New Changes

So, this is nearly three or four months in the making, but I will no longer be competing at the University of Memphis. There are several reasons in this change, all of which I have disclosed to those that need to know it, and I do plan on keeping many of these reasons on a need-to-know basis. Once everything is figured out, a new post will be put up, but suffice it to say that, for now at least, I will continue to vault with Coach Guy at the Kiss the Sky camp.

Off Week :P

Sad day... the club team went to a camp up in Prescott, and I'm back here until they get back. No vaults this week, but Coach Fraizer sent me some lifts that I'll be starting on. Increased the cardio again, and I'm down five pounds from the beginning of the summer! I haven't missed a day at the gym yet. About to head down there in a few minutes to get my lift on and see how hard Tyler's lifts are.

Ring Vaults

Ok, so i'll admit it... I LOVE ring vaulting! It's gotta be one of the best inventions for a pole vault drill ever! For everyone that doesn't know what this is, you get on some scaffolding, grab onto a ring (like one of the ones they use in the Olympics for gymnastics), you jump off the scaffolding, assume a pole vault position, and work on the vault technique in this way. It's great! Not only do I find it highly entertaining, but I get to work on a few things that I could not otherwise isolate.

Today, I cleared about 11 feet which isn't too bad seeing as I haven't done it in about a year. I need to get better though. Coach Guy had me working mainly on shooting my heels up to keep me moving upward rather than shooting out at the crossbar (as I have a tendency to do). I found it very worthwhile and feel that I am doing much, much better- though there is room for improvement- at this now. Other than this, I've been keeping up with my workouts. I've added a high cardio element since I last posted which I feel is trimming me up quite a bit.

Summer Workouts

So I started summer vaulting with Coach Guy out in Desert Vista. The man is a genius! This last week we've only been doing short vaults. Tuesday we were out on the track with the vaults, but the Desert Vista track is getting resurfaced, so we moved the pit under the bleachers (that's what the picture is of haha). We only have like a 40-foot runway, so I'm kinda being forced into the short run stuff. I hate short run work, but in all honesty, it's what I need to do. Tuesday was just the basics as some of the kids in the camp have never vaulted before. Thursday we split it up a bit, and I worked on getting my left leg back on the take off in order to bring more power into the swing. It really is helping, and I'm glad that Coach Guy has a lot of patience when working with me because I'm sure he knows how little I like short drills. I'm really hoping that this camp gets my technique farther along than I am currently.

Other than vaulting, I've been to the gym everyday this week, alternating upper body and lower body workouts each day and sub-setting each work out with core exercises. I've all ready dropped about six pounds according to the scale at LA Fitness (but who knows how accurate that is). I had about a thirty minute run yesterday and did sprints two others days of the week. With this, I hope to get stronger, build more agility and stamina, and complement my vault work.

Outdoor Conference 2010

"May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking down." -- Sara June Parker

Pole:

Height: 13'6
Weight: 155 lbs.
Step: 7 step

Things to Work On:

1. Left arm out.
2. Don't bend the top arm.
3. Run all the way through the vault (don't gallop).
4. Hollow out over the crossbar.
5. Get off the top of the pole.

Comments:

I was not pleased with this conference. I had bad technique throughout the meet and was very inconsistent. I missed the first vault of each height which is something I never do in meets. After looking over the meet though, I feel a little bit better about it. After looking over video of myself, I found that I stayed at a consitent height like I have the entire year, and my technique got better throughout the meet. I feel better about it now, but I will be using this meet as a learning experience. I talked it over with Knut, and he told me that I am only a freshman and have a lot of time to get better. He is right, and I need to not be as hard on myself as I am. I took 7th overall which isn't bad, but I will be better for next season. I would have placed higher had I not missed so many heights at the lower ones. I am ready to use this to motivate me throughout the summer to train hard. Right now, I have time on my side. As a freshman, there is still time to work on technique.

C-USA Conference in Orlando, Florida

So I haven't been all that active on here, but I figured I would add this lovely little interview to the blog as an update. We're here in Orlando, Florida waiting to vault this Saturday at 6 pm! Can't wait for the lights to go on and the competition to start! For now, it's off to bed to rest up. Thanks for viewing, and enjoy!

April 19, 2010

"When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then, sit back and let the world wonder how you did it." -- Anonymous

Pole:

Height: 13', 13', 13'6
Weight: 150 lbs., 160 lbs., 160 lbs.
Step: 7 step

Things to Work On:

1. Left arm out at the plant.
2. Let my chest go through at the vault.
3. Keep lower body back.
4. Keep run consistent (no galloping).
5. Jump up and into the pole.

Comments:

This was a good practice after going through such a rough meet this last weekend. While I wasn't going for height, coach got me up on my big pole (the one that I got a concussion on). I will admit, I was scared to get up on that pole at first, but once I did it, I was much much more confident with the vault. Good things are gonna happen at the next meet. I'm not going to settle with these heights I have been getting. It's time for a new record!