Friday, July 19, 2013

Eurotrip Part 1 – Rottach-Egern, Germany 4.67m(15’4”)

Since I arrived in Europe I have stayed in 6 hotels, driven through or stayed in 5 countries, competed in 2 meets, biked around Paris, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, AND I’ve journeyed to the top of 2 mountains via cable cars.  Talk about a European tour!  I have never felt luckier to have my job which lets me travel to all of these wonderful places just to compete. Before I started vaulting I didn’t even have a passport. Crazy huh?

Well, my first competition in Sotteville, France didn’t go the way I wanted it to.  I ended up with a big fat No Height by my name.  Ugh.  Not how I wanted to start my tour in Europe.  I entered the competition at my normal starting height of 4.40m(14’5”).  Now that I look back at it, I definitely should’ve came in a bar lower just to get a good rhythm going.  My last attempt in the competition felt the most normal, but the pole was just too small.  Oh well, you live and learn right?

Thankfully, the day after the meet Mary, Tori, Danny, and I spent a day being a tourist in Paris so I was able to get my mind off of the bad meet.  We took a bike tour around the city learning about the history and looking at the beautiful sites!  Such a cool experience that I will always remember.  Next stop was the Eiffel Tower.  We took the subway system to the best view in the city.  I remember walking around a building and there it was, breathtakingly beautiful, shining in the sunlight.  Tears welled up in my eyes…I never thought I would be standing in front of this magnificent structure.  After taking a ton of pictures I convinced the crew to walk 670 steps to the second floor, there we took an elevator to the very top!  The views were spectacular!  Pictures don’t even come close to doing it justice.  To cap it all off, we each had a glass of champagne overlooking Paris.  :)

The next day we were 30 mins into our 6 hour drive to Leverkusen, Germany when we ran into a bit of bad luck…a flat tire. :( Since the car was rented in Germany we had to take it to a German rental car company.  Ugh…the nearest one was in Cologne, 5.5 hours away from where we were.  Luckily we had a donut tire in the back, but unluckily we could only drive 80km/hr which translates into about 50mph the whole way back.  So this easy 6 hr drive turned into a 12 hr trip!  Oh my gosh…loooong day…but we got everything sorted out and to our destination safely that evening.


Flat Tire in France! :(
 
The next competition was in Rottach-Egern, Germany on Lake Tegernsee.  A platform was literally built over the lake to put the pit on!  How cool is that?!  This meet had a great atmosphere with the crowd cheering, music blaring, and everyone having a genuinely good time!  I learned from my last meet and entered the meet with a huge clearance at 4.32m(14’2”).  I went on the clear 4.42m(14’6”) and 4.52m(14’10) on my first attempts.  Then had a bit of a struggle at 4.62m(15’2”) in which I cleared the bar on my 3rd attempt.  The next bar was 4.67m(15’4”).  First run down the runway…Boom!  Great clearance!  Then I had 2 very close attempts and a blow through at 4.72m(15’6”).  Definitely a huge come back from the last meet!  I was ecstatic!  This type of “street/lake vault” just makes me fall in love with pole vaulting all over again…


Rottach-Egern Meeting

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for more updates on my adventures through Europe!
Thanks for Reading!

Kylie

@ratherBvaulting
www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

2013 USATF Outdoor Nationals – 2nd time World Team Member

2013 USATF Outdoor National Championships: This meet is "make it or break it" for women’s US pole vaulters.  There are no second chances to make the world team and no committee voting you through if you had a bad day.  You have to be on top of your game on that day, at that time, no matter what the conditions are.  If you get ill or are injured, sorry, better luck next time. 

All of those things make USA’s one of the most important and stressful meets of the year.  Saying you have to be mentally tough is an understatement…you have to be mentally FIERCE in order to make it through this meet.

Leading up to this meet, that’s what was on my mind.  Talk about some weight on your shoulders huh?  It was a must to put all of that out of my mind.  The day of the meet I woke up refreshed, excited, and a little nervous.  This was the day I had been waiting for since the 2012 Olympic Trials.  I wanted redemption and to make that World Championship team. 

