Friday, August 28, 2009

Olympic Stadium Weather From a Local

Another change in plans as I won't lift legs again today. I'm feeling surprisingly good after yesterday so this may be the window that I can feel totally healthy in my legs. The old me would have just charged forward and made a twinge hang on longer or even worse, turn into something of concern. I'm already at a level that I could be able to earn a medal so I need to be smart and not try to force things that don't need forcing.

Below is the response from Phillip about the weather conditions in the Olympic Stadium. Bubba
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Thank for the question Bubba, always ready to promote my country...

Weather at the main track:
(This below may not agree with ad billboards, it's my own appreciation, out of experience there.)
Sydney Athletics Stadium is known for having had all four seasons... in one comp.
At other times it's good, of course. For instance beautiful sunshine... while it rains everywhere else. Or viceversa.

All tracks in Sydney are built with the main straight pointing north-south.
Reason I mention this is that the runway they use the most is an E-W one, on the left side of the track.
There is a runway next to the opposite straight and another one right next to the main stands, also N-S.
The problem with the side runway in September to November are the left winds (southerlies coming eventually from the roaring 40's) with bursts of head wind, not nice. Last season we also had rain squalls until December.
We can't help with the wind unless we move the mats. For the rain I use a sticky Krylon repositionable spray. When you dry the grip (need to keep at least one towel dry) it becomes sticky and you can jump. If your towels get wet, then you've had it.
If there is a strong southerly (left) or westerly (head) wind we can request the mats be moved to the back straight for a tail wind.
When the wind stays tail, then that runway is beautiful, but that depends on the weather front, and that is not always predictable, actually hardly ever predictable.

We have, at times, moved the mats to the rear runway only to find out that after warming up the wind shifted to being tail in the previous runway.... you just can't win in this place sometimes. You know... I tried not to whinge to the officials and maintenance crew, and just let them do what they think best for once... the result has been a whole comp with nice tail wind and another with side and some bursts of tail wind. Not bad considering we would have moved the mats in the first place and end up with head winds after the wind shifted.
I know for a fact that the maintenance crew doesn't know why they do what they do, but they seem to guess right more often.

Well, really in the 1960's my coach used to say we had to learn to vault with head wind, with side wind and with tail wind, in rain or shine. I don't mean I learned how to do it, I mean that it's good if we learn to vault in all weather.
When I compete in Sydney I remember his words quite often, though!

There is a runway with no wind, of course. Even if there is wind, it opens and blows next to the pit, not into it. That is the runway next to the stands. But my experience tells me that you need to have Steve Hooker, Tim Mack, Eugenie and Brad Walker, all at once, for them to use that runway, otherwise it will not happen.

So, my honest advice is "come prepared". In other words, stiffer as stiff pole, pb pole, training pole and soft pole. Fresh tape, rosin, lighter fluid, sticky spray and chalk/magnesium powder plus a couple of towels.

Now, after saying all that, sometimes that runway is really, really nice. I have movies of Sergey training at 6.10m on that very same runway. Saw Kim Howe clear 4.65m there and young Blake do the NSW U18 record with 4.95m.
They seemed to have no problems whatsoever...

Kind regards,
Phillip Carrero,
Level 2, ATFCA pole vault coach.

East & West Pole Vaulters,
PO Box 155, Campbelltown 2560. Australia
Phone/Fax: 61 02 4647 0988
Mobile: 0466 224 663
Website: www.carreroart.com.au/polevault/

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