Grand Trip to Oz

Cool Video

2009-10-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

Here's a neat video of our opening ceremonies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zROnCOl4bX4.

I've also started a new blog called "A Day in the Life of a Masters Pole Vaulter" if you are interested. All the best!
http://masterspv.blogspot.com/

Bubba

The End - For Now

2009-10-16T04:14:00.001-07:00

Well I made it home after about 28 hours after leaving my hotel in Sydney. I told Nancy at dinner last night that this is the least beat up that I have been after a big meet. I'm not sure what that means but I like it. I do know that the 4m (13' 1 1/2") jump was on the biggest pole I have used since my return in 2005 (14'/178/15.7)and I can't wait to get back on it and try it's bigger brothers. Normally bigger poles beat you up more so I'm pleased I feel good.

I dropped by and saw June at the hospital and they will move her to a rehab hospital for three weeks today. That's a very good sign that things are moving that fast.

I wanted to clarify the explanation on the "Doping Control". Because of the size of this event it had been rumored that the doping tests would be more of a threat than a reality in order to "look good" in their efforts. A bark with no bite. Normally this would be a non-story or factor except that it was very visible, whereas at our own National meets you know it's there, but unless you got selected, you don't really see it. At these Games we even had to sign documents agreeing to be tested twice, once upon entry and another time upon declaration. I guess we'll wait and see how many positives come up to see if it worked. The difference and reason for the mention is how visible the testing efforts were as we just aren't used to actually "seeing" it even though it's always there.

OK, this will sound stupid but I'm a realist to I can tell you that within the next month my mind will go into the mode, "that was nice, congrats, but what have you done lately". That is why I'm going to end this chapter of the story here. I'm not quite certain what is next and I want to start with a clean goal. What I THINK will happen is that I will vault on March 5, at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Kamloops, BC, Canada, followed by USA Track & Field Indoor Championships in Boston on the third week of March. So two HUGE meets within two weeks of each other. That will really take some planning and coordination. Not to mention that I will be another year older and some stiff new competition enters my age group.

After these meets the next big things are World Outdoor Athletics in 2011 in Sacramento and the National Senior Games in the same year right here in Houston. These meets may be nearly impossible to medal at because I will then be the oldest in my group with a very deep field of young studs coming in. But that's exactly why I will train my butt off to defy those odds. Besides, that just sets me up for my next big goals.

All of this said, my true next goals are in 2013 when I will have two huge meets the same summer that I turn 60 and become the youngest in my group. The meet I just left in Sydney will be in Italy and the World Masters Athletics will be in Brazil. That year I will hit both.

In closing I want to again express my sincere thanks for coming along on this ride with me. I truly hope you felt like part of the team because that's how I feel about you. You were such a great outlet and support through this very trying process and I want you to feel the joy of our victory because it couldn't have happened without all of us. So thanks again and I'll let you know when I'm ready to start blogging for Kamloops/Boston, probably right after the first of the year - even though I start training for it this Sunday. All the best!! Looking forward to working with you again!! Bubba

PS - or local paper is doing an interview with me this morning for an article on the meet so I will make one more post of that link when it comes out.

Just When You Thought it Was Over

2009-10-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

Hello again. I'm sitting in the Sydney airport waiting to board my flight to LA and then later on to Houston. I blogged to you more when I felt more stress and now maybe because of my concern for Nancy and her mom. I'm not overly worried about her because she's always been in excellent health and strong for 93 years old. I few years ago she got pneumonia and fully recovered in about three weeks. Most older people don't do that. Anyway, I can't call because there are no cell phones in the hospital and then I have a 14 hour flight. So fortunately I still have you guys. Thanks so much for that.

A couple of things I have been asked I wanted to answer for the group. First is the "Doping Control". Just to let everyone know, this was not a cosmetic scare tactic. ALL medalists have to pass through Doping Control on their way to receive their awards. As Warren Hill, an official (and vaulter) led us through he said, "unless one of you gets stopped for drug testing we should be to the podium in about five minutes". He hands in the results and they select you or not. If they do, everyone else in your group waits while you go through the procedures. I'm glad no one was chosen in our group because it had already been a marathon day, was starting to get dark and I had not even packed up my poles or bags so I could walk back to the hotel. So, YES, Doping Control was present and used.

The wind. All vaulters have their wind horror stories but this was the worst I have seen. Tom and I noticed that there would be a brief drop to about 10 mph for about 3-5 seconds that would be followed by a cross tail, to cross, to head cross, to direct head (like a clock) over the next 10 seconds while gaining speed at each angle. This only happened every 10-15 minutes so unless you got this when you had your one minute on the runway, then your best option was to wait for the 15-20 mph cross from the right as that was as good as it was going to get. Since I was jumping alone with five minutes between jumps I actually got the dead to cross progression twice. Now remember - dead is 10 mph.

Here's my two big wind stories. At Round Rock High School outside of Austin last November it was cold and very windy, mostly tail. As the day went on it quartered over your right shoulder a little. When I came in to do my run through, it came totally across in a huge gust and blew my pole so hard I missed the box and planted into the left wedge where the front buns meet the pit. The pole bent totally sideways and I got shot to the front corner of the right bun where I let go with one hand and dropped. After I regained my heart in my chest, or official, the great Briam Elmore told it I was up for my first meet jump. I made it on my first jump but you can imagine that this was in my mind as a possibility as I ran down the runway for my first jump in Sydney.
The other time was at Worlds in 1997 in South Africa. We had a 40 mph headwind and they wouldn't turn the pit around to the other end because the standards on that end were not bolted down so that would cause an unsafe environment. HUH?! Like running into a 40 mph is the "safer" alternative. Well that's what we did and it worked for me because I was coming off of a strained hamstring. I ended up getting the bronze medal whereas if we had gone the other way I may have pulled during warm up or gotten a much lower place because everyone could use a big pole but me.

I'm sure you guys have good stories too. Gotta run as we're about to board. All the best and thanks again! Bubba

Back to Earth & Reality

2009-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is going to be my final post before I head to the airport early in the morning. I found out this afternoon when I couldn't get in touch with Nancy that her mom apparently had a mini stroke. The ambulance took her to the hospital and they are trying to get her back out and home soon rather than allow her to be exposed to all of the flu in the ER. My dad has had a few of these so I'm sure it's a minor setback from lack of sleep and overstress. Older people tend to be more fearful even though everything is done to simplify their lives. I've got the perfect mother-in-law in that she is a very nice person and very easy to get along with. I'm sure she will be fine but at 93 you never know. The bad part is that I can't make the plane go any faster so I'll just have to feel helpless a little longer. I'm obviously in touch with Nancy and my dad is also around if she needs anything, plus we have some really good friends in the area. Update - at 5 AM Thursday morning Nancy says her mom is worse so they will be holding her for an undetermined time frame. I leave for the airport in an hour in will be home in about 26 hours.

Back to the observations, here they call McDonalds "Maccas". I mean they call it that on the commercials. It's still McDonalds but it's also Maccas.

On TV many of the channels are called Fox 1, Fox 2, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, etc., because Australian Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch owns Fox. I bet there are 8-10 Fox channels. That said, they have two FM radio channels on TV and also an all Yoga channel. Yep - all yoga all of the time. Nancy loves that but it's an easy pass for me. I don't have the grace, flexibility or patience. Probably the reasons I SHOULD look into it.

OK gang, I'm signing off until a get home and then I'll decide what's next. All I know is that Monday is day one toward next year's goals with a completely new program that I have been really excited to start. I guess the Maine trip is up in the air as we wait to see how June is doing. Also it's my hope that my poles will get home soon as they were to be picked up today. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again and million times!! Bubba

Wednesday Post #3 - More Videos

2009-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is 3.90m or 12' 9 1/2"

This is 3.80m or 12' 5 1/2"

This is 3.70m or 12' 1 1/2"

This is my opening height of 3.60m or 11' 9 3/4"

Wednesday Post #2 - Videos

2009-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

We'll try this out with my first warm up jump with a bungee at 16' 6" and my meet vault of 13' 1 1/2". If we can get it to work I'll post the rest of them. Thanks! Bubba

Warm up with bungee at 16' 6"

My highest jump of the day - 4m (13' 1 1/2")

Wednesday Post #1 - Thoughts, Reflections & Thanks!

2009-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Good Morning. I didn't get much sleep last night but will make up for it today. After dinner with Alan, posting for the blog and talking to Nancy and Kris it was nearly 1 AM. Of course I got up at 5 AM as usual so I'll get a nap in today. The gravity of this still accomplishment hasn't set in for me but every time a walk past where my gold medal is hanging I'm reminded that it's very real. I am honored, grateful and humbled and so appreciative of your support and friendship.

Another factor in the conditions yesterday was that s the meet went on the sun was coming down behind the pit so it shaded the plant box and made it tough to see. Then when you completed your take off and looked up toward the bar, the sun blasted your view so you were going totally off of feel with no real concept of where you were in space. Very spooky.

A quick note to last night's thanks - Phil Raschker is a great and true friend from Georgia. She is the most decorated athlete in our sport often winning 10 gold medals at these events. I got to know her in the mid 1990s when she took up the vault. She knew I was ready for a breakthrough and kept up with me every day, throughout the day, including hanging out for most of my competition yesterday after she finished winning the 400m. I'm not a dot in her universe as far as performance results but she's encouraged me like it was her first gold medal too. She is the kind of person that cheers for everyone and sincerely shares the joy of other's accomplishments. She and Tom Rauscher are staying in the same hotel pretty far away from me so my commitment to Alan kept me from getting together with them for dinner. I just wanted to acknowledge my appreciation for her here.

Also masterstack.com blogger and friend for many years, Ken Stone, is constantly on the move trying to improve our sport. There is not an issue that he won't get involved in if he thinks it needs attention. He is a great ambassador and activist for our sport and I'm honored to say he's my friend. Ken, I was told for results to Google New South Wales (NSW) Athletics as that is where ours are posted.

Next I absolutely would not be here without my training partner, Don Curry. Don had had some injury issues but appears near cleaning those up. We learned to vault together as kids and even vaulted in each other's backyards before we really knew what we were doing. So I've been with Don for over 40 years. A great vaulter himself, he won the National Senior Games in Louisville in 2007 and I got 2nd.

Coach Dan Green recently retired and his son has taken over the program at The Woodlands High School where I train. Our school was named the #1 high school athletic program in the US by ESPN. Coach Green has a phenomenal awards list and is a master motivator. Being able to talk to him and get his insights on many topics has been a true blessing. His son, Juris, is beyond impressive in the way he goes about his business so I'll looking forward to developing more of a relationship with him too. Shawn Hamilton is our strength & conditioning coach and he too is a huge resource for me. He has the highest USA Track & Field certification offered and is a walking reference manual and all around terrific guy. Our pole vault coach is probably the nicest and most sincere man I have ever met in Robbie Dueitt. There is not a better coach when it comes to getting a brand new kid effective in a very short time - 20 minutes and they are clearing a crossbar. When he is in football I run the program for the off season and report to him. When he comes back out I serve as his volunteer assistant. Two other big names that make it possible for me and our pole vault club to succeed are Athletic Director, Mark Schmid. Not only is he a GREAT football coach he also coached the kid to our school record of 16' 1 1/4" before Robbie or me were involved. Finally the Principal, Greg Colschen, is an ardent supporter of the track program and he too has blessed me being able to practice and help out there. Without these guys I wouldn't have near the success I have had. They are a second family for me for which I am very thankful.

I'll post others as they come up but now here are a few "funny" things I've seen. On the way in from the airport I saw a logo that looked just like the Burger King logo but it said "Burger Giant". It advertised on a billboard, "Brekky at 6 AM". Though they do have Snickers candy bars, they also have a knock off brand with the exact same packaging and color/graphic scheme called "More Nuts". They also have warnings on their freeway signs that they "Ticket Drink Drivers". Here it is called "Drink Driving" instead of "Drunk Driving". I should have kept a list because there are many funny sayings and descriptions. I have never met an Ozzie who was not friendly and funny. Not a bad way to be known.

Thanks again for your interest and support. I head home tomorrow and will be so happy to get there. I've had a great time but I'm certainly mentally and physically drained. Im sure I'll have some other closing thoughts. Thanks for tuning in and caring. It means the world to me. Bubba

World Champion!!

2009-10-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Gold Medal - Click on Any Photo to Enlarge
The M55 & M60 Medal Winners

The M55 Winners, Allen Williams, Me & Phil Carrero

We did it!! Congratulations and thank you so much!! I don't think you have any idea how much support you have been just by being here. I feel grateful and more blessed than any person deserves to be. My humblest gratitude goes out to you all. So how did it go today? The bottom line is that I won the gold medal at the World Masters Games to earn the title of World Champion and set a new World Masters Games meet record in the process. Since this competition is every four years I am at least assured the record for that long. I vaulted 4m (13' 1 1/2") and stopped because I felt I might be risking injury as my body was starting to break down from the long and exhausting day. The 2nd place mark was 3.50m (11' 5 1/2") by Allen Williams of Great Britain who looked fantastic at 12' 1 1/2" but the wind got the better of him too. Third place was my friend Phil Carrero of Australia at 3m (9'10 1/2").

JEEZ - this was by far the most stressful and challenging competition of my entire pole vault career. Let's start with the constant 20-40 mph winds that were all over the place but never a tail. The marks for the day showed it too except for mine. The wind was mainly a headwind or cross wind or some blend of each. When I post the 4m video tomorrow you will be able to hear the wind HOWLING. Next, we knew I would get no run throughs and I would have to wait around. It was two hours before my first vault and I missed my first jump because I was too close to the box with my take off foot. Allen started at 11' 5 1/2" and made it the first jump and then passed 3.60m (11' 9 3/4") where I started. I missed my first jump so he's in the lead. I made it on the 2nd with huge sigh of relief because I had just secured at least the silver medal.