I had one goal going into USA’s last Sunday(6/23/13):
    1.  Place in the top 3 in order to make the World Championship team.

Height didn’t matter to me until I made the team.  I wanted to stick with the plan and compete.  The plan was to do what makes me the most comfortable, which was to jump at 4.40m(14’5”), 4.50m(14’9”), and 4.60m(15’1”).  I had been jumping those heights the last few meets so that’s what I wanted to do. 

Warm ups that day weren’t the greatest, but never the less, I had my coaches Greg and Jeff telling me that I was fine.  As the competition started I put my feet up, relaxed, and visualized my jumps.  I was ready.  I cleared 4.40m(14’5”) on my first attempt!  That first clearance is always a huge relief.  The bar went up to 4.50m(14’9”)…I blew through my pole on the first attempt, but came back with a nice second attempt clearance.  But now, I was in 4th place.  I chose to pass 4.55m(14’11”) and go straight to 4.60m(15’1”) because that was the plan.  That was what I had been visualizing in the weeks coming into USA’s.  This next bar was “do or die” for me.  I had to clear it in order to make the World Team.  Putting all of that out of my head was difficult to do, but I managed to calm myself during the few minutes I had to rest between bars.  I was up first…I chalked my hands up…picked up my pole and thought, “Be tall, swing fast, and let ‘er rip”.  Success!  I cleared 4.60m(15’1”) on my first attempt!  Wahoo!  What an amazing feeling!  I made the 2013 USA World Championship Team.  Yes!  I had two good attempts at 4.70m(15’5”) and one blow through at 4.75m(15’7”), but I didn’t care.  My goal was to make The USA Team by sticking to the plan.  I ended up finishing 2nd to Jen Suhr the 2012 Olympic Champion.

Women’s Team USA Pole Vaulters:
1.    Jenn Suhr
2.    Kylie Hutson
2.    Becky Holliday

Men’s Team USA Pole Vaulters:
1.    Brad Walker
2.    Jeremy Scott
2.    Jack Whitt

Congratulations to my fellow teammates!  Can’t wait to see you all in Moscow!





So what’s next?
Well…I’m getting ready to go on a European circuit of meets!  There has been so much planning since USA’s that I feel like it’s been a month since then, not just a week and a half!  I leave this Friday(7/5/13) to go to Europe, and I have 5 meets planned before the World Championships in Moscow, Russia in August.  I’ll be competing in France, Germany, Switzerland, back to Germany, and England.  Then I will go to Team USA training camp in Linz, Austria until we travel as a team to Moscow!  My return flight back to the US isn’t until the end of August, so this will be the longest I have ever been out of the country!  I’m excited, nervous, a little scared, happy to continue jumping, sad that I’ll be away from friends and family, and motivated to kick some Euro butt!  Haha!  So many emotions.  I just feel so blessed to get to go on these adventures and see so many different countries, while doing something I love…pole vaulting!

So my first competition is in Sotteville, France on July 8th! Here is the link to the meet website:

Whenever I have wifi I will be sure to update all of my social media about my adventures overseas! 

Thanks for reading!

Kylie
@ratherBvaulting

www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Friday, June 21, 2013

New Outdoor PB after Disappointing Week w/ Southwest Airlines

This past week has been a roller coaster…

Like I wrote in last week’s post, I went out to the Olympic Training Center for a couple weeks.  I flew back Friday, 6/7, into Chicago Midway International Airport on a NON-STOP Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego.  As I’m waiting at baggage claim, I had this odd feeling that my poles didn't make it.  Needless to say…they did NOT make it…sigh.  You would think that with a direct flight all of your bags would make it right?  Wrong…Oh the life of a pole vaulter.  So I went to the baggage claim office and they told me they would Fed-Ex them to me once they landed in Chicago and would get to Terre Haute (which is 3.5 hours away) no later than Monday morning(6/10).  

