April 9, 2003
Clinic helps vaulters raise bar of expectations
35 athletes attend Central High pole vault clinic
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Soaring up to twelve feet off the ground is a rush that can't be beat.
So said some high school pole vaulters from around the state who came to Traverse City Central High School last weekend for a Pole Vault Clinic. The clinic drew both boys and girls, with Saturday set aside for the boys and Sunday earmarked for girls.
No matter the gender, the physical challenge, mental focus and the sense of flying keep kids hooked on the sport.
"I like the thrill of it, pole vaulting is fun and challenging at the same time," said Tony Moreno, a 12th grade student at Central High School and captain of the school's pole vault team.
Jennifer Clark of Benzie Central High School is in her third season of vaulting. A cheerleader at her school, she vaults at seven feet and came to the clinic hoping to improve her technique and vaulting height.
"In cheerleading I'm always jumping around and lifting, but vaulting is harder because you really have to think about it," Clark said.
While spring break and winter storms dampened attendance, the 35 vaulters who participated in the clinic worked on all aspects of the sport. Three students came from Newberry while others were from Lansing, Mio-Au Sable and Benzie county.
Led by Troy Elenbaas, the boys pole vaulting coach at Central, coaches helped students with their approach run, their plant and take off and the swing, extension and turn that would take them over the crossbar. Coaches also discussed the four stages of pole vault progressions, moving from the grip on the pole to run and carry drills to take off drills and running vaults. They also gave out a sample work out schedule and guidelines for strength training.
"To do well in the vault world, you need a combination of speed, strength and agility," said Elenbaas, who is also a science teacher at the school. "It is kind of like a gymnastics move in the air."
Girls have only been allowed to pole vault at the high school level for five years. For the past three years, the pole vault clinic, which draws students from around the state, has devoted one day of the clinic to girls. Elenbaas noted that many successful female pole vaulters have gymnastics training, which provides them with upper body strength, endurance and body awareness.
Male athletes that can excel at pole vaulting are wrestlers or cross country runners, who have the lean build and stamina needed for the sport. Elenbaas recalled one student who was a diver and easily transferred his skills and training to pole vaulting.
"Divers have worked for years to have body control and are already used to being in the air," he said. "I could tell him to do this and he would just do it."
Justin Carscadden is a 2002 Central High School graduate and a freshman at Eastern Michigan University. He vaulted for the Trojans in high school and is now a member of Eastern's pole vaulting team. He is the pole vault coach for Central High School's girls' team and during spring break he volunteered to help at the pole vault clinic.
Carscadden said pole vaulters are moving three times their body weight during a jump, using balance, speed and strength to lever themselves through the air.
"There's a lot of science to this event, not just raw talent," he said. "The sport is so physically demanding that you have to be at the top of your game, but to be able to do it is just so rewarding."
Like so many sports, Carscadden noted that the key to success in pole vaulting is mental. Vaulters need total focus during the 75-foot run up to the crossbar, as well as an unshakable belief that they will make it over.
Another component of the mental game is that vaulters also can get superstitious about their poles - those 17-foot long flexible launchers that hurl them through the air.
"Your poles will psych you out a lot, you can get gun-shy," he said. "You get a relationship with your pole, like 'That's my pole, don't touch it!'"