At 3.70m (12' 1 1/2") Allen was up first and he missed whereas I made it on the first jump to take the lead. Allen looked just super on all three attempts but couldn't find a way to leave the bar up. I felt bad for him and let him know it because he looked so much better than the mark he got credit for. We'll stay in touch as I really enjoyed hanging out and talking with him.

So at this point I've won the meet so I need to switch to vaulter mode to let my vault buddies know what took place. Warm up went great. My mission was to send a message to the group and myself a powerful statement considering the conditions - I simply said to myself and acted upon the statement, "WHAT WIND? I don't feel any wind". I bought into it and made myself believe it and that was the difference. I made 12' 2" in warm easy and had a very close jump at 13' 2" at a time when the other guys were just starting to get on the runway for their warm ups. I felt fantastic as all of our plans leading up to today were perfect as I could have, or have ever done them.

After 3.70m I decided to stay on track and work through some poles and runs. I'm now the only vaulter remaining so I'm jumping alone. I had made 3.60m and 3.70m from 55' so Alan Launder said I should move back and move up poles to set me up for later. I did as I was advised and moved back to 65' and skipped my 4.30/16.2 and went to the 15.9 and made 3.80m (12' 5 1/2") on the first vault. Alan wanted me to stay on the pole for the next height so I did and cleared 3.90m (12' 9 1/2") on my first attempt. Comfortable that my technique was back on, Alan had me move up to the next pole for 4m (13' 1 1/2"). Surprisingly the pole was too small so we moved up again to the biggest pole I brought, the 4.30m/15.7 and I just bombed over the bar with close to 9" of height. At this point I've been the only one vaulting for four of my last five clearances so I stopped. I had them raise the bar to 4.10m (13' 5 1/4") but stopped as I didn't want to risk injury. By this point it was 5:40 PM and I did my warm up at 2 PM, sat for two hours and then jumped almost by myself for 40 minutes. I was starting to feel a little crampy and dehydrated so I did the smart thing and quit while i was ahead and uninjured. I used six of the seven poles I brought having skipped one in the middle of the order (16.2), my normal start pole.

My buddy Tom Rauscher got 2nd in the M60, who jumped with us. It was really funny in warm up because he asked this huge guy from Sweden when he was coming in and Anders told him "whenever you go out". I told Tom congratulations that Anders thinks he will get the silver. It turned out that Anders beat him by a miss and had Tom made 3.20 (10' 5 1/2") he would have won. Nice group for the Americans.

OK gang, it's nearly 11 PM and I'm dead but still want to go down and post this info and photos. I went to dinner with Alan and a good friend of his that was a longtime throws coach. Of course I picked his brain on lifting but it was a long evening after an extremely long day. So thanks again!! Words cannot describe my appreciation. Bruce Caldwell of Essx - you are the man - you make the best poles and you got them here safely for me. I'm thrilled to give you and Essx another World Champion. Kris Allison is my coach, confidant and great friend. All year long we've talked about this day and our plan has been modified a thousand times as we went. There is no way this happens without you!! Deano - today was an all AC/DC day for music. It reminds me of the grinds we used to do in the weight room. Dan West, John Altendorf and Kirk Benz - thanks for throwing in your two cents over this blog and for all of the years you have been so supportive. Your friendship is invaluable. My medical team for piecing me back together and helping we to work around dings and annoyances. Charlie Bier of our local paper who brings attention to our sport so we can recruit and help young kids in the community. Andrew Custodio for takig videos today. It was a very long day for him too. I certainly have other thanks but I'm too exhausted tonight. But last for tonight and every night is the love of my life, my wife Nancy!! She continues to amaze me with her grace and patience. She is my everything and tireless supporter. I can't wait to get home and see her and the rest of you. Thanks again and

I'll have another wrap up or two as I'll have some other thoughts plus I want to share with you some of the funny cultural differences and terms/sayings that I found humorous. For example - Tiger Woods is coming in November. We have that stupid guy you always here who thinks he's Bill Murray in Caddyshack who screams "get in the hole". Well they say "Yabadado" like Fred Flintstone after the tee shot. Great people these Ozzies. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Good night. Bubba

Tired of Waiting

2009-10-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

A Gentleman From Germany Wins the Silver in the M70.
Alan Launder, Me & Andrew Custodio

Not much new here. Had lunch with Alan and Jenny today and then we walked over and watched the girls. On the way out I saw a guy from Germany walk in the hotel door caring his pole and wearing a silver medal he had won in the M70 group. He was absolutely beaming so I asked if I could take a photo with him, in part to share his excitement, but also in hopes some of his good fortune might rub off. I saw him tell three hotel employees that he had won a medal. I was truly excited for him and appreciative for the photo op.

Later at the track I found out from Warren Hill that the top guy said there will be no run throughs so that becomes the plan. LOOK, if I have a pole that feels really easy in warm up this is NOT a big deal. Once or twice a year I come out to practice or a meet and just put the bar up with no warm up to prepare for just such an occasions. Yes it would be nice but it won't ruin my day. Start on a small pole, play it safe and then get on with my normal routine. The only difference is that you warm up mainly during the meet instead of before it. BTW - the head meet official said we could have a run through as long as the head guy at the pole vault pit says it's OK. Now we know where that stands. It ain't happening.

I also found out when I picked up my number and "Declared" with my signature that I would compete, that my poles will be brought out to the track for me before I even get there. Then later in the stands I found out that Warren is bringing them out for me. All the better.

I also got a chance to meet "Andrew_C" from PVP (http://www.polevaultpower.com/) our community message board up for all pole vaulters. A very nice guy, his coach won the girls meet today. That is pretty cool to meet someone more than half way around the world who I met online on PVP. He and Ben Browder gave me tons of great advice in preparation for this trip and I followed every bit of it. Andrew has also been nice enough to video my jumps tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big day and I jump at 3 PM, or 11 PM at night at home in Texas. I'm going to have breakfast by 7 AM, get a bath and stretch and then settle into some music and relaxation. I'll walk over to the track about 1 and hand off my camera and then head to the "Call Room" by 1:30. Tomorrow is a busy vault day with divisions scheduled for 9 AM, 11AM, 1 PM and then ours, the final vaulting of these Games, at 3 PM. As we say - practice like you compete and compete like you practice. That means there is no rocket science to my approach to warm up and jumping. Just do it exactly like I do every other day.

Thanks again for all of your interest and support. I'm scared as hell but also quite confident I'll be OK. The warm up will answer any lingering questions I may have and I will have Alan there for me too so I should be set. Thanks again!! I'll report back as soon as I can. In 1997, to Worlds in South Africa, I wore a T-Shirt with Bart Simpson pole vaulting on a bent pencil. The caption said "Shut Up & Vault!!" And I will. Bubba

Sunday - Post 3

2009-10-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

A Race From My Window

I see a trend here. I have predicted times that I am available to reflect on thoughts for the day, throughout the day. I just got back from watching the W50+ vault. Of course Phil Raschker won and stopped so she could get off to her next event. That said she looked much better vaulting than I have seen her in years. She said she was on a small pole where she felt confident and it showed. I was sitting next to Warren Hill who coached the runner up, so when she went out Phil stopped. The highlight was a Japanese lady in the W75 setting a world record (WR) at 1.91m and then 2m (6' 6 3/4"). American Becky Sisley also looked very good in winning her division.

Talking to Warren, who will officiate the women tomorrow, he says they will follow IAAF rules so there will be no run throughs. A run through is a warm up jump without the bar given to an athlete who has passed previous heights for more than one hour. It's hard enough to get going again period much less to go from sitting to all out in one jump. To do this I will have to start at a lower height and on a smaller pole, and in essence, warm up during the meet. I can do it but it's not optimal.

Here's how the competition goes for us. Tomorrow we must sign in and "Declare" our intent to compete and pick up our number that goes on our back to identify us to the officials. No earlier than 90 minutes and no later than 70 minutes before our scheduled start time we have to report to the "Call Room". In this holding area they count you as present, check the contents of your gym bag and make sure that your equipment is compliant. Then they walk the group in front of the stands and everyone cheers as you walk by like warriors taking the field. Pretty cool actually. I'm guessing my poles will already be on the field but I'll find out tomorrow. On the field we are given a 45 minute warm up and then the competition starts at a height that the lowest vaulter selects. You may vault or "Pass" these attempts. There are 18 vaulters in our group - 10 in my group (M55) and 8 in the M60 group. Medals are awarded by your age group only but sometimes they consolidate groups together to save time. SO, the bar may start as low as 8' and it will go up 4" (10 cm) at a time. Each vaulter has three attempts at each height. Three consecutive misses and your out. So with 18 vaulters, if everyone no heights (nhs) then that took 48 jumps already so you can see this will be a long day. I start at 12' so it could easily be two hours before I vault after I have warmed up - hence the desire for a run through. We'll see because I WILL plead my case. My point is that they are combining groups and that makes the top jumpers wait too long so either break us up or give us a run through.

Alan Launder Has Arrived
I talked to Alan Launder today and we will go to lunch tomorrow and then over to watch the top girls. I'm sure we will strategize my situation but if I had to guess I will start from my 54' run on my 17.0 at 11' 6" or 11' 10" and just jog down the runway and not risk jerking something without the warm up run through. Alan is one of the world's best known coaches and the author of the pole vaulters bible, "From Beginner to Bubka". He visits The Woodlands once or twice a year and teaches our kids and works with me. He also goes to my coach, Kris Allison's place in New Braunfels. Between Kris and Alan I've got two of the top minds keeping me on track and eliminating the need for second guessing - hence less stress. So by the time lunch is over tomorrow I'll be dialed in.

Wolfmother?
Today I was watching a video special with a band called "Wolfmother". They are a young Australian band that really rocks it old school style. Check them out Dean. Anyway they had a song picked up for the world famous game, "Guitar Hero". During the promo for that edition I saw about six of their songs live. I'm always looking for music to help me survive and drive may way through training. So, remember the name, "Woflmother". I say this half in jest because on my way to the track I could hear the rehearsals going on for the Opening Ceremonies. They were playing some rock songs by Kiss and others and then here comes Wolfmother's song "Woman". I'm thinking that's pretty cool since I had never heard of them a hour ago. Fifteen minutes later I walk in the track stadium and over the speaker, here comes Wolfmother. Can't get away from these guys. NONE of them is particularly special but the way they play together reminds me of the way it used to be done with rocking simplicity. Very cool new find for me from downunder.

Warren, who lives in Melbourne, was telling me today that there is no Ozone level over most of Australia so even on overcast days you have no protection. That's good to know. My buddy Tom Rauscher immediately got out his sunscreen since he is a little fair skinned. I only bring it up because I noticed yesterday that I looked more tan all of the sudden and knew I hadn't really been in the sun. Well I guess I have. The sun produces a super intense heat but when the clouds come over it feels 10 degrees cooler. Even when it feels hit the breeze is cool so its a little misleading. In any case, it was another beautiful day.

That's it for today. I know you are all sleeping but wanted to get these thoughts out before I get too busy. All the best! Bubba

Sunday #2

2009-10-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

My home away from home - Novotel Olympic Park

Another very nice day out this morning with temps in the low 60s. Though the Opening Ceremonies are tonight, activities are going on everywhere. I walked over to the track and the M65 group was warming up to vault. They have a nice atmosphere with music playing over the stadium speakers with announcements breaking in. I have questions remaining but I'll get those when I meet Tom Rausher over later for the W50+ group. We want to watch Phil Racshker and get the lowdown on how the vault is run.

What I did see when I went down there was that there is a metric measuring tape on the left side of the runway. I'm guessing they will allow us an English one on the right but I've got my conversions in my head anyway. They provide runway markers so you cannot use your own or put tape on the runway. They have a box of these markers and I haven't decided if you get to pick your own or if they assign them to you. In either case, they all look somewhat similar so I can see confusion coming for many. Most right handed vaulters have their marks on the left side of the runway, and since each vaulter is allowed two markers you can imagine the line up of these funky markers. "Funky" you say? These markers are wooden with square bottoms and what is built up above the base to a height of maybe 4" looks like tinker toys. Just a rambling of attached other wooden pieces, some with color and some not. Fortunately for me, since I've had two Achilles surgeries, I start on my right foot so had I been jumping this morning I would have been the only markers on the right side of the runway. In either case I have a very good feeling that I will decorate my marker with bright blue and orange duct tape.

Other questions are when and where do you check in to get your number? I saw they have a bungee up for warm up so probably that means no crossbars. The big question for me is will I get a run through before I start jumping if I've had to sit around for an hour plus waiting for the bar to get to my starting height. I figure I'll find that out today as there should be plenty of girls in the field so someone will have to wait around to start jumping.

I finally broke down and got some Australian money. I have just been using my debit card but I've located a convenience store and a few other places to make minor purchases of fruit, Power Bars, drinks, etc. The AU dollar is worth only slightly less than the US dollar. For example, I got US $40 changed and after the exchange fee I still got AU $41.58. No wonder the hotel people like being tipped with American dollars.

WAIT - I'm sitting in my room and I just heard an announcement at the track that the pole vault bar is going to ___ height with two vaulters remaining. You've gotta be kidding - play by play from my room? I can also hear when the starting gun goes off. I'm on the 8th floor with the windows closed. The track is about 600m away. Gotta love the view. I can even see the vaulters vault. You're right Nancy - I should have brought the binocs!

I haven't given my impression of the event and people yet so I thought I would weigh in. In an event this size there will always be issues but from the deluge of credentialing lines on day one to be almost none on day two, you can tell these people come up with solutions fast. I have yet to meet a person who was not overly helpful and friendly. They seem to take it personally if they feel like they are failing you, which I have rarely seen before. It's people like this, with winning attitudes that I am always going to give the benefit of the doubt. I've yet to see someone angry or even act frustrated. They just calmly address the complaint and make every effort to immediately solve it. I've read on Ken's blog about some miscues but I'm not seeing them. I'm sure they are there but I'm also sure they will be soon resolved. Love this country and the people!!