Monday morning comes around and the tracking number they gave me still said the poles were in Chicago…great.  I call the Southwest Chicago Midway Baggage Claim and they said they landed at Indianapolis International Airport at 8am and should be shipped to me by Tuesday morning(6/11).  
Tuesday morning comes around, no poles, so I call them back.  They told me that my poles were never in Indianapolis and have been in Chicago since late Friday night.  They were supposed to be picked up by Fed-Ex, but apparently they forgot my poles.  So now they said my poles would for sure be picked up that day and overnight-ed to arrive by Wednesday morning(6/12).  

Wednesday morning comes around…no sign of my poles and the tracking number still said they were in Chicago.  I call Southwest Chicago Midway Baggage Claim again, and they said they were very sorry Fed-Ex didn't pick them up because they won’t fit on the truck.  Now they had to order a special freight truck.  I asked multiple times if they were sure they would be picked up and to please notify me when they did.  I was reassured over and over again that they would be picked up that day.  I called an hour after they were supposed to be picked up and guess what?  Fed-Ex didn't make it for the pick-up time that day…awesome.  Apparently they were going to come back later in the evening and get them to me by Thursday morning(6/13).  Every day I told them that Pole Vaulting was my job, and I really needed my poles for training, plus I had a competition on Saturday that I couldn't jump in without my poles.  I was desperate.

Well…Thursday rolls around…again…no poles.  I tried to call all day with no answer, and their answering message service was full!  This time I called the main Southwest Baggage Claim number and they couldn't contact Chicago Midway either.  At this point I was extremely frustrated and getting ready for the reality that my poles weren't going to get to me by my competition on Saturday.  

On Friday(6/14) I called Chicago Midway again with no answer, but this time I was able to leave 3 messages saying it was urgent that I talk to someone, to please call me back!  I never received a call back, so I called the main Southwest Baggage Claim number again.  They finally got in contact with Midway and they said the poles were going to get to Terre Haute by 8pm Friday night.  That evening my coach, Jeff Martin calls Southwest and talks with them for an hour, and finally decides that my poles were definitely not going to get to Terre Haute by the start of the competition.  He asked Southwest that if he drove up there tonight would my poles be there and would he be able to pick them up?  Finally, they said yes.  What a disappointing week dealing with Southwest Airlines.

So Jeff drove 7 hours round trip Friday night to get my poles.  He got back at 4am.  Keep in mind that he had been working on setting up for Saturdays’ Sycamore PV Open out in the hot sun ever since Wednesday.  Plus he was at the track early the next morning to finish setting up for the competition, and was there all day to run the meet and to move the pit back to where it normally is after the meet finished.  I am extremely lucky to have such a good coach, friend, and mentor on my team.  I can’t thank him enough for all of the big and little things he has done for me.  So a HUGE thank you goes out to Jeff Martin!

What a relief it was to know my poles were going to be here for my competition, the Sycamore PV Open!  I could finally relax after hours on the phone that week.  But now the pressure was on to have a great day after all that work Jeff had done. 

Turns out, the weather wasn't going to cooperate.  It rained on us at the beginning of warm ups and we had a nice little headwind!  But I didn't care.  I was bound and determined to jump well that day.  I came in and cleared 4.40m(14’5”), 4.50m(14’9”), 4.60m(15’1”), then put the bar up to 4.70m(15’5”).  I missed my first 2 attempts and was down to my last attempt…I wanted to clear that bar so bad!  I visualized myself clearing it at the back of the runway.  With a deep breath I was running down the runway saying to myself, “be tall, move your arms, and swing fast”.  Next thing I knew I was on the mat celebrating with a new outdoor Personal Best of 4.70m(15’5”)!  I love the feeling I get after clearing a personal best.  You couldn't get me to stop smiling for anything!  The great part about it was that most of my family and friends were there to watch!  Thank you to everyone for coming out to support!  That means the absolute world to me!  :)

Also, a special Congrats to Vera Schmitz for clearing a PB of 4.45m(14'7") to get the "A" standard for USA Nationals next week!  You go girl!  :)

My next adventure is to Des Moines, IA for the USA National Championships! The competition is on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 1:30pm CST.  I have to place in the top 3 in order to qualify for the World Championships in Moscow, Russia.  Wish me luck! :)

Thanks for Reading!

