Partly, it was due to a string of nagging injuries here and there, but mostly it was because of an increasingly lousy attitude. Long story short, by the time I was 15, no more sports. I played some city league softball in my 20s, a little rec-league basketball, but that was about it.
At one time – in my 30s and 40s – I was in terrific shape physically, working out at the gym four mornings a week before work, becoming friends with some
body builders and personal trainers, who taught me a lot about lifting weights, nutrition, all that good stuff.
But now, I was a bit of a mess, physically and mentally.
Then I saw that Facebook post by a guy who grew up near me on Houston’s northwest side, played Little League baseball and football at the same place I did, and graduated from the same high school. He was considerably older than me – hey, four years when you’re a kid is considerable – so we never hung out together, but our families knew each other really well, and Bubba Sparks was one of those kids that everyone just knew.
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So when I saw Bubba’s name pop up in my Facebook feed that day, I thought, “Hey, I know that guy!” And then I read about him winning a gold medal in pole vaulting, and I thought, hmm, maybe I could get into old folks track and field somehow. Maybe run the 100-yard dash, or something like that. I sent Bubba a friend request, and after he accepted it, I messaged him and asked about this Masters track thing. Then, I asked him about pole vaulting.
“Be honest with me,” I said. “It is ridiculous at my age, being 40 pounds overweight (I think I actually said 30) and completely out of shape,
Clark at 2018 Oklahoma Senior Games
to even consider learning to pole vault?” “Absolutely not,” Bubba shot back. And the rest, as they say, is history. He was living in California at the time, and after finding out which part of Texas I live in, hooked me up with Brian Elmore, the wellknown former University of Texas pole vault coach with a facility about an hour’s drive from me. I contacted Brian and went down there one Sunday, ostensibly to take my first pole vault lesson, but when I walked up with sneakers in hand and saw all these high school kids – including a couple of state champions – flying through
the air with the greatest of ease, there was no way in hell I was going to get out there on that runway in front of them and all those people watching practice.
So I sat and watched for two hours, as these kids took jump after jump after jump. Brian asked me a couple of times if I was ready to give it a try. “Not yet,” I said.
Finally, when pretty much everybody had packed up and headed home, Brian got up and found me a pole, called me over to the runway, showed me where to stand and how to grip, how to hold and push the pole, then told me to jump into the pit. I was nervous as hell, mostly about making a complete fool of myself. But I figured if I wanted to try this thing – and I did – it was now or never. So I took off …
That first attempt was mostly sort of an ugly splatter. I stubbed my left big toe in the box, and felt a little tweak in my right groin. Landed awkwardly on the right side of the pit. Made five more slightly better “jumps” from six steps, I think it was, and called it a day.
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From those humble beginnings, I’ve come a long way.
Bubba wound up moving back to Texas last October, and invited me to practice vaulting with him every Sunday at his coach, Kris Allison’s gym in New Braunfels. I competed at the Texas Senior Games in April, and managed to clear 5-7, then I entered the Oklahoma Senior Games in October, and took home a gold medal in 60-64, with a jump of 7-6, so I’m a qualifier for next year’s Nationals. It’s been an amazing year, full of fun and excitement, hard work and disappointments, nagging injuries and setbacks, victories and defeats. In a word, it’s been fantastic.
It is not an exaggeration to say that pole vaulting has changed my life.
I’ve lost around 30 pounds, gotten into the best shape I’ve been in for at least 10 years, quit the boozing, and I have something to look forward to each and every day. For the first
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time in a long time, I’m actually excited about the future.
And I owe it all to a lot of different people. Too many to try and mention individually, because I’ll surely forget someone.
First of all, there’s my wife, who puts up with my crazy shenanigans and makes everything possible. And next on the list, I owe it to Bubba Sparks, who has patiently and brilliantly taught me the ins and outs of vaulting, and also become a very close friend. Learning a sport from a legendary national champion and world champion, who just so happens to also be a tremendous human being? Incredible. Thanks everybody. Hope to see y’all at the Expo Explosion in Belton, or maybe in Reno. “Run fast; vault high.”
John Clark is an author and freelance writer in central Texas. For more information on him and his work, go to: www.johnhenryiii.com
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Velocity Sport USA formally Kanstet USA Roll-Out Runways with VSS-1 IAAF Surface
Contact Bruce Caldwell 817-819-1472 Email bruce@velocitysport.us
The same VSS-1 Sport Surface used in Portland World Indoor Champs 2016 and the European Indoor Champs Serbia 2017, Available in the USA, now your School or Camp can Experience VSS-1 Pole Vault / Long Jump/Triple Jump runways. Available in 42” and 48” 50’ rolls List prices are $20.00 a linear ft. VSS-1 runways enhance your athletes’ running dynamics for practice and competitions with less fatigue, less Hammys, and reduced Shin Splints.