I'm hanging out in my room waiting to hear from Alan about lunch. I see we are having a little rain shower all of the sudden but the skies are pretty blue around it. Hopefully it will clear completely soon. Actually in the time it took me to come downstairs to post this, the sun is back out.

I am going to get in another longstrecth this afternoon after we watch the girls. Thanks again for being here everyone!! More later. Bubba

Sunday Looks VERY Busy

2009-10-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yes - that is the Olympic flame. It has a misty water spray that comes out the sides of the platform. Looks AWESOME at night!!

View of the track from my room.
View of the main stadium from my room.

The post below was written yesterday. It seems my day is broken up into two parts because of my time here and when Nancy and you guys are awake and asleep. I didn't post it because I just didn't feel like going to the lobby and setting up the wireless again as it was such a zoo there was no place to sit. Now that events are going on every day people are busy and coming and going rather than everyone hanging out. The Homebush Brewery and Tavern downstairs is beer garden central. Homebush is the name of the area where Olympic Park is located. WOW - tons of athletes and families ending their afternoons outside with a beer. Since there is no iced tea here I seem to be stuck with water or Diet Coke. Small price to pay to spend some time in paradise.

Just saw they started some big road race down the main street by the stadium. Activity EVERYWHERE!! It's 6:45 AM and they have already uncovered the vault pit. Heading over soon. Opening Ceremonies tonight. Bubba

Post #2 for Saturday - Changes
The hotel called and offered to change my room so I would have broadband by cable in my room instead of having to go down to the lobby to pay for wireless. Well, it didn't work, BUT - the view is great as I'm on the other side of the hotel so I look right over at the track and Olympic Stadium. I can actually see the vault runway and pit. Also I have a deep bathtub whereas before I only had a shower. A very nice change. The hotel staff is "instant" when they tell you they will do something. I've had people at my door less than two minutes from when they say that someone will come up. The beds are also super comfortable. A really nice home away from home.

Of course I'll be watching out my window at the new view all of the time but right now the track has a very nice tailwind. Phillip said that would happen as it continues to warm up. There isn't anyone vaulting now but there was when we went over earlier. I didn't stay around long enough but they looked pretty young. One guy had some big old fat Pacer IIIs from the 70s that looked like they had been cut off to about 14'. Tomorrow at 9 is the first vault competition (M65) so I'll go check it out. At 12:35 the Women over 50 vault. BTW - the event has started so I can hear the PA announcers at the different stadiums. This reminds me of when I was in Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics. We were at the practice track almost a 1/2 mile away and could hear the cheers and announcements.

My friend, the famous coach/author, Alan Launder is coming to coach me from Adelaide, in Western Australia. We will have lunch together tomorrow and walk through a plan. I'm real comfortable with whatever happens with the weather at this point. That's why I brought seven poles. Still, we will discuss the different plans and then just wait for the event.
Today I did some strides and a long stretch and that felt very good. I've walked so much that it really help to shake me out from the long flight, but now it's time to conserve and stay off of my feet. I like that I felt good because many times too much walking makes you flat. So game on for Tuesday. Daily stretching to my music will keep my head in the right place. I'll go watch the other vault comps and keep looking out the window. What a powerful reminder for why I'm here - right out my window.

One follow up I forgot to mention - I went with Phillip to pick up his credentials and he was out in less than 10 minutes as there was hardly any line. Go figure. Phillip is a very accomplished artist and had several pieces on display at the track. I'll look for his website art link and post it for you. I also met his wife and young daughter. He's just a super guy and they make a very nice family.

Also as I look out my window, to the right of the Athletic Center where the track and field events are held, is a large trapeze set up that people are practicing on right now. I'll check that out up close tomorrow. Maybe on Wednesday I can get in there with someone.

That's it - just a short addition from this morning's post. Bubba

Getting Acclimated

2009-10-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ben Browder told me that when I arrive early Friday to resist the urge to stay in. He said to get out and start moving around as it would be easier to acclimate. I did what he suggested and it did in fact play a huge role in how I almost feel normal today. I slept a lot last night and ate and drank a lot this morning. I noticed I was getting some cramping from dehydration so I think I've reversed that. Another example of the great advice I've gotten from all of you.

What a beautiful day we have today in Sydney. This morning it was cool with a light breeze and bright sunshine. Looking toward the bridge and city it was covered in clouds earlier but now it too is clear. I talked to Phillip last night on the phone and we're heading to the harbor this morning. I should get some great photos and enjoy hearing all about Sydney from a
resident pole vaulter. BTW - Phillip said he strained a hamstring three weeks ago and is hoping to be able to compete beyond a basic level. Its that dangerous "three weeks out" period that just KILLS you every time.

I need some down time between activites and TV is my mindless escape. They only have about six channels at the hotel yet I saw all three baseball games, golf, Oprah, Dr. Phill, The View, etc. Of course they have Australian programing but a lot of American content. The great news is that the NFL games are on here early. I think Atlanta plays somebody at 7 AM our time. Pretty funny but it fits my schedule.

As mentioned yesterday the credentialing was a zoo so I talked to Nancy about 6:30 AM and headed over to beat the 7 AM opening time. When I got there I was maybe number 60 in line and they said the doors would not open until 8. I heard one lady tell a man she had waited in line for two hours yesterday only to move 100 feet. Anyway, they let us in about 7:20 and
I was credentialed by 7:35. I think they are not doing photos now so that will make it go faster. You have to present an acceptance letter from the Games along with you passport to get credentialed. Without either you stood in line for nothing. I was really impressed that they came out and told us they would open early and told us what page and area of our letters
needed to be shown to the agent. I have a feeling this process will go much faster today.

The next challenge was to get merchandise. Well of course it didn't open until 8 and since we were let in to register early, then there was a huge line waiting for merchandise to open. I had looked at what I wanted online so I just spotted it from the line and hit it the second they opened the ropes. I was out of there within 10 minutes and relieved of $245. Still, I knew if I left and came back the lines would be longer and I would have less selection. This way I was the first out of one of the six checkout lines. Mission accomplished - now stay away from that zoo. There system is good but you still have to credential 28,000+ athletes, one by one, over the last couple of days.

The track is open to competitors this morning between 10-2. I'll meet Phillip over there while we check out the facility and then we will head to the harbor area. I don't necessarily need anything special at the track but rather want to size up the lay of the land and get a better mental picture of where I'll warm up, hang out until I jump, check the runway and winds,
etc. I find myself thinking a lot about the competition and it is all very strong and positive. I'm walking through my mechanical checklist and mentally preparing. URGENT - Dan West - please resend me that list you gave me to polevaulter@msn.com. I emailed it to myself from my bubbapv.com account but it didn't get here. Thanks! Anyway, I feel
very good and in a very good place mentally. I feel calm and confident yet excited for the opportunity to jump here.

This is a BIG DEAL event. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of uniformed athletes from around the world with their support teams of family and friends in tow. The regular Olympics have about 10,000 competitors and we are nearly three times that number, hailing from 95 countries. At Worlds for Athletics (Track & Field), everyone looks at everybody trying to
determine what they do, who they are, etc. Here you can't do that because there are so many athletes in so many sports. Everyone here is somebody and obviously somebody pretty darn good in their sport or they wouldn't be here. That's pretty cool to see this magnitude of commitment at our ages. We compete in five year age groups beginning at 30 through 100+. I'm seeing all age ranges and many in their sports know each other like we do. Speaking of which, I don't want to say that I'm laying low but I've yet to see anyone that I know. Thank goodness I've got you guys and gals!!

As you prepare to enjoy your Friday evening I'm heading out to get a jump on my Saturday morning. I'm sure I will post photos later. All the best and thanks for your support. It's very comforting in this far away land where I know no one and most of the people I see and hear don't speak English. Funny as this may sound, I'm very comfortable on this little solitary
planet I have created for myself to remain focused and not be allowed to be caught up in too much peripheral stuff. I feel very confident that I can execute the game plan. WOW - how different is that from fearing the nh when I was at home? The difference is that I'm here now and HERE is where it happens or doesn't. It's up to me and the preparation that's been done.
It takes an army to get ready for one of these things and I think I've got the best one. For that I salute you! We'll find out Tuesday. Bubba

Hello From Busy Sydney

2009-10-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Me & Kirk Benz at LAX

My Poles Arrive Safely
My hotel in the back on the left. My pit in front. My poles are under the stands 50m to the left.

Too much to talk about so let's get started. I'll have to put up photos tomorrow as I have the wrong AC adapter for my computer so I'm stuck with battery power. Also it's 50 cents per minute up to $27.50 per day for the Internet so my time needs to be limited until I find another access. Warning - this will be probably jump around and be rambling so I cover the stuff I wanted to.

The flight was great and long as you would expect. My good friend and fellow M55 pole vaulter, Kirk Benz, came out and met me at LA and we hung out talking for nearly two hours before my flight to Sydney. What a great guy, great vaulter and great friend. I appreciate his insights into helping each other get better.

Qantas started off by giving us dinner at nearly 1 AM because that was dinner time in Syndey. After that it was nap time and they woke us up again about 5:30 to get ready for breakfast. I figure I got about six hours of sleep. We landed at 8:25, got through customs and quarantine to meet my group. There are SO MANY uniforms from all over the world as the airport was a zoo. On our flight I quit counting T-shirts I saw for the different sports at 12. Everything from water polo, volleyball, weightlifting, track cycling, boxing, gymnastic, rowing, etc.

Rather than wait for everyone to go to together, I took a cab out to the Olympic Park where my hotel is and beat the check in crowd. It was just dragging on and on as they waited for more people so I had to get out if there. That luck did not carry over to the credentialing where the line is literally more than 1,000 athletes waiting to get photo IDs. I'll go back first thing in the morning. BTW - today was drizzly and in the low to mid 50s but this afternoon is nice and sunny but breezy. I can see the big bridge and downtown from my hotel window as well as most of the Olympic Park venues. Pretty awesome. The only negative is no bath tub. I like to soak and read to relax so I guess I'll have to find the Jacuzzi. BTW - they sit and drive on the right side of their cars and drive on the left side of the road.

Speaking of first thing, the very second I walked into my hotel I called Nancy to catch up with her. We set up our schedule to talk from this point forward. Speaking of calls - I took a short nap and was shocked back to this millineum by the telephone ringing. I knew it was too late for Nancy so I thought maybe it was Phillip about tomorrow. NO - It was the lady telling me that my poles had arrived. I got directions and the contact person's name and walked the seven minutes over to the Athletic Center where they arrived in PERFECT CONDITION. Kris and Bruce did such an incredible taping and labeling job that appranently no on wanted to mess with because the grips and tape were just as I left them.

I walked out to the place I will vault and maybe it's 50 meters from where my poles are stored. WOW - could not be a better situation. The wind for our pit looked pretty much of a crosswind from the left but everybody will have to deal with it. One minor concern is that at 3:30 the sun was still pretty high but will come down behind the pit and could shade or shield my ability to see the plant box so vision later in the competition could be an issue. This happened to Don at Worlds in Italy in 2007. He had to wear sunglasses and a hat to be able to see the box. I don't think it will be that bad.

Tomorrow from 10 AM to 2 PM the track and pit will be open to practice. I really want to check that out before I go sightseeing with Phillip. Well, gotta run and save my battery while I look for the right adapter. Plenty more to come. Thank you all for your support!! Bubba

Outta Here! + Late Post

2009-10-07T07:28:00.001-07:00

I'm wrapping up at warp speed around here this morning. There is too much to do and too little time. I woke up and 4 AM and started the mental list again. Counting the chores must have been like counting sheep because I managed to get back to sleep until 6. The good news is that I'm finished packing so now it's just wrapping up the business stuff.

I'll miss Nancy. She is my heart and soul and my daily light so being without her on this trip will certainly feel like a great loss. We're trying to set times to talk now since the time difference is so much. For the past year she has heard every detail and has offered her opinion every time I ask her about specific turns in the plot to getting ready for this trip. Of course I offered to take her but she says she's never really had the interest to go to Oz and especially isn't fond of the long flight. She's been with me to Hawaii on business twice this year and that's an eight hour flight, plus we just got back from California. I think she will enjoy staying home on this one. Besides, we go to Maine for our annual vacation less than two weeks after I return.

So, I'm off on my "business trip" and will check in where and when I can until I get settled. Thanks again for being here. Please consider yourselves on call as I'm certain I know I'll need you. Have a great day! Bubba

PS - I forgot to mention that my flight IS the flight for the World Masters Games. The tour company with the exclusive rights says that everyone flying with them from the USA for these Games will be on this flight. All from Canada are leaving out of Vancouver - also today I think. That means I should recognize quite a few people, at least from our sport. Less boring that way.

Almost Time to Go

2009-10-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

My last chance to get hurt was today and I carefully avoided it. I was scheduled to run 6 X 50m hills with my sled but Kris and I decided that I may need to do a little small pole vault session also. My thinking was that since the meet is a week from today that I may come in TOO rested and maybe feel a little flat. After my sleds I was pretty sure that wouldn't be the case. What I forgot was that I had a very hard leg lifting session just two days ago so I felt like crap. I didn't feel injured or in danger. I just felt like I was running in cement shoes. I warmed up on the runway and took one jump on my smallest 13' pole and stopped. It felt tiny and I felt useless on the runway so it wasn't worth pushing.

Now I'm seriously packing and finishing up on business. The good news is that I don't leave until 6 tomorrow so I don't feel so rushed. The bad news is that I have over four hours in LA before the long flight starts. That's after the 3.5 hours to get to LA. I'll just take it easy and enjoy the trip and try to arrive rested. The total time from take off from Houston to landing in Sydney is 22 hours. When I went to South Africa is was 26 and I survived that.

