Travel Day

We had rain Monday night, part of yesterday and this morning but it will be nice tomorrow. Don and I will jump about 8 AM. I'll talk to Kris today to see if the plan is to start on the 14' 7"s (4.45s) or to ramp up to them in a warm up process.

I'm starting to think that is the best way since I have figured out exactly where it fits in my pole series. I like to clear a bar on a pole before putting it in a rotation. That way I know what you expect when I get to it in my series. I made 12' (3.66m) by a lot last time so I think I will move on to my rotation. Safer on my body then just cranking it up right off the bat. As mentioned yesterday, this is how I will use them in meets anyway.

I would love to just start on 14' 7"s and stay on them and maybe at some point I can. But with my average wait time in a meet between warm up to first competition vault being close to two hours, I think it's risky to go 0-80 in one jump. Therefore I'll ramp up as fast as I can during the meet. I'll work that out with Kris today.

Had my first guitar lesson yesterday and it was great. LOVE the guy, Rusty Cooley -http://www.rustycooley.com/main.html. Super teacher and low key guy who really wants to help you understand and learn. He really likes working with athletes because we value the need for practice. He says many of kids think that "practice" is an evil word, but that we love it. It's really going to be a good match and I feel fortunate he's right in my neighborhood.

Have a great day and thanks for being here. Bubba

New Distraction

Got a nice long stretch in this morning. Also put a call into Kris about meet pole progressions. My problem is that I warm up and then wait while the bar goes from about 6' 6" (2m) up to my start height of 12' (3.66m). Sometimes this wait is a couple of hours. I don't think it's a great idea to sit around that long and then start on a huge pole. I think the plan is to start down one or two poles for the first height or two and then move to the 14' 7"s (4.45s). That said, I will only jump on 4.45s until a meet since I am already warmed up at practice.

New Distraction
Today is my first guitar lesson from a real pro, Rusty Cooley. What you probably don't know is that I originally got to California as the production manager and concert soundman for a Texas band who got a contract with Capitol Records. We moved there and then got a deal and traveled the US and Canada and fronted for bands like Eddie Money, Eric Clapton, Rush and The Cars. Everyone in the band was a college graduate and it was their/our two year fling before becoming lawyers, professors, businessmen, etc. Sometimes at club dates I would play rhythm guitar on a few songs just for the fun of it. So I'm picking it up in an effort to learn lead rock guitar just for the heck of it. I also think it will improve my focus and my patience. And it will probably be real fun. As I told Nancy I have no aspirations to play in a band, in public, etc. Just for me at home.

Hope you have a great day!! Bubba

Staying Home This Week

This photo of me clearing 12' 6" (3.81m) was up on the meet website from the Leander meet from 10/10. Click to enlarge.

We had planned to go jump with Kris because Don wanted to check out some bigger poles. After Saturday's session he doesn't feel he's quite ready to hit those poles yet so we will stay home. Of course I would like to see Kris but I'll see him on 11/13 and 11/20 so I will jump at home on Thursday.

I've been getting all of my normal training in for awhile now so I'm feeling in decent shape. I just need to hit bigger poles from longer runs with higher grips. I'll give that a try again Thursday.

I intentionality didn't jump in a meet this outdoor season because I didn't want to risk rushing in for a meet just to get a mark. Our rankings end on August 31, each year or so I thought. I looked this morning and saw that my Leander jump on 10/10 is listed. Indoor listings start on 12/1 so Kris on 12/4 will be the first there.

That's it for today. Hope you have a great day and thanks for being here. Bubba

Good Decisions?

At some point I need to get back to vaulting twice a week, but I have decided until I can use my 14' 7" (4.45m) poles effectively, I will only jump on them, even if that is only once a week. It's more important that I feel good on that day then to get a second day on the 14' 1" (4.30m) poles.

I was talking to Nancy about this on our way home from breakfast with my dad. At some point I will feel good enough to do both effectively. As it turned out I felt good enough to jump today on the 14' 1"s but that would risk not feeling good for the 14' 7"s on Thursday when I go to Kris' place. I actually felt pretty fast today but fortunately, I intentionally did not put my gym bag in the car so I couldn't even attempt to jump. A very good decision.

Another thing is that when you have a technique day on a "smaller" pole, you typically don't hit it as hard as you should, so it starts to feel stiff and then you wonder what's wrong. I'd rather jump one time a week and have to be perfect for awhile. I think that is a better mindset for me in order to make the transition to taking only 14' 7" poles to meets.

Though the poles are 14' 7" the sailpiece (reinforcement piece) is for a 15' 1" (4.60m) pole so they are quicker and there is less room for error but the return is better. They have been cut off at the top a little above my grips so they will fall under the crossbar rather than hitting it and causing me a miss. These poles pick you up off the ground better at take off. But there is no getting around the fact that you need more horsepower to make this happen. But ultimately you can jump higher on the longer sailpiece if you can roll it past vertical so that is my commitment - MAN UP physically and only jump on the 14' 7's.

