2019 River Vault

            This was the first year that I made the trek to La Crosse alone for the River Vault. Since this was my 4^thyear there, and the pole vault community is rather small, there was a lot of friendly faces there that always make it a fun event. It was a steamy hot, sunny day. I felt like I was clicking with warm-ups (as always), and started at 10-6. This was also the first year that I competed in the top flight of women, which was also exciting! It also made for the smallest flight out of them all though (an extra bonus). I cleared 10-6, 11, and 11-6 all on first attempts. 

I am now getting a ton of clearance on 11’ that I feel like I could potentially make that my starting height even, which is a great indication of how far I have come this year! I came down on the bar at 11-6, but it stayed up. This also should have prompted me to either a) move my standards up, or b) lower my grip to get in deeper. Instead I did neither of those things heading into 12’. My first attempt at 12’ was the best jump I had at the height. If I would have made either of those adjustments, I am confident I would have cleared it, as I had the height, but came down on it, knocking it off. My takeoffs at 12’ all felt terrible, but I tried to make the most out of each jump regardless. 

Clearance on 12'

            I feel very fortunate to have already hit the 12’ mark this year, so that I don’t feel pressure at these competitions as the season is already drawing close to the end. Walking away from the River Vault, I didn’t feel as disappointed in the result, as a result of having hit my goal already. However, watching the videos from that day, I feel extra motivation to end my season with a bang – because the height is there!

            Heading into Masters Nationals Outdoor Championships this weekend, I am really excited to jump at a big meet like this for the first time. I have some reservations, as there will be 20 women, and I will most likely be starting after most all of them have gotten done competing. This means that I could be sitting for a very long time just waiting to start. At the decathlon, however, I sat for 1.5 hours to wait for only 7 women to finish, and was still able to go in and perform well. It will be both an opportunity and a challenge that I look forward to taking on.