So thanks for all of your support and best wishes!! That said, as this chapter closes the next one opens. The heat will rise once I get to Sydney and I promise that you will feel it in my posts. For better or worse, I'll let you in. Let's make it a good trip!! Bubba

Here is the link for current local time and weather. So far they are calling for 61 to 75 and rain for next Tuesday. We?ll see.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=240

Poles Arrive in Oz + End of the Grind

2009-10-05T07:57:00.001-07:00

Both of these are joyous topics since I leave on Wednesday. I have a run/bars/stretch tomorrow and a stretch on Wednesday before I go. Today I did a "Strength Test" to see how I have progressed in the past nearly eight weeks since we started this little journey. My weight this morning was 171.5 which is where I want it on the competition day. My bench press improved 20+ lbs. to 250. I say 20+ lbs. because I made 250 quite easily but didn't see the point in trying 260 and risking injury. I also moved up 10 lbs. on my hang clean to 185. Of course these numbers are relative as some guys smaller than me lift much more (Dan West) and some bigger guys lift less. So relative to me these are very good marks. SO, the grind is officially over. It's time to think rest, refresh the mind and prepare to focus on the upcoming tasks. Total weight lifted for this blog is 717,995 and exactly 500 weighted high bar exercises.

The Poles Arrived!!
If you have been tracking the shipping as I have you see that they arrived at 11 AM on 10/3, even though that didn't show up until this morning. Bruce Caldwell says that they will be taken to the venue on the 7th, the day I leave. Since I lose a day by crossing the International Dateline, I leave Wednesday and arrive Friday. Even funnier, when I come back I arrive at LA only two hours after I left Sydney. Since I arrive at 8:25 AM and can't get into my hotel until 2 PM, I'll get credentialed and go find the poles and make sure they aren't broken or need to be re-taped because of any fumigation stuff they sprayed in the tube.

Eating
Ben Browder gave me tons of invaluable info for this trip and especially eating choices. It's not like there will be an Outback on every corner. Although I did eat at one last night for my dad's 78th birthday. Sounds like it will be pretty easy as far as nutritional needs and desires go. I'll be staying at the Novatel - Olympic Park which is literally right across the street from the stadium. http://www.novotelsydneyolympicpark.com.au/ If you watch their website photos under dining they show a view of the stadium from one of the restaurants. That's awesome to be so close. Not only that, but credentialed athletes also get free use of the train systems. Not that I will be doing much wandering around but it's nice to have options. I'm very much a "hang out in the room" and watch TV, read, work on the computer, etc. type guy. I'm there to take care of business but I'll enjoy looking around on Saturday when I go to the harbor area with Phillip.

That's it for today. Got mostly packed yesterday and will do some more today. We're getting to that point where there's nothing left to do but to do it - my favorite part. As always, thanks for being here! Bubba

Destiney, Random Thoughts & Video at Bottom

2009-10-04T09:41:00.001-07:00

Today when I entered my local 24 Hour Fitness where I lift legs and do some of my bars, I was invited to place a goal on a big board for everyone to see. Of course there were many goals on this board but for the first time I wrote - "World Champion, World Masters Games M55 Pole Vault, Sydney, Australia - 10/13/09". I thought, "There, I said it". This felt odd and is even harder to explain. Why would I spend the better part of a year targeting this one day and yet feel strange about actually saying what my goal is? Yes I am very capable of winning but we know that means absolutely nothing. You have to do it that day in that place and weird things always happen. So YES I hope to win but I can't say I expect to win. That type of attitude lands you right on your butt and in the stands. Ask the world's greatest women vaulter who did not clear her opening height at the recent World Championships for the elites. All I can say is that if things go great I expect to medal and hope to win. But still, writing an absolute goal felt strange even though I think it all of the time. In fact I'm driven by it. WHY? I've worked my but off so why should I feel so unsure? Because I've been there and seen it firsthand. It's a 100% crapshoot. My first collegiate championship I was ranked 10th and I repeated the following year after having only the 6th highest jump. I saw Sergey Bubka fail to clear his opening height in Barcelona at the 1992 Olympics and I saw him withdraw during warm up for the 1996 Olympics where a few days earlier I saw him trying 20' 8" with a bungee and looking great. You never know so just be prepared, pay attention and focus.

I was reading Track & Field News magazine yesterday and saw where Australia's Steve Hooker came into the World Championships in Berlin only eight days after straining his groin in practice. The defending World Champion, Brad Walker withdrew because he partially missed the pit 12 days out from the big meet. I'm nine days out today. Then I was looking at YouTube video and saw a team of guys all nearly fail to clear their opening heights even though they had tons of height. They all managed on their third attempts but what a nightmare start. It was these thoughts that had me reconsider my workout this morning when I saw that we have nothing but rain between now and when I leave on Wednesday.

First, vaulting was not an option so I'm done there. Last year when I strained my left triceps I went 2-4 weeks without vaulting on a regular basis and would show up at a meet and still vault well, so I don't see that as a big factor. Remember, less than two months ago I was in California watching the National Senior Games with a strained groin. When I came back and started this blog I hoped to be able to get back over 12' before I left for Oz. Since then I've vaulted 12 days and made 13' on two of those days, 12' 6" on three others and 12' on five more. All of this with no run further than 43' (usually 33') on small poles. In meets I start from 54' on much bigger poles. So I'm cool not jumping anymore.

The rain made me unsure about running with the sled because a hard slip could twinge a hamstring or overstretch an Achilles. So out of the blue I decided to flop things and go lift legs first and then come back and run some hill/sled reps in the rain. The purpose was that my legs would be too tired to try and be too powerful. It worked perfectly as I had some very nice and rhythmical sled pulls after a great lifting session. That was my last gym session before I go. I'll do a strength test in the garage tomorrow and then run again on Tuesday morning - in the rain because suddenly we're the new Seattle.

I started getting my stuff together last night and Nancy got out the suitcase this morning. The weather there has been showing low 50s to low 60s with a lot of rain. Two weeks ago it was nice and warm. Needless to say I have to take more clothes options and consider more stuff to make sure my grip on the pole works in the rain.

OK, I'm done for today. In closing I want to make an observation about expectations. No matter what goes through my head when I am approaching a meet, when it's "GO TIME", I shift into a highly focused and accountable athlete. I will not vault to stay alive but will compete to win. It's hard to explain but there is a certain expectation, not only of myself, but of others who know me (including you) that I do my best, and that's what saves me at big meets. That switch hits and the doubts are gone. Until then I'll continue to be afraid so I don't make careless mistakes or oversights. I've done everything within my power to be ready, I am, and I will give everything I have. The great motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, says that people will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. I guess this is why we obsess over clearing that first height as that represents the greatest pain we can experience. Once you're past that then it's off to the races. With that said, I have nh'd (no heighted - did not clear my opening height) only one time in my career - my sophomore year in college at conference. I don't plan on this being number two but if I'm not afraid of it, it could happen.

Thanks a ton for being here!! MUCH appreciated! Bubba

PS - I will blog from the plane and airports but I won't be able to post it until I get to my hotel unless I can pick up a WiFi at LAX.

For fun I thought I would try and post a video here since I will from Sydney. This is 12' 6" (3.81m) at the Quintana Beach Vault.

A Quiet Day Off

2009-10-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

I'm cool with this off day as it's pretty gloomy out. If it rains tomorrow I'll wait and try to go Monday since I have the luxury of a little extra time. Also my legs are still a little sore from the high level session I had on Thursday. Overall I feel great but rest is very important right now as your body makes 100% of its progress during rest. The objective is to ramp up your program to its highest intensity and then somewhere between 7-9 days out you pull the rug out from under the training load. Your body responds by coming back fast and hard because it thinks you will keep demanding training sessions. When you don't, it keeps building in anticipation that you will again shock it with more hard training. The result is that I should feel really good and refreshed on my jump day. Sometimes I do this a little too good. I've had a couple of big meets where I came out feeling so good that I almost got a strain in warm up. That's a good problem. I just have to remember to take it easy and start slow in the warm-up.

Warm-up for me is usually very early. I like to be the first on the runway about an hour out from the start time. This way I'm not rushed and few vaulters are on the runway yet. I feel better the second time around anyway - more quick, so sitting afterward warm-up is actually pretty good for me. I also stop my warm-up one two jumps before I feel I am actually really warmed up. This saves the bigger jumps for later. Because I will have to wait around awhile to vault, I will actually do my real warm-up during the meet. I tend to start on a medium sized pole that I don't have to push my run to get in on. Each vault I move up a pole, back a stride or both as I warm up and progress through poles during the meet.

I'm comfortable and confident to the degree that I can be right now. I'm trying to load up on work stuff to keep my mind away from the trip as it helps quell the anxiety. I heard from Tom Rauscher (M60) that he too is healthy so that was our main goal. He is scheduled to jump on our pit with our group. When this happens the results are split out and reported separately after the fact. This will give us 18 guys in our group which is quite a lot. They will probably start around 8' and I will start at 12' so I will be sitting around for awhile and I have planned accordingly. Phillip says we could start with one wind condition and end with a totally different direction as the day goes by. I HATE to warm-up with a tailwind and then come in two hours later into a headwind. If it happens I'll be fine but MAN would that suck. As they say, everyone else has to deal with it too.

That's it for now. Thanks for being here and have a great Saturday! Bubba

Thanks Again!!

2009-10-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

I got an email from my buddy Dan West yesterday telling me that he thinks he hit his training too hard last week and now he's starting to feel rundown and like he may be coming down with something. Today I suddenly felt exactly the same way. I didn't sleep well last night and even though I felt fairly strong (not Dan strong) I too was feeling rundown and still have somewhat of an upset stomach. Then I remembered my joke about the Swine Flu yesterday. I can't afford to ignore the little things at this point. This is a perfect example of why I'm writing this blog. I promise you that had I not gotten that email from Dan that I would have attempted to power through the scheduled workout and risked injury or sickness. I dropped my last two sets and skipped the ab work though I did all of my stretching and bars. Thanks Dan! A great reminder to listen to our bodies.

With all of this said I still am somewhat lethargic about these last few sessions but I can't allow myself to be. I'm supposed to vault the last time Sunday but we're showing an 80% chance of rain. If that happens I'll just skip the rotation and hit the gym. I have three more workouts before I catch the plane - Sunday - vault, run hills w/sled, bars, lift lower, Monday - lift upper + long stretch, and Tuesday - 6 X 50m hill with sled and stretch. I'll run hills in the rain but that would screw up some of the bars. Like DJ says, at this point I can't do anything to get stronger or faster so just let it go and don't sweat it. Of course I'll report back here whatever happens.

Hey Ben - what can you tell me about eating in Oz? It's never crossed my mind before today but I guess I had better consider what the locals eat. I know that Vegimite is out of the question. When I had Aussie's Simon Arkell and Adam Steinhardt staying with me before the 1992 Olympics Games, Adam would eat cereal with orange juice on it instead of milk. I don't know what other food mysteries or options will be available. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't got the suitcase out but I have started thinking about packing. It shouldn't be too hard since the weather is pretty comfortable. I think I'll take one pair of pants to hide my special socks for the flight. No need looking older or more like a tourist than I already do. I remember living at the beach in Southern California that the tourists really stand out. I'm sure I will too.

That's it from here. Thanks again for being there and supporting me! Bubba

Good & Safe Day - Poles/Tracking

2009-10-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

Well today was my last best chance to get hurt as I was to vault on my only 14' pole left in my bag as the rest have been sent to Australia. I've jumped on the 14/169/17.5 several times over the past few weeks but not from 33' since about this time last year. I need to be in a position where if I don't hit my positions I won't penetrate enough to complete the vault. Since you can't run very fast from 33' it comes down to technique and timing of forces. If I push the run too hard I get a hamstring strain and it's over - don't even bother going on the trip because you can't jump 12 days after a hamstring strain. So there was HUGE fear and caution going into today.

That said I made 12' on my second attempt, 12' 6" on my first and had one really nice vault at 13' before stopping. So four jumps total to meet the goals I had set out for the day. I've made 12' 6" from 33' several times but have never tried 13' from there. Today I only took one jump at 13' but had about 4" of height and hit it on the way down. At that point I decided to leave well enough alone and stop while healthy. WHEW!!!!!

Sunday will be my last vault day as I'll start on my smaller 13' poles and work my way through a bunch of "fun" low intensity jumps trying to refine my technique. I will still need to lift upper on Monday and run on Tuesday before I fly out on Wednesday, but at this point the hard and risky stuff is over. I'm very pleased with the ramp up and also relieved to remain very healthy with no dings or annoyances.

Pole Tracking
The poles are in transit and are supposed to be received on 10/3. The website to track their progress is here - http://www.dbschenkerusa.com/ and the tracking number is 52056587. Why not? We'll find out together if they actually make it. I understand there are a few levels of "made it". One is to the airport in Sydney, then through customs and then to the stadium. I'm sure we will all learn about this process as we go. They have to be through customs by 10/8 so we should be fine. Since I leave on 10/7 it would be great if they are through all of this by then. I am assured they will be. We'll see.

To Blog or Not to Blog From Oz
My friend of nearly 30 years, Dean "The Machine" Gregory asked me yesterday if I will go to "radio silence" until after I vault or if I will continue this blog. Great question. I assured him that as soon as I get my Internet connection at my hotel that I will resume my daily reports. If anything I will need the outlet more then so you're along for the whole bumpy ride.

