Trials and Tribulations

I have had a horrible season this year! I have been injured most of the season and have not been able to get my body to do what it needs to. So far, my runway is where it needs to be; I start off slow and go faster and faster until, at the end of my runway, I'm at full speed. My plant is also where it needs to be; I plant the pole in the box and take my last step at almost the exact same time. Where my problems come in is everything after my plant. I do not explode off the ground, drive my knee or turn in mid flight to get over the bar. I don't have a problem with doing this for my short runways; but have me do a long runway and it all falls apart. So far, I have only cleared 8ft... My school record is 9ft.... I only have a couple of more chances to improve before the season is over. All I need to do is explode on my takeoff, drive my knee until I'm upside down and turn my body before my pole hits 90 degrees.

ALL CONFERENCE!

Today was the CAAC conference meet. I got a new season PR (personal record) in pole vault. I jumped 8ft and placed either 7th or 8th. I need to step it up and at least jump 9ft by the end of the season! On one of my attempts I hit the crossbar off the standards and landed right on it with my hip. It actually broke skin and bruised immediately... great spot to have an open wound... right where my pants rub. I PR'd in discus and became an All Conference Discus thrower for the second year in a row! Woo hoo, I'm so excited! I threw 97'7"!

CAAC

Tonight is our CAAC conference meet. It is going to be held here at Jackson High at 3:30. At our last meet, on Tuesday, coach was there and he ended up moving me up on the pole and changing my runway to 6 steps, with my new hand grip, on my last attempt at 8 feet. I was not able to make it because I did not get my legs up fast enough and turn... That seems to be my biggest problem this year. It was just Kalei and I vaulting because Eastern did not have any vaulters so we just treated it more like a practice. We also practiced a little bit after the competition was over since coach was actually there and ready to help us. It is making me so mad that I can't get my legs up and turn. Hopefully I can get it by Regionals!

Is the bad luck over?

Yesterday was our meet against Holt and Lansing Eastern at Holt. Opening height was 6ft and almost everyone cleared it with no problem. To begin with, I was having a hard time getting my legs up fast enough so I kept hitting the cross bar with my feet and back. On one of my attempts I landed right on the cross bar with my hip... I have a nice bruise from that. I still need to work on getting my legs up faster and holding them at my chest until I'm vertical. Then I need to work on turning. I ended up clearing 7'6". On my very last attempt at 8ft I spiked myself in the calf when I landed in the pit... that's going to leave a scar. I ended up placing second to both teams. I was only one miss behind the girl from Holt! I hope that I have finally ended my bad luck streak!

Yesterday, I was having a problem getting over into the pit. It was super cold which messed up my runway and I was having problems with not driving my knee. I would bring my knee up to my chest and then drop it right away. I need to keep my knee to my chest so I can carry over the crossbar and into the pit.

Finally in the air!

Friday was our first day in the air! Kalei and I figured out where our hand grips where and an estimate on how long our runway will be. Friday, my runway was about 54 feet at 5 left steps. To figure out your runway you stick the end of the pole in the box and grip the pole where your hands are supposed to be for your long runway. You then keep your hands and feet in the same place, turn around and run as fast as you can down the runway while your coach, or another teammate, counts your steps. For me, where my 5th left step lands is where I will start my runway for the day. For Kalei it's where her right foot lands. You do this every day so your runway is exactly where it is supposed to be for how your body is working that day. I feel good about how I was jumping Friday but I'm not sure how I'm going to do since we don't really have a coach this year.

What is Failure?

To me, failure is not achieving your goals. Again, since my blog is about "how to pole vault" I will share one of my pole vault failures. At our very first meet of the season this year I only cleared opening height (7ft). I consider this a failure because I should be clearing well above that since my PR (personal record) is 9ft. Lack of practice and not being ready to compete lead to this failure. The picture below is of Holly Bleasdale as she is unable to clear her height at the 2012 Olympics. This is a failure because she did not achieve her goal in clearing the height she needed to clear.

This photo was taken from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2184709/London-2012-Olympics-Athletics--Perri-Shakes-Drayton-misses-400m-hurdles-final.html


I am more motivated by failure than success. Failure motivates me because it makes me strive even harder to achieve my goals. If I am always successful than I will not work as hard to achieve my goals because I will have gotten accustomed to being successful and would just expect it.

What is Success?