Kylie
@ratherBvaulting
www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Update to the 2013 Outdoor Season

Outdoor season is well underway so I guess it’s time for a post huh?!  Sorry to all of my readers for not keeping you up-to-date with all of my adventures on here.  This post has been a long time coming. 

I’ll start from where I left off…
After indoor season finished up in March, I took a week off then got back into a rigorous base training cycle with 4 days a week lifting and high intensity running workouts.  Unlucky for me, I had a horrible sinus/ear infection for the first 3 weeks!  Boy does that effect training.  Every time I tried to workout I felt like I was going to pass out, fall over, or both!  No fun :( So eventually I got over that and was really getting into great workouts, then a few weeks before my first outdoor meet I got lower back spasms.  I was out for a good 5 days and had super light workouts for the next 5 days trying to build my back tolerance up.  How frustrating!  Going into my first big week of outdoor competitions (April 20, 24, & 27) I was a little weaker and less confident than I would have liked.  I ended up no-heighting my first outdoor meet at the Kansas Relays.  What a terrible feeling.  I definitely beat myself up mentally after that.  To me, there is no excuse for not clearing a bar in competition.  I had to regroup quickly, travel to Des Moines, IA, and get ready for the Drake Relays Mall Vault in 4 days.  I jumped 4.60m(15’1”) there!  Such a great way to get my confidence back.  I love jumping in the Mall Vault!  The atmosphere is so electrifying with people lining the runway, loud music, and clapping!  Who wouldn’t love that as a vaulter?!  Two days after that was the Drake Relays Elite Competition where I jumped 4.53m(14’10.25”) to place 3rd behind the Olympic Silver and Gold medalists in the 2012 games!  So my first week of outdoor competitions started off rocky, but in putting that NH behind me I was able to move forward and clear high bars just days later :)

Kansas/Drake Relays 2013
After those 3 competitions I cleared my schedule and didn't have a meet planned for the next month in order to catch up on lost training.  Well, a couple weeks into that I got another round of back spasms.  What a downer.  :(  Luckily that time they weren't as bad, and I was able to get back to my normal routine within a week.  But now, I had a little over a week until my next competition!  Although vaulting was up and down all throughout the past few weeks, I was regaining a lot of confidence.

During my month off of competing, the Missouri Valley Conference Championships were held.  I want to give a special shout out to Indiana State University's Men's and Women's Track and Field Teams for winning both Championship Titles!  Congratulations to Head Women's Coach, Angie Martin and Head Men's Coach, John McNichols for receiving Coach of the Year awards!  I'm so proud to be a part of ISUTF's legacy :)


2013 Outdoor MVC Champs!


Olympic Training Center Chula Vista, CA
Now that you all are up to speed from the last couple of crazy months, I just got back from a 2 week trip to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.  I went out there with Mary Saxer, Shade Weygandt, and their coach, Danny Wilkerson, to get some great training in along with 4 competitions.  We had a great time out in the perfect weather of Southern California, exploring the OTC, competing, and getting work done!  The first meet at the OTC I jumped 4.60m(15’1”), a great jump for traveling 2 days prior!  I rested up and was confident and ready for the next OTC meet one week later.  Well…I was running fast and jumping better than ever…I was on too small of a pole, it over-bent, and snapped in half during warm-ups.  Ugh.  My hands instantly swelled and bruised, but I was Okayed by the athletic trainers to keep jumping.  I decided to get back on the horse, come in a bar lower than I originally planned, and compete.  I mustered up the courage to run down the runway on my first attempt of the competition and cleared my opening bar of 4.30m(14’1”)!  
My poor pole and hands :(
My whole body was shaking from fright and adrenaline, but I was so relieved.  That was a huge step for my mental toughness!  I only cleared the next bar 4.40m(14’5.25”) that day, but I took every jump and competed.  The next meet was at UCLA 2 days later.  Again I jumped 4.40m(14’5.25”)…this time, in not so favorable conditions.  Throughout the next week I did lots of rehab on my hands, wrists, and my right arm flexor tendon.  I came back and jumped 4.60m(15’1”) in my last meet at the OTC!  What a great way to end the trip, but I am definitely hungry for more!  That 4.70m(15’5”) bar is so close I can taste it!


