Cale Middlesworth goes through a pole vaulting drill while Marysville High School head track and field coach Luke Sundermeier looks on. Several potential vaulters took part in the drills that were a prelude to this week’s Monarch youth camp.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
—
A specialized event was front and center Monday evening at the Marysville High School track and field facility.
Nearly a dozen youngsters gathered at the Monarch pit to learn the ins and outs of the pole vault.
The session was conducted by MHS head coach Luke Sundermeier. He was assisted by several Monarch high school vaulters.
Youngsters learned the basic fundamentals of the event, which Sundermeier calls one of the more complex for track and field.
“The pole vault is not something you can do in your back yard,” said Sundermeier, who competed in the event on both the high school (Bowling Green) and collegiate (Heidelberg) levels.
The Monarch coach said it requires a great deal of patience when learning the sport.
“There are a lot of variables to the pole vault and it can be tricky,” he said. “However, it’s something that athletes can learn.”
The first thing an athlete must do is select the right pole for him or herself.
There are various-sized poles that are constructed with an athlete’s weight in mind.
“An individual vaulter’s pole must support their weight and it must be the proper length for that person,” said Sundermeier.
Once that is achieved, there is still much more to learn, such as grip, the length of the run-up to the pit and how to plant and bend the pole at the start of the vault.
“There is also wind speed to be calculated,” said Sundermeier. “That can have a big impact on a vaulter’s effort.”
Monday evening’s session consisted of warmup drills and introducing potential vaulters to work in the pit,
“It’s not something you can learn overnight,” said the Monarch coach. “It’s like we’ve told every vaulter who has come through our system… you have to be patient, willing to learn the event and stick with it.”
There are a number of factors that can go wrong during a vault that could lead to an athlete’s injury.
An improper plant/bend of the pole and an awkward body twist can lead to serious injury.
With that in mind, safety is always stressed when the Monarchs conduct their pole vault lessons.
“Like we’ve always told them,” said Sundermeier. “The most important thing is landing safely in the pit.”
The pole vault session was the lead-in to this week’s Marysville youth camp.
Nearly 100 youngsters were registered for the camp that will run through Thursday.
Workouts are held 6-8 p.m. nightly.
A mini-meet is scheduled to be held Thursday to round out the camp.
“We will be conducting the shot put, long jump, the 1600 run and a couple of sprint events,” said Sundermeier.