• Athlete Blog updates from Chrissy, Sean, Brian, Erinn & Alex...

Outdoor Practices all week long and now
Speed & Strength Training twice a week

2009 summer practices at Westborough High School have begun! For the most part practices are Monday through Friday after 3:00pm until dark. We will have practices most Saturdays depending on meet schedules and clinics.

In addition the Patriot Pole Vault Club is excited to announce a new series of workout sessions, giving specific time for off-runway running and conditioning, facilitated by Coach Iggy and Coach Ingrid. All athletes are welcome!

Beginning this Wednesday, July 1st, at 6pm, and meeting on Monday and Wednesday all summer, coaches will be conducting organized workouts focusing on speed, proper running mechanics, and overall strength. Middle school and high school athletes - use these workouts as a way to increase your speed on the runway. College athletes - bring your assigned workouts and complete them with other vaulters for more motivation.

Workouts will occur in light rain or shine, so check the website for cancellations.

"The Most Daring Thing You've Ever Done"

From Chrissy Silvar's Blog : "As guest lecturer Melissa Pennell, head UMass Lowell’s English department, steps into the room to speak about her specialty: Ralph Waldo Emerson and transcendentalism. She asks for us to share either a great book we’ve read, the most daring thing you’ve ever done, or the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen. “How did it change your life forever?” she asked. I don’t have much to say about great books or a sap for beautiful things, I decided to write a bit about the most daring thing I’ve ever done: starting to pole vault..."

Discovery Channel, Time Warp and the PPVC

This summer Discovery Channel came and filmed at Patriot Pole Vault Club. They brought in an abundance of equipment including high-speed cameras that capture over 100,000 frames per second, jibs, ladders, TV screens and more. Former Algonquin Regional High School vaulter and now UMass athlete Kristen Bakanowski jumped all day. Pictures of the filming can be found in our photo gallery. The show is called Time Warp and involves examining different events in slow motion. The description of our episode is as follows: Jeff, Matt, and the Time Warp cameras discover what happens when you are hit by a taser gun, how a pole vaulter defies gravity for a record-making jump, and how a jack hammer pounds the pavement...and the body. Check The Discovery Channel website for more information and to find out when it will next be broadcast.

Pro Gallery Photo Store

Ever wish you could make a poster-sized picture of that awesome jump you had during practice? Now you can! We're very excited to announce our online photo pro gallery hosted through Shutterfly. View pictures as a slideshow and order your favorites as prints, mugs, mouse pads, and more. All profits go towards supporting the club! Visit our pro galleries by clicking here or by going to the Multimedia Menu.

Contact Information & E-Mailing List

Interested in vaulting with PPVC? Scheduling a practice? Need poles for a meet or for the season? Any other questions regarding the pole vault? Call 774-276-1617 (mobile), email coachdoug [at] patriotpv.com or IM vaultngus for appointments or for more details regarding the club.

Feel free to contact our other coaches as well :

• Coach Combs: coachcombs [at] patriotpv.com
• Coach Iggy : coachiggy [at] patriotpv.com
• Coach Ingrid : coachingrid [at] patriotpv.com
• Coach Ken : coachpetersen [at] patriotpv.com

If you would like to join our Patriot Pole Vault Club E-Mailing List to receive all of the latest club news, information about meets & practices and other important announcements you can sign up online here