I'm starting to feel reasonably confident that our plan should culiminate in me arriving healthy and fresh. That being the case I can only fail if I get the Swine Flu on the plane or get hurt during the warm-up or meet, OR have a big lapse in mental focus. Of course I'm hoping and planning that these are not factors. Success is relative but the main goal is to get a medal in these World Championships. I got the bronze in South Africa in 1997 so it's been a long time in between and I don't want to waste this opportunity. I told Nancy this morning that as of today, this is the best I have ever been prepared physically, technically and mentally for a competition. Again, this means absolutely nothing. The ONLY thing that matters is what happens on that day. I told my partner at lunch today that the moment you step on that runway in a huge meet like this, that the feeling is nearly heart stopping. The nerves are wild and it's no longer six months, six weeks or six days away - IT IS NOW and that urgency just slams all of your senses. It's at this time that my focus on only doing one thing per jump and doing it perfectly will help me off that hook with the nerves. Then it's like football - you get that first big hit and now you're in the game. So I'm scared yet excited but at this point the plan has been excellent as have the tests along the way.

Thanks again for your invaluable support! Bubba

I Leave in One Week

2009-09-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is my business travel day so nothing is going on but a nice stretch this afternoon before I head over to officiate the high schools September All Comers Meet. Long story short? Another boring off day!

I leave one week from today yet I feel ages away from being able to pack or get other stuff ready. I have a ton of business stuff to do before I go so that I will be able to let go and enjoy. That said, my poles should arrive tomorrow. I'd better get that tracking number.

Big jump day tomorrow. I'll be careful but I'm looking forward to it. More soon. Bubba

"Two Weeks From Today"

2009-09-29T08:35:00.001-07:00

That's what Nancy said to me within five minutes of waking up. I had thought the same thing about one minute earlier. I leave a week from tomorrow. My flight leaves Houston around 6:30 in the evening and I sit around LA until almost midnight before heading out on the 14 hour leg to Sydney on Qantas. The objective is to not sleep until that leg and then try and sleep most of the way with the help of Excedrin PMs. I arrive at 8:25 AM on Friday morning so I want to get on their time right away. I've found that oversleeping in advance helps make it easier to jump right into their day. I'm going to the harbor sightseeing on Saturday morning but need to have my running workout done before Phillip picks me up at 10:30. Here's another Games promo with the harbor view.

Thursday is my last high level vault session and I'm a little afraid since it's only 12 days out. If I get hurt then it's over. My plan is to start on a big pole from a close run on so I'll have to be very warmed up and careful. I've done it a bunch of times but not recently so I'm very wary and cautious. It's right in line with the progression that I have been following so it's not like I'm taking a real gamble. I just have to be careful and a little more alert to any signs of weakness. I should be fine, BUT ....

It rained most of the night so it was pretty wet when I went out to run my six hills with the sled this morning. My body felt decent but I decided to stop at four rather than do the planned six, since that just felt like the right amount for today. It's hard to explain. My body got a signal that said, "if you want to feel good on Thursday you need to stop here because two more won't make a beneficial difference at this stage". Considering I ran eight on Thursday and 10 on Sunday (two days ago), I'm good with that decision.

The sled is also the reason my run is moving back again. I went comfortably from 42' 6" to almost 44' in one practice. This means I'm covering more ground with the same number of steps which equates to slightly more speed and power. The effort feels the same, I just cover more ground and gain more momentum. I've been in a situation before that, for example, if I wasn't running from 45' I can't get in on that pole enough to complete the vault. So this is a good and expected result from the training. NOTE - I've got a close friend, DJ, who says he thinks I overtrain but actually I don't as I vary my effort to keep from being rundown. In fact, it's rare that I ever feel trashed and overtrained. This is part of the labeling of "Quality" or "Intensity". This also is how I feel motivated to train all year around. Again, it's just listening to the body so it doesn't have to yell at you.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful that you guys and gals are here. This isn't a narcissistic vent but rather a true expression of what I'm going through. I feel like I'm sharing this privately with my close confidants and it is a big benefit and provides reasonable relief. I say reasonable because gang, the heat WILL rise as we get on the move to the actual Games. I'm excited in a good way but will lean on you more than ever. Thanks again for being there! Bubba

Quality vs. Intensity

2009-09-28T07:59:00.001-07:00

I always ask this question as I get going on my workout. Before I discovered this approach I would just walk out of the gym if the weights felt too heavy or it felt like it would be a struggle. You know how it is, you lifted "X" last time and today "X" is out of the question so it's going to be a bad day. That's when I changed to the "no miss rule" that made me dumb it down rather than walk out. Today I felt OK but I think both my body and my brain needed a break so I labeled today a "Quality" day and backed off my weights a little and really watched the details of each set and rep.

Compound to this that my friend and partner from Hawaii, Randall Fukuji, emailed yesterday that he would have a long layover in Houston on his way to Peru so we're meeting for lunch. That said I was able to knock out a high quality workout in about an hour and fifteen minutes including my stretch. I feel refreshed mentally and physically. Speaking of physical, I was surprised that I wasn't more beat up from yesterday but maybe it will be delayed and I'll feel like crap tomorrow or the next day.

OK - I leave in nine days and compete two weeks from tomorrow. Yahoooooooooo! It's like I said in the first post, we train for big meets like a fighter gets ready for a fight - about an eight week ramp up. So far so good. I'm on schedule and feel good and healthy. It's mine to keep as long as I don't do anything stupid. I will vault big pole Thursday and small poles Sunday and that's that. I will still lift on Monday and run on Tuesday so a week from tomorrow my "training" is over. Until then it's business as usual. Big focus to detail while remaining cautious.

Thanks again for always being here and have a great day! Bubba

Decent Jump Day + Still Learning Stuff

2009-09-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

Here's the commemorative coin they have for the event.

I never seem to know what to expect in training these days. I didn't vault Thursday but did my running and lifting so I thought I would feel pretty bad today as it is my short cycle of the weekly rotation. Suprisingly I felt pretty good. I only took seven jumps but I started on a little bigger pole to start getting used to being hit right from the start. Made 12' (3.66m) and 12' 6" (3.81m) pretty easy on my 13' poles - 14.7 and 14.3 from 33'. I haven't made 12' 6" on the 14.3 but one other time so I figure it must be the technical focus on not allowing my hips to break during the swing. I've been doing all of my bars with 5 lb. ankle weights on to aid this a little more. I ended the day with a "gimme" and a make at 13' (3.97m) on my smallest 14' pole - the 17.5 from my 43' run. A gimme is where you easily have the height but something brushes it off. These usually stay up in the meets so I move on because you learn more by jumping at a level just out of your reach. For example I've never made 13' on that pole before so again this tells me that my efficiency is improving. But I wouldn't know this had I not tried to get out of my comfort zone.

In the book, "Never Let Go" by Dan John, he speaks of the warm-up being the workout. In other words, don't screw around on stuff that doesn't matter but rather get into workout and do your warm up there. With that in mind I dropped the 100m grass strides and added on two 50m hills with the sled. Today I had 10. Also in Dan's book he talks about if something is important you should do it every day, so I brought home some small squat stands to learn some new exercises that will definitely help my runway speed and power.

Speaking of lifting - today it sucks beyond recognition. I'm so ready for the new program because of the improved function I'm expecting that its very difficult to make myself continue on with a plan that I feel is now inferior. Today was the worst as I walked through the doors of the gym feeling like I was marching into torture. I cranked my music, lowered the weights a little and went into a heavy focus/trance to make sure that I did every single repetition perfect. The end result was I LOVED it. Isn't that always true of the gym in that you hate it going in but love what you accomplished when you come out? Don't get me wrong as I have made huge progress in my lifting this year but next year should translate directly to the runway and my vault. I have five more lift sessions of which two will be similar to today's. I actually really enjoy the two days I lift in my home gym in the garage and the new program will ALL be in my garage but with a bunch of new dynamic lifts. My favorite quote from reading Dan's book yesterday was, "I don't use machines because, how do I put this nicely, I have testicles". I've had to use quite a few machines this year to isolate or protect injured areas so I'm looking forward to the switch.

Practice Like You Compete & Compete Like You Practice
In my last four jump sessions I have been jumping like it's a meet. I get three jumps at each height and I have to move on. When I have three consecutive misses I'm out. So far with this plan I've gotten 13' on my longer run and 12' 6" twice on my shorter run day and then 13' today on my shorter run day. The pole I finished on today is one pole smaller than the smallest pole going to Sydney. If things go well I will start on five poles bigger from the one I was on today. We'll see what it looks like that day but right now I feel pretty well covered as far as pole and run options.

So it was a pretty good day and my focus to detail made it efficient and survivable. For the record I left the house at 7:15 and got back from the gym at 10:45. Today is definitely the LONG day of the week. All the best and have a great Sunday! Bubba

PS - Went over 600, 000 lbs. lifted today with 617,031 and over 400 bar drills with 421.

2009-09-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

All Comers Meet
As the name indicates, an "All Comers" meet is just that - anyone can participate regardless of age and ability. I have had a long tradition of having one on the last Saturday of the month during the off season as it gives athletes a chance to see where they are. If things go well it's a vote of confidence and if not, then you know what to work on for the next month.

We had our first All Comers meet this morning and had a nice turn out of about 10 vaulters. For the most part everyone looked pretty good considering we have not run further than six total steps in the first month. Our 8th grader Kara got a new PR at 8' 6" and looked good at 9'. The event was won by Seth Arnold who cleared 13' 6" from a very short run. Seth was last year's state champion as a junior and has a 16' vault to his credit. His dad, Don, vaulted with me in college so we have been friends for years. A "new old guy", Charlie, came out and cleanly made 12' at 48 years old. Next month is the "Halloween Vault" where all vaulters must wear costumes. Should be fun.

Poles - Leaving On a Jet Plane
Mr. Dependable, Bruce Caldwell dropped my poles off at DFW airport yesterday and they will leave Monday night and arrive Thursday in Sydney. Event management will get them out to the field for my competition and then back to the airport. Monday I'll have a tracking number for all of us to watch their progress. Why not? I'll be watching it anyway so you might as well have the same access.

Talking to Gary Scheffe today, in his first year back in the M50 group, he says he can tell that my blog is therapeutic for me. Gary's a super guy and we're thrilled to have him out with us, and he could not be more correct with his assessment. Today is another "off day" so that is the toughest. My buddy in Minnesota, Mike Soule would say, "well at least you got to do something "vaulty" by going to the All Comers meet. He's right as that helps a lot.

Lifting
I cheated yesterday and did one set and one rep of a new exercise from next year's program. I may do the same on a couple of other exercise when I stretch today. I've decided that as long as the weight is negligible then it can't hurt.

I'm reading a book by the strength legend, Dan John ("Never Let Go") where he states some baseline benchmarks based on your bodyweight - mine is 172. He says you need to at least be able to your bodyweight in bench (235), hang cleans (185) and twice your body in deadlift, which I have never done. What's funny is that every time I get this little hamstring ding I feel it when I bend down to pick something up. That's what a deadlift is - bend down and pick the bar up and then stand up straight. There are several variations that I'm looking forward to. Dan's basic theory is that you must pick things up and you must lift things over your head. He also says if it is that important you should do it every day. That's the rule I'll start with for deadlifts and front squats.

That's it today. I leave in 10 days and my last vault session will be a week from tomorrow. I'll be careful, have fun and report back to you here. Have a fun Saturday and thank you again for your support!! Bubba

Depending On Power & Focus

2009-09-25T08:48:00.001-07:00

At 11 days out I hit my lifting PRs (Personal Record) on everything today leaving me some time to move ahead a bit more. Since my big poles have been gone for awhile I've simulated that experience by vaulting on smaller poles with a shorter run as that makes them feel much stiffer. My game plan is to come in fresh, focused on my technical goals and to be as physical as I can be. Big poles require you to be explosive but you also have less room for technical error. My smallest pole will feel big to me in warm-up so I'll need to overpower it immediately so I can move through safely to bigger poles. I have intentionally been holding back on my runway speed to prevent injury but also to become more dependent upon my technique to move the bigger poles.

Today's lifting indicates I will be where I need to be. Rest is easy when you're traveling and the technical focus comes naturally when you haven't vaulted in over a week like I plan. I used to vault the week of big meets but it seemed to zap some snap in my legs and left me overconfident in my technical skills. Now I come in a little fresher and maybe a little more scared of making sure my technique is perfect. I like the plan and so does Kris.

Golf & Pole Vaulting Again - Like Vaulters, They Help Each Other

ATLANTA - Sean O'Hair knew he would need some help from Tiger Woods to win the FedEx Cup. He got more than he expected. And it was about putting, not points. Woods and O'Hair practiced together on the back nine at East Lake on the eve of the Tour Championship, and O'Hair sought some advice on his putting from the world's No. 1 player, regarded as among the best in golf with the putter. Woods suggested that O'Hair open the face of the club on the way back so that he could release the blade through the ball.

It paid off Thursday when O'Hair made enough putts for a 4-under 66 and a one-shot lead over three players, including Woods. "I'm going to go chew him out right now," Woods said. Woods was joking, for it is typical in this sport for players to help each other even as they're trying to beat each other. O'Hair is the first to concede that his putting has held him back in his five years on tour.

“It's very simple,” said Woods, the FedEx Cup's No. 1 seed. “You always help your friends.”

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In closing I feel great and would like to vault today, tomorrow and Sunday but of course I will wait until Sunday for my next scheduled day. The end of training for a big goal is hard because you know the main work is done so you tend to want to coast in. The problem is that if you pull back too soon (or too late) you won't feel good on the day that counts. So I keep grinding it out and pretending that I'm getting ready for World Indoors. It doesn't help that I have just read two great books on training that Kris referred me to and I can't wait to try the new stuff but can't. You just don't make changes at this late date. So I will stay the course and remain patient. Once I hit the plane it becomes easy until the time to perform arrives. And then if I have planned and executed properly, that part goes well too. Right now it's just "get me to the plane" so I can get out of this "no man's land" of halfway training - really hard but short with too much time to think. As my dad used to say, "There you go thinking again - working without tools". Thanks for being here!! Bubba

It's Hard Acting Mature!