After these last few extremely frustrating months with a lot of ups and downs, I have learned a lot about myself.  In order to be a pole vaulter you have to factor in periods of highs and lows, you have to learn to let bad practices and meets go and keep the great ones fresh in your mind, and you have to persevere through every element imaginable.  I have also learned that I have a lot of fight in me…I am a competitor.  I will not go down without trying everything possible to jump my highest. 

With that said, my next competition is the SYCAMORE PV OPEN, Saturday, June 15, 2013 @ Indiana State University!  There is an open competition @ 12:45pm, Elite Men @ approx. 3pm, and Elite Women @ approx. 6pm...POLE VAULT only!  It will be my last meet before USA’s, so please come out and support!  Bring a chair, sunscreen, and hands for clapping!  :)

Thanks for reading!

Kylie
@ratherBvaulting
www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Friday, March 8, 2013

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.  3rd 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 3rd 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 3rd 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 11th 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:

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














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 2nd, 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 3rd!  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

Friday, March 1, 2013

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 5th 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 todayor I didn’t.
I studiedor I pretended to study.
I supported my teammatesor 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

Thursday, February 21, 2013

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 3rd 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 2nd in Albuquerque, NM!
Thanks for reading!

Kylie
@ratherBvaulting
www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Thursday, February 14, 2013

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 16th!  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

Friday, February 8, 2013

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 2nd 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

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

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

Thursday, January 24, 2013

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

Wednesday, January 16, 2013


Hi there, friends, family, and fans!  I would like to welcome you all to my page!

My New Year’s resolution was to get involved, keep everyone updated, and utilize social media!  So I decided to start this blog and join the world of twitter - @ratherBvaulting!  You can also follow me on my Athlete Fan Page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/pv.kylie

Well I guess it’s time for an update, huh?  Where to begin…
After living out in Phoenix and training for the past 2 years, I decided it was time to come home.  Where is home?  Terre Haute, IN.  My friends and family are here, my team(Indiana State University) is here, this is my home…where I grew up.  This is where I am most comfortable.  So my coach in Phoenix, Greg Hull, and my college coach, Jeff Martin, have decided that they will work together and help me become the best pole vaulter that I can be.  I can’t thank them enough for not making me choose one of them, just for the fact that they are both amazing people as well as great coaches.

So I’m training at Indiana State University along with being a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the ISU pole vaulters.  Coaching is something that I never thought I would like to do, but when I started helping out with the ISU vaulters…it was a different story.  I instantly fell in love with it.  Teaching an athlete something that I love is so much fun!  I can't wait to see what they can accomplish this year!

Training is going great so far!  I’ve had the best pre-season vaulting that I’ve ever had.  Working with Jeff and the vaulters every day has kept me busy and on my toes.  I feel strong, lean, and ready for competition season. 

Speaking of competition season…it’s time for the 2013 NATIONAL POLE VAULT SUMMIT in Reno, NV!!  I’m leaving tomorrow for 4 days of pole vault, pole vault fanatics, elite pole vaulters, pole vault coaches, and all sorts of pole vault things!  YAY!  This is the one time every year when hundreds of vaulters come together to learn and compete under one roof!  Talk about pole vault heaven!  I can’t wait to see all of my vaulter friends and coaches that I haven’t seen in months…as well as all of the bright faces of the eager young vaulters!  There will be meetings, assemblies, functional movement screenings, and competitions.  So many opportunities to connect with athletes and coaches! 

I’ll be competing with some of the best vaulters in the world on Friday night!  If you can…follow along on Twitter @VaulterMagazine, @PoleVaultSummit, @VaultUnited, @polevaultpower…etc! 

Good Luck to everyone competing this weekend! J

Also follow my POLE VAULT SUMMIT experience @ratherBvaulting!