What does this really mean. I'm jumping at a meet in Austin on 11/13 and at Kris' place on 11/20. I will only take 14' 7"s and if I can't get in enough to complete the jump then I no height (nh), which means I don't clear my start height in the three allotted attempts. I have only done this once in my entire career. Live or die. Go big or go home. I really believe my mind and my body can handle this just fine as long as I come in fresh. That means for now that I skip days like today where I could have vaulted but saved it for Thursday. At some point the first 14' 7" pole will feel small and when that happens, I have a chance to move up a level. Until then I'll be stuck in the 13' (3.96m) to 13' 6" (4.12m) range on 124' 1" poles.

That's all for today. Hope you have a great Halloween! Bubba

Halloween Vault Today

Another beautiful day for this meet. We have been so fortunate that the weather has been perfect since we started this in 2005. Thanks to everyone for coming out. Click to enlarge any photo. Bubba

Don, as the blind official, catches Max's step with a real leg/foot.

The whole group of us.


Me talking with Jillian after a jump.

Two time Texas State High School Champ, Seth Arnold.

M60 vaulter Robert Duncan waits to vault with the kids.

Now For Something Completely Different

Track & Field News just did a great two part interview with the great US vaulter, Jeff Hartwig, who retired after the 2008 Olympic Games. In part two here they talk about Aussie, Steve Hooker. There is a link to part one at the end. Enjoy!
http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=391&Itemid=118

Here's me with Jeff (left) during introductions at the 1ooth Drake Relays last year. On the right is masters legend, Gary Hunter, who jumped with me at Drake.
http://www.bubbapv.com/Images/DrakeWeb/JeffBubbaGary.JPG

An Odd Surprise

When I took my pole bag out with all of my 14' 7" (4.45m) poles the first thing I noticed was a white spiraled taped pole. I color my poles so I can tell what size they are without having to read the little numbers etched on them. I started this in college after I broke a pole at the national meet and then promptly grabbed a smaller one thinking it was a bigger one.

The system is simple, blue is 1st place so it is the biggest pole, red is second, yellow 3rd, green 4th. If I have more than four poles in the series I'll add colors. So orange (University of Texas) will be the biggest and purple will be the smallest, before I get to my normal green, yellow, red, blue series. So where did white come from? I ran out of colors so it was the smallest pole.

Big deal huh? Kind of. When I said I blew through the two smallest two 14' 7" poles at Leander outside of Austin, it was actually the 2nd and 3rd pole because I didn't realize had a smaller pole, the white one.

So today I'm warming up and feel fairly crappy because I haven't run a step since Sunday. Even as I warm up I'm not sure this is such a good idea. Then I see and solve the mystery of the white pole. By flex number it is the equivalent of a 14' 1" (4.30m)/15.5, or .1 smaller than my biggest 14' 1" pole. Great - feel like crap yet I'm starting on a big pole that won't move very easy because the sailpiece is longer. Oil well - getting to know you time.

The pole felt like a log as it was fat and heavy. I did three take offs at 2 steps and then 4 steps and I knew that at 6 steps I would be in no man's land and the pole would probably still not bend - but it did - a little - enough to get in to the pit. Moved the grip up another hand width and it bent a little more. I'm bending it from 33' so I guess I'll be alright.

From 44' it was OK and from 54' I could almost complete a jump. I put the bar up at 12' from 65' and took off. ALMOST in enough to complete the jump but the pole felt a little quick because of the longer sailpiece. Next time I was closer but not quite in enough. On the 3rd jump I hit my take off right and really punched my left hand up and cleared it by a foot and a half (45 cm). Moved it to 13' (3.96m) and took two more but I couldn't quite time it up.

I'm sure it will be better next time but I'm excited to at least be in the ballpark of being able to go to a meet only on these poles. As they say, the definition of insanity is expecting a different result from the same approach. This one will be as drastic as when I first moved to 14' 1" poles. I just have to stay after it and get better with the timing.

The plan is to go one day a week on the 14' 7" poles and the other on the 14' 1"s. I'm expecting to really feel bad on Sunday and if I do I won't jump on the 14' 1"s. I'm going to Kris on Thursday so I want to be rested for that.

So I'm cautiously optimistic that I might be just outside the door to the next level. Having blown through poles 2 and 3 in Austin, and today being able to jump on pole 1 even though I felt bad, and had a huge crosswind, makes me feel I have a shot at moving up. Obviously this forces me to run from at least 65', which I haven't done in practice in two years. My experience is that I'll get better at that run fast. All of this said, just keep going on about my business and don't put myself at risk. Better to miss a jump session or two rather than risk it when I know it's an issue.

Sorry for the rambling but sometimes this is how I figure things out. Happy but not thrilled with today. It bothers me I couldn't quite get the timing but if I held a few inches higher I could. But if I held a few inches higher I may not get in enough to complete the jump. It's day one of a practice. I'm sure I will be fine unless I try to do too much too soon. That said, I've now been on three of my seven 14' 7" poles. If I can just get physical enough that #1 feels small, I've really got a shot at a breakthrough.

Have a great day and thanks for being here! Bubba