2009-09-24T08:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I got my running and warm up done this morning and the sprinkles started. I thought, "It might rain in Sydney so I might as well jump". The closer I got to getting the pit and poles ready the harder it rained. Finally I blew off my jumping and finished my running and sled and headed home. My decision then was do I go about my regular training or do I back off and wait to vault tomorrow or in our little end of the month meet on Saturday? I called Kris to ask him but I knew what he would say and I agreed - blow off the vault component of this rotation and stay on schedule with the rest of my training. Tough as it was, that means going to the gym to lift legs and do bars. Walking through the gym doors today was very difficult because here I am fresh and ready to jump, yet I am about to destroy that feeling in the next hour. "Oil well", I did what I needed to do. Sometimes I hate growing up but it's not worth the risk to get off of schedule at this point.

I'm sure on the surface this looks like a "no big deal" moment but the fact is that I love to pole vault so I HATE it when I have to miss a rotation. I've had three hernias and two Achilles surgically repaired so I can continue to vault. My buddy Dan West has a bad take off foot so he has learned to vault off of the other foot as well as left handed because he too loves to vault. So when it's your day and you can't it SUCKS!! Fortunately I have a good balance of work and rest right now so jacking with the schedule is not a good idea as it would risk injury or a loss of sharpness.

With today's miss I have three vault days left of which only one will be at what I consider an intermediate to high level. After that its hit the plane and let the rest begin. When I vault at the meet it will be nine days since I have vaulted and that's about right for me. I like to come in a little more focused but also more fresh. I'm starting to get excited, but it's too early to register much more than a blip. Stay patient - that's the rule and today was a good test!!

More on Poles
We got an email today from the World Masters Games telling us that we have to bring or provide our own poles and that if we needed help that DB Schenker would be the freight contractor. That's the same company that originally told me it would be $2,300. Going through Bruce Caldwell and them I got $1,900 but that's still a lot. Apparently since Australia is an island country they are very serious about what disease come in and out of their country. I don't blame them but that really adds to the expense of sending poles. My poles are being fumigated before they are sent to save money off this end and to keep me from having to re-tape all seven poles if they were to use some type of soapy stuff. I can get them to Oz for $184 but it takes nearly $500 for them to clear customs, and then they must be transported to and from the stadium, back through customs and then come home. Fortunately I paid for the rest of the trip many months ago so it makes this necessity a little easier to swallow. If I don't do this then I have to show up and hope to borrow poles that I have never seen before. That's too big of a crap shoot for such a big event.

That's it for today. Many thanks to you all for your support and interest. Two weeks from today I will be there. Bubba

Visualization

2009-09-23T06:34:00.001-07:00

Visualization

I guess I do a LITTLE visualization. LOL!! I would like to get one of these - ANY one!!

Off to my road trip for the day. I heard from John Aletndorf last night that they do give run throughs at Worlds. At least they did in France. AWESOME!! Bubba

PS - the poles will be on their way today and will arrive by the 28th and be at the stadium by the 8th.

Three Weeks From Today

2009-09-22T08:11:00.001-07:00

I compete three weeks from today and leave two weeks from tomorrow so time is growing short - FINALLY!!

Well it's pouring rain here and is supposed to continue to do so for a few days. Of course in Texas that means nothing as it could be sunny by this afternoon. If it is I will go out and run. I was scheduled to run 4 X 100 and 4 X 50 with the sled up the slight hill I use for warm-up. In the grand scheme of things the "off day" doesn't really hurt anything. Maybe it helps keep me a little fresher. I did get in a nice long strecth in the garage. Tomorrow is a scheduled off day as it is my "travel" day to drive all over seeing local and regional clients and partners. I'm hoping to wait out a window to jump on Thursday but if it is still raining I'll skip it and just do my lifting. That's a tough one since I want to jump but it's more important not to get off of my schedule since it is a nice balance of work and rest.

Last night I had a dream that I was in the big meet in Sydney and I couldn't get my approach run right and nhd (no heighted) at 11' (3.35m) on my 13'/176/15.0. That's funny too because I would never take a pole that small to a meet, even though I cleared 12' on it on Sunday. Just another reason why I don't visualize - I always fail. As long as I can "feel" it I can jump, but to put the view outside of myself like a spectator, I have no grasp. If I see it from my point of view out of my eyes, I can match that up to a feeling that works.

I'm still feeling good and I'm optimistic I'll be fine physically. I have four more scheduled vault days - the next two Thursdays/Sundays. I'll ramp up the poles I use at these sessions and not force too many jumps. Last year's Olympic and this year's World Champion from Australia, Steve Hooker, has had several injury setbacks but credits his training focus to his success. He said in an interview that he knew he couldn't vault often and would only have a few vaults per session so they had to be right. I did this last year a few times where I literally had a number of vault sessions where I only took one to three jumps and quit. The jumps were exactly what I was trying to do and I didn't want to risk getting hurt or getting run down, so I stopped. Though I'm healthy now and not so afraid, there is still no reason to take unnecessary chances after I have accomplished my goals for the sessions. I'm guessing 6 - 8 jumps per sessions is sufficient.

That's all for today folks. Thanks for being here and thanks for the emails of support, especially my buddy Dan West. Dan I always appreciate your input, suggestions and friendship. I think you're probably the vaulter who I can most relate to as far as approach to training and competition. Thanks!! Bubba

Update - 4 PM - Got my running in on a rain break.

I Want it to Be Over

2009-09-21T08:42:00.001-07:00

Well not really but this is the psychology of anything like this that is drawn out, and especially in the relative "off-season" when almost no one else is seriously training. It's like I used to tell my athletes before the Olympic Trials - you're the first athletes out to training in the summer and you will be the last ones training next summer until the Trials. Welcome to the top where the better you are the more you train alone and in anonymity. I actually kind of like that part.

If this event were not coming up I would be grinding away and feeling that I was gaining an advantage over someone who doesn't train all year round. I don't have the talent or athletic ability to get away with that plus I enjoy the process. I would be picturing myself in Canada at Worlds or Boston for USA Track & Field Indoor Nationals two weeks after World Indoors. But since this huge target meet is nearly right on top of me/us, I feel that I want it to be over. That's human nature to a degree.

I guess it is tied to that "fight or flight" thing. I know that soon I will have to face and live up to very high expectations. You can't be afraid of failure or success so it must be a little fear of the unknown. It's like that big meeting that you really don't want to go to but you know it's a good opportunity, you do very well but you're glad it's over. I know that once I get on the flight I'll be fine and really be able to enjoy the event. But right now I'm juggling a million things to get ready to go and I feel like I'm ready for it happen TODAY. But that's half the battle. It is NOT today and I have no guarantee I will feel ready that day. The only guarantee I have is that if I don't micromanage how I feel, and the details of my training between now and then, that I will not have done all I can do to be ready. OK, stupid rambling but that's the mish mash of thoughts that go through my day. Then I block them out and focus on each and every component of my training. At this point I've played and replayed all options so maybe that's why I'm just flat ready to go. OK, enough of that.

The "fun" part is that on my final ramp up I get to do things in a bigger way. Of course I'll remain safe but I use bigger poles, grip higher, try higher bars (relative to the poles I'm on), lift heavier, etc. It's not such a "conditioning" grind anymore as that has been done long ago. I still mix in some of the speed and strength endurance stuff to stay in touch but now it's about bigger, stronger and faster. The bottom line and why I say "fun" is that this type of training doesn't hurt much. There's not a lot of suffering. I'll look back on this in a little over a month when I'm grinding out hills in front of the beach house in Maine and cranking away on the weights and LifeCycle in the YMCA at Boothbay Harbor.

There I go again - why am I already looking forward to Maine when training will be harder but the tension of a big meet will be passed. Again, human nature. I promise you that I WILL be ready and will go all out and leave everything on the field in Sydney. But until then I have to stay focused as the teapot continues to gain steam and pressure. I'll keep the horses in the barn until it?s time to constructively use this pent up tension and energy - three weeks from tomorrow.

Thanks again for being there. Today is the perfect reminder of why I wanted to do this. I NEED to get this out there no matter how illogical it may seem because working it out with you keeps me sane! Thanks team!! Bubba

Baseline Vaulting & Caution

2009-09-20T09:14:00.001-07:00

Today I felt OK but during warm-up I felt like I was leaning more toward feeling flat than good so "caution" became the word of the day. I knew it was going to be my long day as far as running and lifting so basically I just wanted to survive it with a little lower intensity but a focus on quality. On this day I'm at the track nearly two hours and in the gym for an hour which includes stretching. It is definitely the long day of the week so I'm out at 7 AM on Sundays.

Because of this, vaulting today was held to my "baseline". Baseline for me is a 12' (3.66m) vault from a 33' (10m) run. I don't have to run hard enough to get hurt, yet can work on some technical things. Today I had six jumps on four poles with the last one being an easy clearance at my baseline, 12'. I "felt" like I could have easily taken more vaults but it didn't "feel" smart. I was getting little hints that my body was fatigued because this is my short rest cycle and I haven't been vaulting twice a week at this level. Better safe than sorry so I quit with four of the six jumps right on target for what I was trying to do - better arm pressure and no hip break.

Again I resisted the urge to incorporate some new lifting and running into my program. I really want to try the new stuff that Kris and DJ have planned for me for next year, but I can't. I tell myself it couldn't hurt but I actually have been hurt the week before a big meet by making similar changes. Any little change can throw your body off just enough that it may not adapt, recover, or remain sore for the next session. Any of these spell trouble.

SO, if I'm typing this I survived it. Had I been hurt I would have been bitching about it this whole entry. Instead I was careful again as I needed to be. I think the big difference is that I am healthy enough that being careful does not mean training scared like I was at the beginning of this blog. Now I can always do something safely and if I can just hit my baseline on a regular basis, I can easily ramp up the last steps before the big day.

I'm slowly ramping all of my components up and they will hit their highest point on the next to last cycle before I go. The last cycle will be the short one which will be my final recovery cycle. I feel reasonably in control of where we are right now, and pretty confident that we can stay on that track without issues. That's a good feeling. Staying there depends on patience.

All the best and thanks for your support this fine Sunday! Bubba

PS - got over 500,000 lbs. lifted since this blog started with 506,016 with 351 bar exercises.

Ho Hum, DJ, More World Indoors + Don Curry

2009-09-19T07:26:00.001-07:00

Since I've switched back to lifting legs the day that I vault, I always have this dead/off day the day before I vault. Pretty boring as I feel like I'd like to be doing something but that is not in the cards as I get closer to the meet. I leave two weeks from Wednesday so I have another full two weeks of training before I go. I've really enjoyed being back on this schedule as I feel pretty good on most days. I need to remember that when I'm feeling like I am today - bored.

DJ
Yesterday I talked to my longtime friend and my former coach, Dave Johnston (DJ) in Florida. He wanted to fill me in on a few technical things he saw in my jumps and discuss some other training refinements for when I get back. DJ was my coach in 1997 when I won National Indoors in Boston and was 3rd at the World Masters Championships in South Africa. We both lived in Southern California at the time. He's worked with some of the top athletes in the world in many events so it's always good to hear his latest slant. He gave me a lot of good supporting information to go along with what Kris and I have planned.

World Indoors
Last night I booked a room at a ski resort in British Columbia for next year's World Indoor Championships in March. Normally I'd do this a little later but since Nancy isn't going to Australia I wanted to get the next trip planned that we both will go on. Actually that will be our annual vacation to Maine only 10 days after I get back from Oz. She has never had an interest in going to Oz and I think part of it is the long flight. But as I say, "that's where the big meet is so that's where we're going". You can't just phone these things in from your local training area. You have to show up and make it happen that day.

Starting to Feel Ready
As for the World Masters Games, I'm feeling more confident and less negative as I get closer to the event. I'm sure doubts will creep in but when you have a nice block of consistent training time like I'm having now, it sure makes you feel a little more in control of your destiny. Last night I mapped out the objectives for the final training sessions so I'll feel ready when I go to get on the plane. To me that's always the key; get on the plane knowing you have done all you can to be ready. That way you can relax and enjoy the event. Or like Kris says, "the hay is in the barn".

Tomorrow's vault day will be my short rest rotation so I will stay on small poles and try and push my technical efficiency. It's my longer running day with 8 X 100 and 8 X 50 with a sled and heavy pole. It is also my bigger lifting day with 18 reps instead of the 12 reps on the previous rotation. This should leave me healthy but pretty beat up until I jump again on Thursday.

Don Curry
I've been going out on Saturday mornings to watch my training partner, Don Curry, try to vault. I've known Don for the better part of 40 years as we grew up vaulting in each other's back yards. In 2007 we got 1st (him) and 2nd (me) in the National Senior Games in Louisville. Now we are in different age groups because I am older. I recruited him back in 2005 to help drive us both to higher levels.

Don has been plagued by over a year by what we now think is a double hernia. I had this in 1999 and wasted a year and a half with physicians trying to figure out what injury I had. Finally I went to a general surgeon and he diagnosed the hernias. Six weeks later I was 100%. The problem for Don is that the test the doctor does will not put enough stress on the area to show as a hernia. Mine did the same thing too for awhile until I finally blew it out enough that he could find it. I know he has been super frustrated with this problem so hopefully the end is near and we can get him back to regular training.

