Pole vault is getting heated as we head into the indoor season for high school and college. Some pro vaulters are out getting some new marks, and the diamond league meets are underway. In June we have the NCAA outdoor meet and July we will attend the World Outdoor meet in Eugene, Oregon. This will be a busy year for the magazine and our staff of photographers and writers. We’ve solicited more writers and staff to bring articles from all over the world. Our social media presence has skyrocketed, and we appreciate all the love and support that you have all brought to our magazine.
On the cover we have a well-known high school coach out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Jimmy Gravo has dedicated so much time, energy, and effort to the sport and athletes that he loves. “Gravo likes to show new prospective vaulters how fun the sport can be when they first try it, so that they get hooked on it and come back to continue to train.” Keep it up Jimmy, your effort will not go unnoticed.
Like many countries Slovenia was hit hard by the pandemic and covid kept many athletes from doing what they love to do best. “In Slovenia, one of the countries in the Balkans, the rules of training in the hall were extremely strict, only competitors ranked among the best 2 at the national level could train in the hall.” Matic Zupan writes about the challenges that they faced and the effort that he went through to get the kids active again. Great article to learn from, thank you.
The run is where the good stuff happens, and we have an article that will help clear up the muddy waters about the run. Nick Cronenwett walks us through his understanding of this process to get the beginning vaulters to where they need to be. “The keys to a good run include building momentum from long strides to short strides, staying tall, and planting early to drive the pole towards the crossbar at take-off.” Excellent job Nick and we look forward to the next article soon.
Bob Dailey says next pole please! What it takes to get on the next pole and an article that is meant to do just that. “In a worst-case scenario, your step may be off, the plant goes poorly, the launch is compromised, and the pole might spit you back, instead of taking you into the air.” Many of you have faced the same challenges as we have moved up to the next pole. This is a fun article written years back about one man’s personal experience.
Next month will be the last cover that will feature a coach on the cover before we go to a few colleges that offer pole vault. Stay tuned as we bring you more articles, top notch images and professional pole-vaulting point of view.
