USA Indoor Nationals - 4.75(15'7")

Extraordinary is what I’ll call Saturday’s USA Women’s Pole Vault Competition.  ONE world record, TWO personal bests, and FOUR vaulters over the 15’ mark!  It was the best women’s indoor competition in the USA…ever. 

Credentials for Indoor USA's

The competition was delayed by an hour because the men’s heptathlon pole vault was still going on.  Instead of getting all worked up about it, my best friend, Mary Saxer, and I decided to hang out in the warm up area.  We laid down, put our feet up(literally), and jammed to some pump up music on my iPhone(which consisted of Macklemore’s song, Thrift Shop)!  Haha

Finally the men’s heptathlon pv ended and we were ready to go out and warm up on the runway.  Right away I knew this was going to be a good day!  My steps were on, I was being aggressive, and felt fearless.  I got on the biggest pole I ever had in warm-ups, which was actually a brand new pole from Gill Athletics!

I came into the competition at 4.40m(14’5”) with an easy first attempt clearance.  Greg(my PHX coach) had me pass 3 heights up to 4.55m(14’11”), then to 4.65m(15’1”) with easy first attempt makes.  Then the bar goes up to 4.70m(15’5”).  By this time all of the running events on the track were finished and all eyes were on the pole vault!  The atmosphere in the building was electrifying!  I couldn’t believe that literally hundreds of fans stayed to watch the outcome. That gave the entire field a really good feeling of support.  Unfortunately I missed my first 2 attempts at 4.70m(15’5”) and quite frankly was running out of gas.  So I went down to the end of the runway, visualized myself clearing this bar, and told myself that I knew I could do it.  3^rd attempt personal best clearance!  Yes!!  Now the bar is up to 4.75m(15’7”).  I had 2 solid attempts at it.  My adrenaline was running high; I was pumped, and knew I was going to clear it.  The bar might have shook a little, but it stayed!  OMG, I thought to myself, I just cleared 15’7”…I’m Back!  My eyes instantly welled up with tears of happiness.  Greg called me over for celebration hugs and high fives, then looked me in the eyes and told me that it was time to regroup…the bar was going up to 4.80m(15’9”).  I tried to get ahold of myself before I took that next attempt, but once they moved the bar up I only had 3 minutes.  I still hadn’t calmed all the way down for my first 2 attempts at 4.80m(15’9”).  On my 3^rd attempt I was up and over the bar, but came down on it.  AHHHH!  So close!  But holy shit, what a day!  It felt so great to be in the upper 15’s and to finally, after 2 years, increase my personal best. 

4.70m(15'5") clearance

Jumping  4.75m(15’7”) puts me 3^rd on the All-Time Indoor USA list behind 2 Olympic Champions and a world record holder…#2 - Stacy Dragila 4.83m(15’9.25”) & #1 - Jen Suhr 5.02(16’5.5”).  It also puts me 11^th on the All-Time Indoor WORLD list!  Only 10 other women in the world have jumped higher.  It seems unreal to put it in that perspective.

View a recap of the women's pole vault competition by clicking this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=siEooDueFiY

View my 4.70m(15'5") jump by clicking this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUkHAqg9SY7G8Mnlc5Hf_fvw&v=KKLouXuhCGo

After I was finished, Jen Suhr went on to jump 5.02m(16’5.5”) – the new world record.  What a jump!  Even though I placed 2^nd, it’s pretty cool to have the person that beat me jump the world record.  Congratulations Jen!

There was an incredible amount of excitement in this meet!  Congrats to my BFF Mary Saxer for clearing the IAAF “A” standard 4.60m(15’1”) and placing 3^rd!  Can’t wait to see what we can do outdoors!  Thank you for always being there for me :)

Mary and I after the meet!

So now that my indoor season is over, I have taken a full week off!  I am ready to get back to the grind of heavy lifting and running for a base training cycle on Monday!

Bring on the Outdoor Season!!  I AM READYYY!

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Proud to be a Sycamore - MVC Championships

Competition wise…this past weekend was an off week for me to rest up for USA Indoor Nationals in Albuquerque, NM.  I’m actually in the process of traveling there now, and had a little bit of free time before my flight to write some of this blog!  I compete Saturday, 3/2/2013, at 4:15pm against the nation’s best!  I feel confident and ready to clear some high bars!  Can’t wait to get out there on that runway!