That's it for today guys and gals. Thanks for your support as always!! Bubba

Poles Catch 22, World Indoors & Final Training

2009-09-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

I got an email from Bruce Caldwell that even though it costs only $184 to get my poles to Australia, the total bill to get them through customs both ways and back home is $1,900, or $900 more than the $1,000 I have already paid. I could almost leave them and buy new ones for the difference except that they were all specially made for me. I'm stuck. As much as I've spent I'll have to spend a little more in order to give me the best chance to succeed. The problem is Qantas will not fly poles as baggage yet my flight and hotel for six days is only $2,300, so I'm paying one way or the other. I could borrow poles but we have already committed the first $1,000 to the company so it's cheaper not to back out. Plus, who is to say the borrowed poles would be close to what I need? it's less stressful to pay the money and be done with it, so I did.

World Indoors
I have mentioned that Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada will host the World Indoors in March. We have had similar oddities there as they say that if you will be staying ANY day between March 1-4, then you must stay ALL of those days. That's just flat stupid as I don't vault until the 5th so why would I arrive or pay for the 1st? We're looking at a ski resort nearby as an alternative. It's less than half an hour away, cheaper and in nice surroundings. Could be fun.

Training Changes? Not Yet!!
I have resisted the urge to switch my lifting to next year's lifting. I'm really excited to swap out some lifts but I'm afraid I might get some type of weird soreness that might cause some little ding because of the change. Today is the third day I've had to remind myself of this fact. It takes usually 2-3 weeks to settle into a new program and that's all I have. A little ding can cost me 2-3 three weeks and that's all I have. So the verdict is to wait.

Vault Plans
I was briefly annoyed yesterday when I couldn't find my smallest 14' pole because that would mean I'm stuck at my 32' 6" run until I go. I did find it and put it back in my bag so that means I can run from 43'. In the meet I will start from 54'. I could move up to a bigger pole but what if I get a ding from trying to push my run to get on the pole? I can't risk that. If you remember from one of my earlier posts, I tend to jump high when I go to bigger poles after being on small ones because I benefit from a greater energy return and better positions. I'm counting on that. Yesterday I jumped 12' 6" from 32' 6". That should be good enough for a medal but you have to do it on that day and not during a leisurely practice.

In closing, yes its big hassle with the poles but an expense worth taking at this point. Yes I would like to get some higher level practice jumps but those poles are on their way to Oz and I can't risk injury by moving up to bigger poles. I would love to upgrade my training to the new plan but it's too late for an "experiment". So again, "patience" must be the operative attitude. As unfun as that thought is, I'll do it. Thanks for your support. Its days like these I'm really glad to be able to vent to you. This is one of the only times that I can say with joy, "at least I have my health", because I am health and injury free at the moment. Patience should keep it that way. Have a great day! Bubba

Good Vault/Training Day, Phillip & Buddy

2009-09-17T09:32:00.001-07:00

Pretty fun day jumping as I was able to get in 12 jumps on six poles from my 32' 6" run. I wanted to move back a little further but couldn't find my smallest 14' pole until after practice. I was able to correct some of the technical issues I have been struggling with. Basically, I dropped the hip break out of my swing and that caused the arc to stay in front longer rather than swing to the side. The longer you are behind the arc the more the pole can lift you. If it swings to the side it releases your energy forward rather than up. I got over 12' 6" (3.81m) a couple of times on my 13-180/13.5 so I was pleased as that ties my run PR.

Running bars and lifting sucked in a good way in that they were hard but not overly taxing. It feels good to be back on a schedule. It's also fun not worrying about getting hurt. I'm far enough past my injury now and I'm at a lower level which is very safe. Of course I still have to listen to my body but so far so good.

My next jump session is Sunday so I'll see what I feel like. Because it is my short rest rotation I'll stay at a lower level. It is also my longest running and lifting day. Hopefully next Thursday I'll get some jumps at 13' (3.97m) on my smallest 14' pole. I've never made 13' on that pole so that will be a good challenge. After shipping I only have one small 14' pole and my four biggest ones left at home.

Speaking of shipping, Bruce Caldwell sent me all of the stuff he has set up there. I paid him $1,000 deposit last month to make this happen after the meet organizers told me it would cost $2,300. Bruce is also the founder of XLogic Sports and the maker of my pole vault poles. Because of this he has some shipping restrictions waived so it makes is at least doable.

My Friend Phillip
As I have mentioned, Phillip is a masters vaulter who will compete in my age group. He lives in Sydney and has been a huge help in my planning. Well this morning I got an email from him that he and some other vaulters are giving me the grand tour of the Harbour area on Saturday. This is the only thing I really wanted to do and now I've got a local taking me around. I'm so grateful. I'll make up a few T-Shirts for him. BTW - that's a popular custom at world meets is to exchange T-shirts with those from other countries. At least the vaulters do it.

Final Thoughts on Buddy
This was posted yesterday on the Cleveland Plain Dealer's website by Bill Livingston, the great sports scribe. If Bill's name sounds familiar it's because he wrote the outstanding book, "Above and Beyond" about Tim Mack and rise from a kid in Cleveland to the Olympic Gold Medal. Outstanding read and two great people in Bill and Timmy! Bubba

http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/ind ... to_so.html

Book excerpt here - http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/ind ... ovebeyond/

Patrick Swayze vaulted into some track fans' memories, too: Between The Lines blog
by Bill Livingston/Plain Dealer Reporter
Wednesday September 16, 2009, 4:50 PM

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Patrick Swayze brought a dancing/acrobatic grace to his teenage years in the pole vault. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When actor Patrick Swayze died Tuesday after a courageous fight against pancreatic cancer, movie fans, Hollywood co-workers and family friends mourned him.
So did the track and field community.

Swayze was one of several celebrities drawn to the daring sport of pole vaulting as young men. Among them were astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin; actor Robert Culp; the inventor of basketball's "triangle" offense, Tex Winter; and rock star Shannon Hoon.

"Buddy," as Swayze was called in high school in Houston, was an accomplished pole vaulter. He also ice skated, took ballet classes, and was a gymnast. All the physical grace that Swayze showed in "Ghost" and "Dirty Dancing" translated readily to sports. He was a fine athlete.

Doug "Bubba" Sparks, an elite Masters age-group competitor, was a five-time All American at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) and a three-time national champion in the pole vault. He was also a junior high teammate of Swayze's in Houston. He wrote this tribute to the actor upon his death:

"I began vaulting at the age of 12 with the stud of our junior high school team, a future movie star, the one and only, Patrick (Buddy) Swayze. Of course we didn't know that at the time. We just knew that his mom ran "Patsy Swayze's School of Dance," that he was much more developed than us, and that he pointed his toes going over the bar. He was our hero! I mean this guy could vault like we could only dream, and looked great doing it.

"I remember that he had a bit of a temper when things didn't go exactly as he hoped. At first I was mystified but then I realized that was why he was truly better than we were. I tried to be like Buddy and promised that no matter what, I would never give up and that I would not accept failure as a permanent destination."
=====================================================

I feel so much better when I'm active on a daily basis so this is a nce return to normal. Thank you for being there! Bubba

Off Day - Kind Of

2009-09-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

Wednesdays are my "travel" days where I drive a big loop to visit face to face with clients and partners. A lot of my work is on the telephone and email around the country so today I get face to face with my local team. Because of this I make today my off day from training. Tomorrow is a long vault, run, bars and lift day so I will get a stretch in late this afternoon. Needless to say I'm pretty stiff after all of the driving and sitting.

Tomorrow I'm back to the ramp up as I return to small poles and try to get more vaults in. The running also increases and the lifting weights go up. Should be fun!! Enjoy your day! Bubba

PS - Yesterday my buddy Ken Stone at the www.masterstrack.com posted about Buddy in a call to others to remember their first track heroes. Great idea Ken!! Bubba

http://masterstrack.com/blog/005915.html

Bubba Sparks takes mournful detour from Sydney to Swayze
By Ken Stone on September 16, 2009 1:22 AM No Comments
Yesterday's blog entry by Bubba "Heading Down Under" Sparks is a remembrance of his junior high teammate Buddy Swayze, better known as Patrick Swayze of "Ghost" and "Dirty Dancing" fame. Patrick died of cancer Sunday at age 58. Bubba writes: "I didn't know that Buddy's name was Patrick until I saw him in his first movie. Yep, THAT Patrick "Buddy" Swayze is the guy I learned how to pole vault with at Frank M. Black Jr. High School. I ran into him in Hollywood many years later by chance on the Paramount lot where I was with some friends who were actors in the Dynasty/Colby's series as they were taping the wedding show. . . . He was my first vault hero." Heroes are good. Who was your local track hero in school? Mine was hurdler Rhett Bray at Orange County's Valencia High School in 1970, my alma mater. Rhett was the Tigers' star hurdler when I was overcoming my fear of the highs. Watching him skim was a thrill.

My First Vault Hero Dies - Buddy Swayze

2009-09-15T07:10:00.001-07:00

I didn't know that Buddy's name was Patrick until I saw him in his first movie. Yep, THAT Patrick "Buddy" Swayze is the guy I learned how to pole vault with at Frank M. Black Jr. High School. I ran into him in Hollywood many years later by chance on the Paramount lot where I was with some friends who were actors in the Dynasty/Colby's series as they were taping the wedding show. I also saw Eddie Murphy and got to meet the nicest actor in Charlton Heston. But talking to Buddy about pole vaulting and our beginnings was pretty cool, since he was my first vault hero. Here is what I wrote on my website in 2000 about Buddy - http://www.bubbapv.com/Pages/DoYouLovetoPV.htm. He will be missed.

"I began vaulting at the age of 12 with the stud of our Jr. High School team, a future movie star, the one and only, Patrick (Buddy) Swayze. Of course we didn't know that at the time. We just knew that his mom ran "Patsy Swayze's School of Dance", that he was MUCH more developed than us, and that he pointed his toes going over the bar. He was our HERO! I mean this guy could vault like we could only dream, and looked great doing it. I remember that he had a bit of a temper when things didn't go exactly as he hoped. At first I was mystified but then I realized that was why he was truly better than we were. I tried to be like Buddy and promised that no matter what, I would never give up and that I would not accept failure as a permanent destination. "

Four Weeks From Today
Well, it's finally real. My emails are heating up with all types of final logistics from the event itself. You have visas and transportation, credentialing issues, etc. Fortunately our tour company handles most of this stuff for us but you have to keep a close eye on it. I've met some very nice people both here and in Oz that I'm trying to coordinate when and where we will meet. Basically I arrive Friday morning so that day will be shot with customs, hotel and credentialing. The next day I need a workout so I'll try to hit the practice track. I would also like to go to Sydney Harbour on Saturday which appears to be nearly an hour train ride. Sunday I hope to catch up with Phillip and watch his club kids vault. Monday I'm meeting Andrew to watch his coach vault and probably catching up with Alan Launder. Tuesday is the big day. Wednesday is getting packed again and getting my poles shipped out and Thursday I'm on my way home. Needless to say the advance planning is the only thing that will make this smooth enough to be fun.

Oh Yeah - My Workouts
Running today was good as is stretching. I'm bringing this up again to remind me that when I'm busy and thinking about what I might cut out it WILL NOT be stretching. Overall I feel very good and comfortable. Each practice is focused with purpose yet well within myself as far as effort goes.

I got my power adapter and compression socks yesterday and will get some new headphones today. Phillip will help me get lighter fluid if it rains so that's one less stressor as far as packing flammable liquids. Let's not forget that I work for a living so there is as much planning on what work I can do before I go and what I can do when I'm gone. Since most of my work is by email and telephone I can at least keep up with the email. Typically I plan a huge business project near a big competition so my mind is busy elsewhere.

That's it for today. Have a great day and thank you for being here!! Bubba

Strength vs. Conditioning + The Mirage

2009-09-14T08:34:00.001-07:00

We have discussed this before but finalizing the plan for next year really broke down the training into what components are designed for strength and what components are meant for conditioning. There is a such a huge difference especially for an older athlete. If you aren't conditioned you get hurt and if you aren't strong you can't progress. I've spent a year on strength and that's what happened - I got stronger but I seemed to always be hurt. I spent a year on conditioning and made no progress. The past two years I've found a better balance but next year we're set with a complete balance in all aspects, including running and actual vaulting. I'm excited and relieved that all of this massive information exchange has finally come into focus.

The Mirage
Things are rarely as you see them and the view changes as your understanding does also. A great example is in viewing pole vault videos. I promise you that if you watch vault videos and then go out to vault that you will not do well. I don't really get it but there seems to be a disconnect between what you see and what you're trying to do. Watching video after the fact or even the day before is better. It's just too hard to go from mental to physical, for me anyway. Don visualizes everything but I do everything by feel. I've never made a bar in my life on a visualization. Something always happens and I crash badly in some extreme way. So for me, I plan for a feeling and THAT I can do pretty easily. Maybe that's why I can't watch vaulting video and then go do it. It's a mirage.

Another odd thing I've learned is that blogging is like watching video. I can't do it until my workout is done or I have no direct connect. I remember when I first started lifting again I would write down what weight I lifted after the set and then enter that into my computer later. A couple of times I wrote down the weight BEFORE I did it and that really bothered me. Strange as that seems I felt like I cheated and suddenly lost motivation to do the set I had already written down. I don't understand these feelings but I acknowledge the fact that I feel I have to earn it to write it down. That's exactly how I feel about this blog. I'm on a mission to compete well in the World Masters Games. As my buddy Ken Stone so eloquently put in the comments section of the first post, "keep your eye on the prize". The mission comes first and the writing comes second. I guess my point is I CAN'T write unless I've done the workout first. It wouldn't feel right and I would have no fresh thoughts to contribute.

Overall I'm feeling very good and looking forward to jumping Thursday. This will be my first complete week of regular training in a long time. First there was the rehab period, and then the back off period to try bigger poles, then another one before I went to see Kris on Friday. Now I'll have three full weeks of training stability. I'm very much a schedule person so I'm a lot happier and more comfortable in this training pattern. Not to mention that my body likes me better too.

