So pretty much just deleting every email from my coach with the subject title “New Englands” in it, I thought I was done.
I’M NOT!
It wasn’t until a direct email was sent to me asking what time I’d want to leave tomorrow that I realized….HEY! I’m jumping tomorrow!
Lesson: READ YOUR EMAIL. 
I have completed my first full indoor season in college. CRAZY.
Yesterday was the Northeast-10 Conference Championships at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. I placed 2nd in the pole vault with an official season best of 10’4″ and our team won the entire meet. We’re conference champs!
[Photo courtesy of Katrina Lutkus, swiped from her Facebook; tried hunting down the official one. I'll change it if I find it.]
Coming into the meet I knew I was seeded 2nd to Sasha Mathelier, a senior from Southern Connecticut who gets well over 12 feet. It was pretty much me jumping against myself. I thought about last Hit Quarters practice to “try something different” and how Jillian Schwartz suggested a wider grip at the Tufts practice. While warming up I had decided to just see what would happen if I made my own grip just a little bit wider. I had a great warm up to give me the confidence for the competitition. I felt great!
I was going for 10’10″—it would be a new personal best and beat the UML Women’s Pole Vault record by 4 inches, as well as break into the top 5 best jumps of the Conference championship. Last attempt, I inverted—probably the most I’ve ever done in a jump and got my hips well over the bar but brushed it on the way down. It bobbled, I was in the pit. It finally fell. It still felt AMAZING.
So my indoor season is done, I didn’t qualify for New Englands. I would have needed 11’1″. I’m very happy with my first indoor season and I know it’ll only get better within the next few years. Who knows, maybe NE-10 Champion one day? We’ll see—but I’m SO ready for outdoor. The team will be competing in Myrtle Beach over spring break, but I’ll be in FLORIDA! My first outdoor meet is at Trinity College, March 28.
YAAA just got back from D3 New England’s and I got second! yayy. Also, I cleared 15′ with one of the best jumps I’ve ever had! yay to that too haha. And I just barely missed 15′ 5″. Apparently it was because of being inside due to all the adrenaline and what not but still! It was so nice to finally have accomplished a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year during just the indoor season. Shootin for 16′ outdoors by the way . So ya, I got to vault with Alex and some of the other vaulters from previous college meets. Good bunch of guys in my opinion. The guy that won it from MIT jumped 15’9″ which was pretty cool to watch. And then I ran the 4 by 4 relay… which we won’t talk about 
. Yep yep so that’s my second post. Hope everyone’s vaulting well and staying healthy
I’m not even sure how to start this entry. I can’t get over how much fun last night was. I think it’s pretty awesome that I have my own video of Jenn Stuczynski breaking the American Record. It gets a little shaky at the end….because I jumped up and down screaming.
My goal this year at the Boston Indoor Games was not to sound like an idiot speaking to the athletes I met. I’d give myself a 50%…
This was my second time speaking to Jenn Stuczynski. Last year’s conversation was awkward enough for my friend Mary to ask, “What the &*^$ was that?” Okay, Okay. So I might have gotten a little starstruck. This year I had a couple people to fill in conversation, Mary & Sharikka. Good. Points for Chrissy.
I wish the second encounter went as well. After the meet was over, we went to take a group picture next to one of the Reebok signs. Steve Hooker was speaking to some people who were seemingly important, or at least I thought they were. They had badges around their necks. With the encouragement of my friends and camera in hand, I made my way over and waited politely. He smiled at me a bit while talking to the other guys. Oh my god, he’s so freaking tall. The other guys said congrats and left. Still in a trance over his height, he turned and said in thick Australian accent, “Would you like a photo?” I stood there confused, for what seemed like forever. Remembering my camera was in my hand, “Oh…right! Yes!”
He might not even be that tall, maybe just to me at 5’5″. He bent down to about my level. “I’m a pole vaulter too!!!” Oh man…that’s one of those “could have had a V8″ and slap my head moments I wish I could take back. “ALRIGHT!” He said back. I shook his hand, said thanks and good job.
When I tell people of my amazing night and meeting these elite vaulters they say, “Did you ask them for advice?” I could have really used these opportunities! Arghhh, they were so nice too!…Man, I wish I were cooler.
That is my new goal for next year.