Ready to go to the airport!  Oh the life of a vaulter :)

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Missouri Valley Conference Track and Field Championships at the University of Northern Iowa.  It was quite a bit different for me since I was on the coaching side of the spectrum.  I really enjoyed my time there watching the athletes battle it out on the track and in the field events.  I always wondered why coaches always seemed more nervous than athletes when I was in school.  Well…now I know!  As a coach, you have absolutely no control over the outcome of the competition.  You just have to pray that what you said in practice and at other competitions stays with the athlete, and they try their very best to make that bar! 

The Indiana State Men’s team won the championship, while the Women’s team was the runner-up!  Not a bad weekend from the Sycamores, eh?!  I couldn't be more proud to have been a part of such a great program as an athlete and now as a volunteer assistant coach for the vault crew!  The athletes have been putting in hard work on the track, weight room, and training room since the end of August.  It’s so nice to see it all pay off.  I know the women’s team wanted to win so badly and fought tooth and nail just to come up short…but they have come so far from their 5^th place finish last year.  This is the highest the Women’s Sycamores have placed in 12 years!  So to all of the women on the team…Keep your heads held high…this is only part one of your journey this year.  :) 

MVC Men's Conference Champs!

My love for coaching has grown since I came back to Indiana State in October.  Being able to watch the athletes grow and mature as vaulters is so special.  They've come so far this year as a group and individuals.  Practices have been getting better, and everything was coming around at the right times.  Out of all the ups and downs we've had as a vault crew this year…I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Congrats to Coach Jeff Martin and the whole Indiana State Vault Crew for scoring at MVC’s this past weekend!

Women’s PV

1.            Kimmyanna Rudolph      3.95m/ 12-11.5

2t.           Richelle Kimble                 3.85m/ 12-7.5

7t.           Lauren Rice                         3.50m/ 11-5.75

7t.           Hannah McKnight            3.50m/ 11-5.75

7t.           Alyssa Markiewicz           3.50m/ 11-5.75

Men’s PV

4.            Connor Curley                   4.81m/15-09.25

5.            Wes Schenck                     4.81m/15-09.25

7t.           Andrew LaMaster            4.81m/15-09.25

**Congrats to Coach John McNichols for getting Coach of the Year award!

Coach Angie Martin put a great quote on the women’s comment sheet that I wanted to share:

BEING COMMITTED IS MEASUREABLE

I practiced my hardest today… or I didn’t.

I studied… or I pretended to study.

I supported my teammates… or I blamed them.

Commitment puts it on the line!

No games, no lies, no cheating!

Great Job this weekend Sycamores!  You make me proud  :)

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Millrose Games 4.65m(15'3")

Well this was a very interesting week for me.  Every practice I went to I felt tired and my legs did not want to work with me…not a good sign.  I have been traveling around the country so much lately that my legs felt like a hundred pounds each even though I tried everything to get them recovered as much as possible…nothing worked.  Uh oh, I thought, I’m in trouble for the up and coming meet…The Millrose Games in NYC.

To make matters worse, I didn’t have the best experience with traveling on Air Tran Friday morning.  I got 3 hrs of sleep the night before, because I had to get up at 3:30am to catch my 6:30am flight.  Never again do I want to travel that early 2 days before a meet.  When I got there, they didn’t want to take my poles even though they have a vaulting pole policy which I showed them.  Thank you Air Tran for finally taking my poles!  But then it took about 20 mins to get through security, and by that time I was the last one to get to the gate, they said the flight was over-sold, and I wouldn’t be able to get to NYC until midnight that night!  Luckily they let 2 more people on, and I was the last one to make it on the plane!  Keep in mind this happened all before 6:30am!  Ugh!

Once I got to NYC my luck did a 180!  My poles were out before I got down to baggage claim and 2 athletes from Fordham Prep High School were already there standing by them ready to go!  Thank you Brian Carney, James, and Sean!  When I got to the hotel I found out that Mary Saxer and I were roommates…and everything was alllll good!  Such a loooong day so far and it was only noon!  We spent the day together walking around Central Park and exploring a tiny portion of NYC!  So much fun!

Thank You NIKE for my new Flyknit Shoes!

Mary and I in Central Park!