VSS-1 surface invented and formulated by Valeri Bukreyev 2-time Estonian Pole Vault Olympian 92 /96 and engineer of Kanstet Powered Portable Indoor Banked Tracks
VSS-1 IAAF Certificate
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PREVENTING HAMSTRING INJURIES
DURING THE TAKEOFF By Kreager Taber Improper takeoff mechanics, such as taking off inside, can do more than just ruin jumps. They can also put additional strain on the athlete’s body, leading to years of wear and tear that can culminate in season ending injuries. In particular, taking off inside can lead to hamstring tightness, which can cause additional problems in the lower legs, back, and hips as it progresses. Similar to other muscular injuries, prevention is a far more effective plan than hamstring rehabilitation after an injury to ensure that the vaulter can safely continue competing. Rolling out the hamstrings and quadriceps effectively and resolving muscular
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imbalances with strength training are two effective ways to prevent hamstrings from arising and ruining a vaulter’s season.
Tight hamstrings are difficult to notice, and athletes may not actually feel them getting tight as a result of their takeoff. However, every time the athlete over strides their last step into a slide box drill or into an actual jump, the hamstring of the takeoff leg is excessively lengthened and becomes tight as the athlete repeats the motion. The hamstring is a two joint muscle: it attaches at both the hip and the knee, and the muscle functions to bend the knee and extend the hip. If the hamstring becomes tight,
it can cause problems at both of its attachment sites. Most hamstring injuries occur at these sites where the muscles and tendons join, also known as the musculotendinous complexes. At the hip, tight hamstrings can slightly rotate the hip bone, which results in tightness and pain in the lower back that the vaulter may feel when they are sprinting, vaulting, or just sitting in class. At the knee, the hamstring tendons may pull on various portions of the knee joint, causing pain just behind the knee or pain that seems to wrap around the joint. As hamstring issues gradually develop, the vaulter may notice a tight
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feeling that prevents them from sprinting or vaulting as normal. However, the hamstring itself does not always feel tight, and the discomfort may arise in other areas. More commonly, the athlete will notice pain in their back, hips, shins, or knees that persists even when they are not exercising. Oftentimes, if athletes feel their legs becoming tight, they will stretch their hamstrings, which is actually counterproductive because it only stretches an already over-lengthened muscle. Rather, hamstring tightness should be addressed with foam rolling to stimulate blood flow and break up adhesions in the muscle, strengthening weightlifting exercises, and by targeting the quadriceps muscles.
To prevent hamstring injuries from arising in the first place, any muscular imbalances between the hamstrings and quadriceps or between the athlete’s two hamstrings should be resolved in the weight room. These imbalances are common in runners: while the quadriceps are generally stronger than the hamstrings, issues arise when their strength ratio is blown out of proportion. The hip flexors
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and quadriceps often act together to overcompensate for weak hamstrings, rotating the pelvis forward slightly and throwing the legs out of alignment. In order to prevent this from occurring, strength training can help remedy the imbalance. Vaulters may perform Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) as an introductory hamstring exercise. To perform RDLs, the athlete should stand with their feet shoulder width
apart and grab the barbell as they would for a deadlift. Keeping the spine neutral and the barbell close to their legs, the athlete should hinge their hips to slowly raise their chest while keeping their legs straight. However, the athlete should be careful to avoid locking out their knees completely during this motion. Once they have mastered the basic form of the exercise, the athlete may perform it from a deficit, in
which the barbell stays at the previous level but they stand on a slightly raised platform, such a fourty-five lb. bumper. RDLs can also be performed with dumbbells or kettlebells if muscular imbalances between the vaulter’s takeoff leg and trail leg are of particular concern. Also in the weight room, athletes can perform lying hamstring curls if machines are available. In this exercise, the athlete lies on their stomach
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and pushes a weighted bar to bring their calves to meet their hamstrings while keeping their chest immobile. If the athlete does not have access to a weight room, glute bridges also help develop hamstring strength and require no equipment. For this exercise, the athlete should lie flat on their back with their feet on the floor, hip-width apart, and knees bent upwards. The athlete should then press their heels into the floor to lift their hips off of the ground, and engage their core to support themselves with their upper back and feet. After the weightlifting exercises, sprint practices, or vaulting sessions, athletes should take care to roll out their legs in addition to just stretching. The vaulter should roll out their hamstrings directly, while taking care to roll their upper and lower hamstrings and not just the middle portion. As the connective sites are the most prone to injury, they are the most important to take care of. Rolling out the quadriceps, iliotibial bands, and calves
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can also resolve pain or feelings of tightness caused by strained hamstrings. In addition, using a lacrosse ball to roll out the hip flexors and lower quadriceps can also temporarily prevent the pelvis from rotating to compensate for hamstring stress, but it will not solve the underlying issue. While hamstring injuries can be caused by strength imbalances, low flexibility, and poor mobility, they most commonly occur during explosive motions such as sprinting, jumping,
or in a vaulter’s case, the takeoff. Hamstring injuries can become a long-lasting, residual problem that prevent athletes from competing, and therefore, prevention is a far more effective strategy than rehabilitation after injury. By developing the hamstrings through strength training and stimulating blood flow, breaking up adhesions, and tackling scar tissue in the muscles by rolling out problem areas after workouts, the likelihood of an athlete sustaining a hamstring injury will decrease.
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