I refrained from the blog for a while. 1.) I felt like I was taking over with so many entries, haha. 2.) I was extremely frustrated with UML T&F/coaches/vaulting and I didn’t want to write something that would eventually bite me in the bum. I really had to take a step back for a while. After 9’3″ and a NH at a couple of meets, I was not a happy vaulter. After the last NO HEIGHT at BU, I was ready to quit–something that had never entered my mind before. I must admit–I scared myself. I’ve never been so angry with pole vault. I was so frustrated with low heights, no practice, and no coach. After taking some time to really assess the situation, borrowing a 12′ 120 from PatriotPV, and some pep talks from our faithful PatriotPV coaches, my family, friends & teammates–I came back with 10′ on January 30 at the college Reebok indoor games @ The Reggie Lewis Center. They put the bar up to 10’8″ (a new UML school record and a new PR) and I missed, but I still felt really goodabout how close I was–or it might have been because we were going out to eat to celebrate my 20th birthday. I should really work on turning up top though…
My name ended up in a UML wrap up online because I guess I placed 1st for D2. It helps when you’re the only one from D2…http://www.goriverhawks.com/sports/w-track/recaps/020109aaa.html
Now just a few more quick updates:
Can you believe that indoor season is winding down already?! I can’t wait for spring…
Just to add on to my excitment with the elites, i found out today that this saturday i will be working on the floor as an athletic trainer at the Boston Indoor Games!!! As far as i know that Station is set up right behind the pole vaulting pits so it is possible i will be feet away from a world record jump!
okay so it has been a little while since my liast post, but life has been hectic. My surgery went well and i got off crutches about two weeks ago so life became a little bit easier, however right before i got off of them my schedule went nuts! I know have 4 classes and 3 labs, which is busy enough, but on top of that i have practice, rehab, and now clinical. My clinical site is Leslie Univ. in cambride so it is a bit of a T ride, which means i have to set aside an extra two everytime i go, in order to have enough time to get places. It’s a ton of work but it is paying off because i am learning a ton!
The knee recovery is going great, hopefully monday i get to start my running progression and hopefully get back on the runway in another two or so weeks after that. The closer it gets to being back the more anxious to get back.
One last exciting thing, the eilte vaulters were at northeastern tonight! it was amazing. Steve Hooker was taking 4 steps and jumping about 18 feet on a 5 meter pole…. again from FOUR STEPS!!! what was really cool is we would tape for him then he would come over and go ove the tape with us… I learned some cool things and hopefully i will be able to use them when i get back. What was even better is i got to pick up and do a few plants with the pole he is attempting the record on! IT WAS HUGE!!!!! it was over 5 meters, and the flex was 11.1 however it wasn’t big enough so he is getting a 10.9 flex. Insane! i plan on going and seeing them on saturday and hopefully i will see the coaches there.
Remember train hard, but always have fun doing so.
Brian
Hey everyone. My first post on the blog yay! Hope I’m doing it right . So in case people don’t know I’m going to WPI now majoring in Mechanical with a concentration in Aerospace. I know, sounds fun right? So I haven’t had too many hard classes so far, just some bad teachers but I’m keeping my GPA up enough to keep my scholarship so it’s all good. Other than that school is fun meetin new people and stuff. Track’s been going on for awhile now, including pre-season training. Right now we’re more or less done with the smaller meets for the indoor season and are about to move on to some of the D3 championships. I’m currently placed 1st for the D3 New England meet (yay) with a vault of 14’9″ at last weeks Tufts meet which is exciting, new PR for me. Actually, I’m tied for first with Alex which will make for some great competition at the New England meet I’m sure. And I’m currently on a 15’1″ 165 pole from 7 steps but I’m hoping to move up to a 15’6″ 160 pole sometime soon. The only thing I don’t like about pole vault at WPI is that WPI’s Track and Field program doesn’t really get much funding so… no poles or pole vault coach to coach us every day. However this is an excuse to see coach doug and iggy every tuesday and thursday up at Holy Cross 
, so there is a bright side to it all. Other than that things have been going well at WPI and hopefully I’ll be able to post often and keep everyone updated, during classes or otherwise
P.S. if anyone wants to watch at my 14’9″ vault and comment/criticize it, it’s on my facebook
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