The Millrose Games is the most historic and prestigious track and field meet in the US during the indoor season.  It’s been going on for 106 years now where the best of the best come together and compete!  It was such an honor to get invited to vault in this meet!  The Millrose Games got moved from Madison Square Garden to the Armory in 2012.  I had never jumped there before, and I was in awe of the sold out crowd.  It gives me goose bumps just thinking about the meet again!

So I get to the meet Saturday night and immediately was pumped up by the atmosphere and the amount of people that were already there!  I put everything involving my tired legs out of my mind and focused on what I needed to do to jump high.  I decided to open up the competition at my highest opening bar ever, 4.40m(14’5”).  I felt confident from my last 2 competitions.  Plus I thought that if I want to jump high, I need to come in higher to save my energy for those 15’ bars.  It worked!  I cleared 4.40m(14’5”) on my first attempt, 4.55m(14’11”) on my second attempt, and 4.65m(15’3”) also on my second attempt!  The bar went up to 4.75m(15’7”) and I had 2 good attempts at it, blowing through the bar, but couldn’t leave it up there.  All in all, I am so happy to have cleared another indoor PR for the 3^rd week in a row, especially after the difficult travel and my legs not being up to par.  It's amazing what the power of the mind can do.  :)

Today I am leaving with the Indiana State University’s Track and Field team to help coach at their Missouri Valley Conference Championship meet!  I haven’t been to a conference meet in almost 3 years!  It should be quite fun and quite different seeing as how I’m on the coaching side of the spectrum for this weekend!  Good Luck to all of my ISU athletes!  :) 

My next competition is USA Indoor Nationals on March 2^nd in Albuquerque, NM!

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Another 15' weekend!

This past week I traveled to Phoenix, AZ to get a jump session and competition in with Greg Hull, and some training with Tori Peña.  It was the best week I’ve had in a loooong time…maybe ever.  I got to see almost all of the amazing people that I worked with the last 2 years out in Phoenix!  I feel like there have been so many exciting things happen within a couple short weeks, and it just keeps getting better!

For the first time since July I vaulted outside from a long approach in practice.  I was expecting it to be a so-so day because I haven’t jumped out in the elements in 7 months.  Plus, you never know how you’re going to take your first day.  Well…It turned out to be the best practice of the year so far!  I felt strong and confident, like nothing could stop me!  Most of my jumps were close to or over 15’ which I never tend to jump that high in practice consistently.  I was moving through poles, swinging fast, and finishing jumps! 

The next day, Tori and I did the speed trap for our sprinting workout.  For those of you who don’t know what the speed trap is, it basically measures the time it takes for you to run a selected distance.  Even though we jumped a lot and I had a heavy lift the day before, both of us ran FASTER today than we did a year ago!  In the past we’ve been fresh for speed trap days, so it was a good sign that we did a ton of work the day before and still ran faster! 

Making the 7 hour drive to Albuquerque was a blast, especially when you have Greg, Tori, Nick Mossberg, and Dustin DeLeo in the car with you.  We had some hilarious games of “Would you rather…” all the way there!  Haha Luckily we made the car our “safe zone”  ;)

So, after waiting alllll day to compete last Friday, I cleared another indoor PR, 4.62(15'2")!  I had so much fun!  We started the competition around 9pm and finished up about 10:15pm.  It was so nice that they split up the competitions so there were only 10 women in my section.  I started the meet at 4.32m(14’2”) with a huge first attempt clearance!  Greg immediately told me to pass to 4.52m(14’10”) and I didn’t even hesitate.  I went and put my sweats on and relaxed for a little bit while waiting for my next bar.  4.52m(14’10”) came around with another first attempt clearance!  Then the bar went to 4.62m(15’2”) and I cleared it on my first attempt!  I was so pumped!  Two weeks in a row over 15’!  The bar went up to 4.72m(15’6”) which would’ve been an All-Time PR.  I had two really close attempts at it, but no luck this time.