To me, success is achieving your goals. Since my blog is about "how to pole vault" I will share my success in pole vault. Last year I started vaulting after the first couple meets and by the last meet of the season I ended up holding the school record. I achieved this success by working hard all year and listening to the instructions from my coach. Last year, my goal for vault was really only to do the best I could and see how far I could go. This year, my goal is to secure my spot at the State meet! It is an achievable success as long as I work hard and put everything I have learned to work. The picture below is a picture of pole vault success. Renaud Lavillenie had just cleared his final height at the Olympics on August 10, 2012, winning the gold! This photo was taken from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-11/renaud-lavillenie-reacts-after-a-successful-attempt/4192232.

We finally got the pit up and can start jumping when come back after spring break. Yesterday, I worked on regaining my balance with my pole and building up my endurance. I also worked on the basics of my takeoff and turn. To work on my takeoff and turn I stand the pole straight up and reach as high as I can. Then I run a couple steps, plant the pole on the ground and jump up, letting the pole carry me and twisting my right foot over my left, which in turn twists my body. To work on my endurance and balance I ran 35 yards over and over with my pole in hand. I worked on running as fast as I can and planting the pole on the ground and jumping as high as I can. This will help me to gain balance and increase my ability to explode on my takeoff.

So, we had our first meet last week. It was not a very good day for pole vaulting! I only cleared 7ft. It seemed like I forgot everything I had learned about vaulting...my runway was all messed up as well as my hand grip. The standards were almost never where they were supposed to be... Not having a coach there to tell the people that run the pit where to set our standards is going to really mess us up this season! I can't wait until we can actually get to practicing so I can be more prepared for our first outdoor meet on the 15th!

Track season starts today, I'm so excited! Although we are unable to practice pole vault until the snow clears. For the first week or so I'm just going to focus on shot put. At our first meet, on the 25th, I will be able to throw shot put as well as pole vault. Our first meet is an indoor meet at Michigan State University. It's called the Play-maker's meet and is usually for the top three people in each event. Typically only returning people get to attend that meet... unless you're really good. This will be my third year attending this meet. It is so fun; you get to see your competition and be in the track atmosphere for the first time that season. I am super optimistic about this year being as successful as last year... if not more successful. I plan on making it to states. That is my goal for this season!

     Kalei and I did not end up going to the pole vault camp this weekend due to horrible road conditions. Track season starts in a week from today. I just finished gymnastics season and can't wait for track to start! I am so excited for pole vault this year, I actually have a great chance of making it to states!
     Last year I finished the season 6 inches below state qualifying height and this year the qualifying height should be a little bit lower. They choose the qualifying height according to how the vaulters jumped at states the previous year. They take the lowest height cleared at states and make that the qualifying height for the next season.

So, my upper back is healed and I am ready for track season to start! Kalei and I are going to be attending the camp in Indiana one more time before the season starts. I hope I can improve even more!

I have injured my back pretty bad in gymnastics... I keep landing on the gymnastics vault on my back. Coach is just now offering to teach me how to do a 1/2 on so I have no possibility of hitting my back anymore. I wish she would have offered it sooner... I really hope that my injury doesn't cause any problems for track season! If I have to, I'm willing to give up gymnastics in order to save my pole vault career!

Kalei and I went to a pole vault camp in Indiana a couple of weeks ago. We were coached by a man who holds 10 world records in his age group and has been to the Olympic Trials twice. He changed EVERYTHING about the way we jump! Before the camp, we used to count our steps to figure where we would start on the runway. Now we have a midpoint and a specific starting point on the measuring tape. We got to the camp around 9:30am and left around 5pm. After jumping for 7 hours Kalei and I were completely exhausted and incredibly sore! Although we were tired and sore, we still had an amazing time and learned a lot. We plan to attend this camp at least two more times before the beginning of Track season!

VIA Strengths Survey

We had to complete a survey on our character strengths. The test was 240 questions long and took me two sessions to complete it. At the end it told you your top 5 strengths. My strengths were: Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty; Industry, diligence, and perseverance; Capacity to love and be loved; Fairness, equity, and justice; and Bravery and valor. In the future I will use all of these strengths to accomplish my goals and be a successful person. I will use my capacity to love and be loved to create life long bonds with people so I don't die alone. I will use my bravery and valor to conquer anything that stands in my way of success. I will use my citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty and my fairness, equity, and justice to make sure I play an active role in treating everyone fair and making sure that people in my groups are happy and making choices for the group's greater good. I will use my industry, diligence, and perseverance to make sure I never give up on the things that I start and to finish my tasks in a timely manner... Everyone's strengths and weaknesses play a role in the type of person they are and the person they will become. I plan on making my live as successful as I can.