Vaulting in the Big Leagues

Saturday was my first outdoor meet for UML…ever!  Luckily, we had absolutely gorgeous weather.  I have to remember to be thankful for a beautiful day because most likely they all won’t be like that.

We traveled to Hartford, CT–Trinity College.  I finished in first, or so the official told me, with 9′ 11.75″.  Not bad, not bad.  The meet was nonscoring and just a nice way to get the season started.  The meet was very mellow and easygoing.  I’m pretty happy with my performance.

I’ve started practicing here @ UML.  It’s really disappointing the condition our mats are in.  They haven’t been taken in for a really long time.  The cover is absolutely distroyed–ripped and torn; doesn’t even cover the mats anymore. [I'm sure those who went to Baystate Games last year have seen them].  Hoping to get over to Westborough ASAP.

My foot is doing much better.  It’s amazing how restng & relaxing [in Florida!] will make everything feel great.  I know that  my injuries acting up are usually stress-related.  I’m actually participating in  study through the UML Physical Therapy department–they are studying the relationship between stress and injuries in athletes.  I’m very curious to see what they find with me. My head coach told me that they could create a case study on me alone.  Thanks, Gary.

I applied to be a Resident Advisor next year.  Over spring break I got a call from the Resident Director of the building I live in.  After thinking I was in trouble for something, he offered me a RA position.    I thought it was for next year, until he explained to me that my current RA had resigned and he wanted me to start ASAP.  I’m now a 4th floor RA of Donahue Hall–I moved out of my old room exactly one door down.  I live with 2 basketball girls in my suite and get my own room.  I’m enjoying my new job a lot

It has been about 5 months since i have been on a runway, and as of about ten minutes ago i am now cleared to start three steppers and some half approach work! this is huge! it means i am finally back! While there is a very slim chance that i will be back competeing in this outdoor season, at least i get to train. For the past couple of weeks i have been doing some pole drills along with my running and the knee is feeling great. As far as i know at this point as long as i handle the short stuff with no pain i am allowed to go full very soon.

Apart from this exciting news, school has been going great. My grades are higher then they have ever been in my life and i am excited. This year has proven to be very informative, and i feel like my knowledge of athletic training has tripled. I only have about 5 more weeks until i am out for the semester which means training can kick off fully. Its time the bring back the old days of jumping with the club!

I will keep posting on how the progress of jumping goes but hopefully i will see everyone soon as the summerrolls around!

So, I got a nice NH next to my name at New England’s.  Eh, that’s okay.  I wasn’t even sad about it.  Good season.

I’ve been MIA lately because of my stupid foot.  It started bothering me again at the end of the season, but now it’s been really bad.  It’s all bruised, swollen, and painful again so I’m taking more time off than I had planned.  I spoke to the trainers about receiving more shots or asking other trainers from other schools to find more solutions–I got a lecture on morality in athletics.  Saying that it could be potentially seen as immoral to keep up with these aids just to compete at the elite level for 4 years.

“Without the competition, would you still pole vault?” he asked me.

I replied, “Probably not.”  But when I said that, I really thought about it.  Of course  I LOVE pole vaulting, but I just don’t think I would be as consistant with keeping up with workouts and drills on a daily basis.  Of course I would miss it—but I’m aware that it’s not the only thing out there for me.  I’d like to think I’m optimistic and can try new things.  So I answered honestly, but he took it as I didn’t love it enough.  I didn’t mean it that way at all.  He told me to really consider what I’m doing.

I’m not thinking of stopping anytime soon unless my foot physically falls off the end of my leg–but he got into my head and hasn’t left yet.  It’s bugging me.  So for now I’m just focusing on getting my foot back into competition mode for outdoor.  First meet: March 28 @ Trinity

Side notes: 1.) I’m taking the officials exam to try and become a track official. 2.) I’m going to Florida for Spring Break to visit family.

Hope everyone has a fun & safe spring break!

You all remember the movie “She’s All That” starring Freddie Prinze Jr., right? Well for those who don’t, the film centers around a bet between high school heartthrob Prinze Jr. and another classmate that he can’t turn the bespectacled, mousey nerd played by Rachel Leigh Cook into a prom queen. Aside from the hunk status that me and FPJ share, there are many parallels that I feel can be drawn between myself and the film. Most notably, I would compare my indoor season to Cook’s character and her transition to being “all that”. Like Cook during the  the rising action in the film, my season showed promise, but was dominated by the forehead-slapping, sigh-releasing, curse-word-filled frustrating moments. Despite the set-backs, there was plenty to be optomistic about. We all know that Cook is a smokeshow, but obviously it takes a pair of contacts, some make-up, and wardrobe that doesn’t look like it came from a Nirvana music video before you realize it. Likewise, I’ve had some really good jumps this season, but I need a heavy coat of polish, especially off the top of the pole, before I can be prom queen, er, get the heights that I believe I’m capable of.

My break between indoor and outdoor seasons is going to be like the montage of clips, where in about 2 minutes time, Cook’s character undergoes a complete metamorphosis set to “Everything you Want” by Vertical Horizon. My personal montage will consist of clips of me drenched in sweat, toeing the line to do one last 200, setting up to do yet another 3-stepper, furiously benching several hundred pounds, and then swirling around a few erlenmeyer flasks in front of my face with a deeply inquisitive expression (clearly representing the academic spectrum of being a student athlete). When I emerge transformed from the cocoon, it will time for the outdoor season, and time for some domination on our home track here in Amherst.

With that lengthy analogy complete, I would just like to say it was wonderful seeing Alex, Kyle, Daly, Ingy and Coach Combs in my travels. The patriot network is growing like one of those slime molds you see in biology books, and it’s a pleasure to be part of the fungus. Hopefully I’ll be able to practice with you all at the Hit Quarters over my break, and we can all regale one another with the stories we’ve accumulated over the long fall and winter months.

On that note, I bid you adieu!

!THE IMPERVIOUS!