Before the competition and in between my jumps I was visualizing the next bar and going through relaxation techniques.  Breathe in…touch thumb and ring finger…let go…breathe out…and feel yourself relax and let all the stress go.  It worked!  I wasn’t paying attention to anyone around me or the competition that was going on…I was relaxed and focused!  It’s amazing what a little bit of fun, relaxation, and focus can do.  :)

Tomorrow, I’m flying to New York for the Millrose Games on Saturday, February 16^th!  I’m so excited to jump in this meet #1.  Because my best friend, Miss Mary Saxer will be jumping with me, #2.  I will be jumping against the Olympic Gold Medalist, Jen Suhr, and #3.  I’ve never jumped in the Millrose Games before!  Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Double Dose of Excitement: Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame & Jumping 4.60m(15’1”)

So this past week was an exciting one!  I was inducted into the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame AAANNNNDDD I cleared the IAAF and USATF “A” Standard which is 4.60m(15’1”)!!!  The Hall of Fame banquet was on Friday night in Indianapolis, IN, and my competition at Notre Dame(South Bend, IN) was on Saturday morning!  Phew what a great couple of days!

Being inducted into the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame is such an honor.  I really never imagined that I would be in the Hall of Fame.  I feel so humbled to be a part of the list of people that I am joining.  I’m so blessed to have had such great coaches, mentors, friends, and family to accompany me on my journey.  The banquet was wonderful...I got to listen to so many stories of the other athletes and coaches that were inducted.  The actual Indiana Track and Field Hall of fame is in Terre Haute, IN, which is where I am based right now.  I will definitely have to go and visit soon!

So the next morning was the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame.  When I got up on the runway for my first warm up jump, I flashed back to the last time I was at Notre Dame…which wasn’t the best experience for me.  A week before my first NCAA national meet freshman year of college, I took one jump, let go of my pole, and severely sprained my ankle when I landed.  I went on to NCAA’s and jumped the 2^nd highest vault of my life on that ankle, but it wasn’t an easy process.  So needless to say, I was a little nervous this time around, but I got through my first couple warm up jumps with no problems.  I conquered my fear and ended up having the best warm up that I’ve had all year!

I came in at 4.25m(13’11”), cleared that along with 4.35m(14’3”), 4.45m(14’7”), and 4.55m(14’11”) on my first attempt.  I was really happy because that was the first time I had cleared anything above 4.40m(14’5”) in about a year.  Then the bar went up to 4.60m(15’1”)…I cleared it on my second attempt!  OMG I couldn’t have been happier at that moment.  The atmosphere was electrifying!  Everyone was cheering and I couldn’t wipe this huge smile off my face if I tried!  Haha!  I cleared the “A” standard!  Wahoo!  In order to make the world team in Moscow this year I have to jump the IAAF and USATF “A” standard and place in the top 3 at Outdoor USA Nationals in June.  So I’m 50% of the way there!  Now I can just relax and jump even higher!  :)   It’s exciting to be jumping over 15’ so early in the year.  And even though I cleared 4.60m(15’1”), it wasn’t a spectacular jump.  Knowing that I have a lot of things in my jump to work on makes it even more exciting.  As I fix these things, it will be easier to jump even higher on a consistent basis!  :)

My next competition is tonight at the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque, NM.  Can’t wait to get on that runway tonight and smoke some bars!  If you’re in town, please come out and support!

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

GILL ATHLETICS ROCKS!!!!

Well this last week was a whirlwind of all sorts…

I got back home from an awesome trip to Reno, only to find out that my poles were lost for a day.  Once I opened them up on Wednesday I found out that 7 of my poles were broken!  Literally smashed like pancakes!  :(  I was warmed up and everything…then spent the next 45 mins looking at which poles were broken and talking with my agent, Jeff Hartwig, to see if we can get some more made quickly.  Jeff relayed all of the info to Gill Athletics and they said they might be able to get a few poles done by Friday, if not all of them!

So after that 45 mins of hell…excuse my language…I had to re-warm-up again and get focused for my jump session that day!  Luckily ISU has the same series of poles that I ordered out of college, so I had backups.  They’re just a little heavier and thicker so it’s hard to go back and forth in between new and old poles.  Once I got on the runway I was feeling better and starting to cheer up.  I ended up having a good jump day considering the mental roller coaster I was on!

The next day, Thursday, I headed up to Northern Iowa with the multi-eventers and ISU’s back up set of poles.  After about a day and a half of stressing and hoping my poles would be finished in time to jump on at UNI last weekend…I found out ALL 7 poles were finished!  They were still packing them and wrapping them all together when Jeff Martin and the ISU vaulters made the stop to pick them up on their way up to UNI.  But they were finished and on their way to me! 

OMG I was so excited!  GILL ATHLETICS made 7 poles in a little over a day…AND wrapped them in BLUE!  I can’t thank GILL enough for making sure I had my poles in such little time.  Simply amazing. :)  I’m so proud to be sponsored by GILL ATHLETICS as well as being a part of Team Pacer!  The poles look so good!  The material is slightly different than my old poles(in a good way), so they are a little bit thicker.  They also feel about the same weight, but I can’t really tell a difference!  I taped them all Friday night and had them ready to go for Saturday’s competition. I was so pumped!

Then competition day comes around…and it didn’t really go as planned.  I jumped 4.35m(14’3”).  I feel like I really lost a great opportunity to jump high, which is super disappointing.  I wasn’t committing to my swing at the takeoff and it really showed in my video.  It was one of those days where I thought I looked a lot better than I actually did.  Weird.  My legs felt a little tired, but not enough that I was thinking about them all the time.  Everything was coming at me so much faster than normal and I wasn’t getting my plant up on time.  Buuut…looking on the positive side…I started on my 14’6” poles for the first time this year, and ended on the biggest pole I’ve jumped on since 2011!  Oh and I jumped on 4 of 7 new poles Gill Athletics made for me!  They worked out great, and I was so happy to have them!

Huge Thank You to GILL ATHLETICS!!!! :) 

My next competition is The Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame on Saturday at 11:30am!  If you're in South Bend come out and support!  :)

Thanks for reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

2013 National Pole Vault Summit – Reno, NV

Wow!  What a weekend.  The Pole Vault Summit is one of my favorite competitions of the year!   I spent Wednesday through Sunday out in Reno and loved every minute of it!  UCS puts on such a wonderful event bringing in thousands of coaches, vaulters, and locals of all age groups! I was so glad to see my pole vault friends!  It had been too long! If you love pole vaulting…this is the weekend for you.

Being an elite vaulter at the Summit is like being a quarter of a celebrity.  Seeing the kids’ faces light up when you walk down the hallway or into a room gives me such pride.  It was not too long ago that I was a collegiate vaulter attending the Pole Vault Summit in 2008…doing the same thing and being in awe of all of the pole vault greats  J  This event is a great opportunity to meet the ones who look up to me and answer some of their questions.  I got asked anything from what do I do with my free time…to who I thought was the most attractive male vaulter!  Haha what free time?  And hmmm…I think we decided Brad Walker as they were giggling away ;) 

Going into the competition I was so pumped!  I had been having good vault sessions, running workouts, and weight sessions.  Being at the Pole Vault Summit with hundreds of people watching in the stands…music playing…a fast raised runway…and amazing competitors gives you so much adrenaline!  I can’t ask for a better atmosphere…maybe besides the Mall Vault in Des Moines, IA.

I ended up jumping 14’5.25”(4.40m).  So I’m making progress!  I just wish the progress was a little faster, but I know I have to be patient.  I have a long way to go until the World Championships in Moscow in the fall.  So I started on my 14’ poles and ended on my 14’6” poles, which I haven’t touched since the beginning of outdoor season 2012.  And it was the first time I had ran from 8 lefts/16 steps since the Olympic Trials.  BUT, like I said, I had so much adrenaline going I was able to make those changes quickly and smoothly.  I love those days when I’m back at the end of the runway and feel completely fearless! 

This was also the first time I had seen Greg Hull, my coach in Phoenix since the Olympic Trials back in June.  I can’t believe it had been that long!  It was so great to see him and to be able to work with him again.  Like Jeff Martin and I in Indiana…we mesh so well, and I have great trust in them both. If they told me to get on the runway with a 16’ pole and take a jump up…I’d probably do it!  Ok…maybe not a 16’ pole…haha…but I trust and know them enough that they wouldn’t tell me to do anything that I couldn’t do.  I can’t stress enough of how lucky I am to have them on my team J

Needless to say…the National Pole Vault Summit was a successful trip!  Thank you UCS, Nike, The Chappell’s, and everyone else involved with the summit for putting on such a fun event!

I’m leaving for my next competition in a couple hours!  7-8 hour bus ride to the University of Northern Iowa.  I have some great conference memories of jumping there in college, so I’m hoping for a great vault day!  Wish me luck!

Thank you for reading J  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @ratherBvaulting and on Facebook www.facebook.com/pv.kylie!

Kylie