That's it guys and gals. Thanks for being there. Every now and then I get a note from someone following and it reminds me that I'm being watched. There is nothing particularly special about my every day events but it does very much help me to express my thoughts and rationale during this ramp up time. So a sincere thanks again!! Bubba

Ramping Up & the Importance of Rest

2009-09-13T09:50:00.001-07:00

At breakfast I said to Nancy that if the meet were Saturday I'm very comfortable I would be ready. The problem is that I vault one month from today so how do I pass the time? That said, I train in cycles where I ramp up and down depending on my target meets. Vaulting with Kris Friday was a moderate target which means I backed off my training a little bit so I would feel a little more fresh. Now that is over I will go back down and ramp up again.

My point is that the training for the final month is predictable and not just going through the motions just because I'm ready today. But the fact that I am ready now makes it fun. I fully expect a big technical vault clean up, lots of sled running and PRs in all of my lifts. For example, before outdoor nationals my bench was 235 and I could do 205 X 4. Right now I'm back to easily benching 205 X 2 so I am ramping up. In another month I hope to be at 225 X 2 and 205 X 6. According to my phased ramp up I fully expect this to happen before I leave.

So I'll sit back and enjoy the process and the days will fly by faster than I expect. Speaking of which, I'm losing a day on the flight there so I need to calculate that into my rest schedule. I was thinking that I could hit a long but easy running session Wednesday before I fly out but since I arrive on Friday, I'll lose a day of what I thought would be rest. Since I vault the Tuesday after I arrive on Friday I'll need to revisit the plan for the last day and the few days before it.

Today I overcame the significant urge to go out and do something. A day off is planned or needed. I jumped at a very high level just the day before yesterday so why go out today and risk overwork when I should be getting a recovery day? Your body makes 100% of its progress during rest and sometimes it's a very difficult thing to make yourself do. I like to do something every day but this is not a smart thing today. One little flare and it will take me three weeks for it to go away. SO, I'll watch some football.

That's all for today. Have a great Sunday and thanks for your support. Bubba

Back to the Grind With Joy

2009-09-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

I'm comfortable in this phase because the weights go up and the reps come down so I can take a little more time between sets and focus on my stretching. Weight lifted today was 56,570 compared to 45,653 for the same day last week. My big lifts go to 3 X 5 on day one and 5,3,2 on the second day. The secondary lifts drop to 8,6 and I add 5 lb. ankle weights to all bar work. I also bump the sled up 5 lbs. and add more hundreds on the grass. I'll run three days a week going 8X100 + 8X50m/sled, 4X all and then 6 times all with the vaulting days being on the 8 and 6 rep days. This is really a very fun time because everything is quality and you're not always on the edge of exhaustion. Looking forward to it. Then when I rest for the better part of six days before the meet, I should feel magnificent on the competition day. That's typically how it breaks down.

When I met with Kris yesterday we finalized next year's game plan. I told him that I feel I'm stuck where I am until I make some physical changes so after Oz we will switch to a six days each per week running and lifting program. Basically two a days for four months. Sounds dumb but I love this part too. The hardest thing to do is to train year round if you're not excited about your training. So every year about May, Kris and I start laying out objectives and groundwork for the next year. By the time my last big meet is over I can't wait to start training for next year.

As far as big meets go I plan to jump at World Indoors in Kamloops, Canada on March 5, 2010 and then the USA Track & Field Indoor Nationals at the end of the same month in Boston. Then I will go into a 14 week high intensity sprint program. I'll skip outdoor Nationals and go on an Alaskan cruise with Nancy. In 2011 the World Outdoors will be in Sacramento and the National Senior Games will be in Houston. I will also be 58 and one of the older guys in my group, so if I don't upgrade my body to another level I may be left behind as the young bucks begin to turn 55. Long story short - I'll take a year from April to get me to the next level to be able to compete. That will also be my training base to get me ready for 2013 when I turn 60. Worlds that year are in Brazil.

This has been such a long road back but I have really enjoyed the transformation. Again, it could not happen without Kris. In 2005 after being out three years with Achilles issues, I got 3rd at Nationals with a jump of 11' 6" and won Texas Seniors with 11'. Last year I vaulted 13' 5 1/4" and won Texas Seniors with a State Record at 13' 1/4" (3.97m), so our plan is working - but we're out of bullets in that gun. Time to become a runner and a dynamic weightlifter. Should be fun.

Heading out to go buy extra cans of sticky spray for my grip. Nancy is out buying lighter fluid in case it rains. I need multiple cans hidden in my luggage because they can be confiscated because it says "Flammable" on the can. Well so is hair spray but they don't take that. I know - I have no hair but Nancy does. LOL! I use black friction tape and then spray it so my hand becomes black and sticky. In the rain that does not work so I use lighter fluid. Gotta be ready for all occasions.

The final game plan for the meet is to hit my normal meet start pole which is my first carbon fiber pole, the 16.2. It's big but a little forgiving because it has a medium slow bend. I got concerned yesterday that if I am allowed to finesse that I might be in trouble so we'll start at 55' on a pretty big pole so I will have to do some things right. I'm excited to have this decision made too.

That's it for today. Thanks for your support and have a great day!! Bubba

Safe & Sound

2009-09-11T13:29:00.001-07:00

I guess when you're 56, get up at 4:30 AM to leave at 5:30 AM, drive 3 hours and have a bar up 1/2 hour later, you shouldn't expect to feel great. Actually I arrived at 8:40 AM and had a bar up at 9 AM. Somehow again, I felt pretty good. I vaulted at a high level but was pretty inconsistent due to being too careful on my run and moving through poles and runs real fast. Today that is an acceptable excuse as I did not want to get hurt.

I started with a good jump on a pretty good sized 14' meet start pole (17.2) from 43' at 12' but it was promptly too small. That was a surprise as it felt stiff during warm up. I couldn't quite get in enough on the next pole so I moved back to 53' and had a couple of very good jumps at 12' 6". Moved up another pole and raised the bar to 13' and took four hit and miss jumps. On the next to the last one I had about 8" of height and the video looked good so I'll take that one. Two of the four were very good. Overall I got in eight total jumps on four poles and was on my regular meet poles. I haven't used those poles since Nationals in Wisconsin on 8/8, over two months ago. Most important I did not get hurt nor feel at risk.

I'll get back to regular training now and will jump again starting at a low level next Thursday. I've got to start pushing the sled running and working on moving big poles from a close run and extending up the pole much longer. I have a lot of refinement work to do but the "heavy lifting" is done. I feel excited about the home stretch to getting ready to jump.

If the meet were today I would not have been happy with my performance. I was pleased that I could quickly make the needed adjustments from vault to vault. I think that it's actually a good thing because it is a wake up call to what might go wrong in Sydney. The run, plant and take off were very good and that's really the most important part. The top end clean up is really me just hitting the pole harder when I'm not holding back on my run. Remember when I first moved to bigger poles and had a similar day? The next day I moved in a stride and hit them harder and all was well. So back to that plan.

Whew!! Sigh! Relief!! Bubba

Dress Rehearsal, The Jinx & Weight

2009-09-10T06:51:00.001-07:00

It's a rainy day here so I'll be looking for a break to go load up the poles to take to my coach, Kris Allison's, tomorrow for a dress rehearsal of my game plan for the big day. Workout today is just a nice long stretch. It's about a 3.5 hour drive to his facility where I will have my last big pole session before he ships the poles to Australia. I'll vault indoors so I won't be assisted by the big tailwinds at his place since it is unlikely I will have that in Sydney.

I've said before that if I get out of tomorrow safely I'll probably be OK as far as injuries go before the big meet. This objective is easier said than done because big poles take considerably more energy to jump on. I feel comfortable that I'll stay well within my limits and not push it up too far. After all, I have vaulted on these same poles in nearly every meet this year so it's not like I have familiarity issues. At the advice of 40 year old teammate and 3 times National Masters Champ for his age group, Matt Kowalski, I will throw in the next biggest pole to the bag. I haven't vaulted on it but it's not much bigger than the one below it which I have used. Matt weighs 2 lbs. more than me and he jumped 14' (4.27m) on that pole with the grip I have taped for me, so he reasons that is the "money" pole for me if things are going well. NEVER would I have ever dreamed that at 56 years old I would be on a 14/183.

That said, the "jinx" sets in. Alan Launder emailed to remind me to get those compression socks for the flight. Nancy and I are looking for the right electrical adapters and it's been suggested that I try on the sweat suit for my USA uniform since I've never worn it. Don't have much need for a sweat suit during Texas summers but it's spring in Oz. All of these things will have to wait until I get back from Kris' tomorrow. Yep, it's a jinx. If I do all of that stuff today, sure enough, I'll strain a hamstring tomorrow and be relegated to constant worry about my health for the next month just HOPING I'll be OK.

After tomorrow my training becomes a sled and lifting grind with only minimal jumping and what jumping I do is at a very safe level. So survive tomorrow and I should be assured that I will leave healthy and strong. Folks that MUST happen. But again, it scares me. Funny that I don't take this approach in the meet itself except for warm-ups. The issue is that in a meet you are fresh and your body will let you do more, but in practice you are never really rested so high level stuff is a risk. I always hear the words of my former coach and longtime buddy and advisor, Dave Johnston (DJ), "never fails, a vaulter gets hurt within three weeks of a big meet by trying to do too much and push too hard. You will not get any stronger or faster in that time frame so focus on quality and be careful". And I will.

Because of the drive my post will be late tomorrow. I fully expect it to be a good and productive day without incident but I will report back when I get home. Have a great day! Bubba

Weight - This could be another post but I'll hit it here since I've been asked. My vault weight for meets is about 171-3, the same as when I vaulted 18' the first time. When I first started back I was out of shape so I took the weight thing too far, coming out between 162-65 in 2007. I felt weak and sometimes lightheaded. Then one day I went to vault after a huge breakfast because I could see I would get rained out if I waited. I was about five pounds heavier and I felt strong and powerful and had a great practice. At that point I decided feeling strong was more important than being a few pounds heavier than I "thought" I should be. That year I mainly jumped in the 173-75 range but this year it's dropped down to my present 171-73. I still have to watch what I eat as I approach vault days but I never feel weak. Strength to body ratio is important. Being a couple of pounds lighter puts less wear and tear on your body, makes you feel faster and the poles throw you harder. But there is always a fine balance you can work with. If I have to get on a big pole because I'm too heavy to make a certain height then I risk injury for preventable inefficiency. Hope this makes sense. Bubba

Random Thoughts

2009-09-09T05:39:00.001-07:00

JEEZ - seems like a lot of typing for something that's still a month away. Please don't confuse mental preparation with "paralysis by analysis". I don't just sit around and think about this competition all of the time, but I do bring up relevant concerns as they arise. The objective is to get on the plane and be able to enjoy the process and accept the results no matter what the outcome. If I do everything in my power along the way it's easier to be at peace. There have been so many disappointments at big competitions where top people inexplicably fell apart on the worst possible day and where underdogs charged forward and seized their moment in the sun. I'm all for both but it's also why I think things out so far in advance. No one likes surprises, but you will still have them no matter how well you prepare.

At the 1996 Olympic Games, my Australian buddy, Simon Arkell, arrived at the practice track in Atlanta for prelims to get on the bus to go to the Olympic track. When I arrived to see him off he was absolutely furious as someone had taken a couple of his poles out of his bag and left them out in the rain all night. We still don't know how this happened but what I saw was all of Simon's pent up energy was released over a five minute period rather than being directed to a positive performance. He told me afterward that he felt drained and it seemed like he was running through quicksand. Though he jumped very well, it was a struggle and he failed to make the Final.

You're going to get surprises so relax and let them go if you can. I've had about 15 people point out that I have the highest mark of those entered (not by much!!). That scares me because it means absolutely nothing today or on that day. I have to earn my stripes the day of the event like everyone else. Ask Sergey Bubka who nhd the 1992 Olympics, or Issy who nhd Worlds in Berlin last month, or Brad Walker, the US vaulter who was going to Berlin to defend his world title - a freak bad landing three weeks out forced him out of the Championships. HEY - I'm not even to the three week out mark yet. SO, my rule is to be afraid. Be VERY afraid and take nothing for granted. Believe it or not, it's not stressful to live this way. If anything it's comforting because I know I'm doing all I can. Then when the big day arrives we'll let the chips fall where they may.

As we approached Indoor Nationals in Landover, Maryland, there were three of us in the meet over 13' yet I won with a vault of 12'. HUH?! At Outdoor Nationals in Oshkosh, Wisconsin we had the exact same scenario and I got 3rd. Who knows why these things turn out the way they do but that's reality? I plan to hit the field with a clear mind, enjoy the experience with my fellow competitors and celebrate their success. If I have some success along the way, that would be nice but the bottom line is to be prepared so I can enjoy the experience. Have a fun day!! Bubba

Thinking Metric

2009-09-08T06:56:00.001-07:00

As I was running this morning I remembered that I don't have a tape measure in my gym bag that I usually take out when I vault. All places that we compete have a tape measure taped to the side of the runway so we know where our start marks are for our run down the runway. My marks starting in warm up are 22', 33', 44', 55' 66' and 77'. Most vaulters run from 80' to 100' but I don't feel I've progressed enough with my technique to control that length of run yet. Next year for sure.

The problem is in Australia these marks will be in metric and not English. SO, I'll make notes on my "Mechanical Checklist" for the conversion. To get to the next stride, (2 steps = 1 stride) I walk back 11 heel to toe steps and that seems to work. On days you feel flat or the conditions aren't good then it may be closer, and on days when conditions are good, you feel good or you're really pumped up, the mark will be back. For example, at this year's Drake Relays my 55' was at 57' meaning I was running better than usual. It is what it is on any given day so you just adjust. You train and hope to feel good but you never know. Sometimes you're just flat for no apparent reason but they still give out medals that day. Step up mentally and adjust.

The metric fun does not end there. In the US we go up 6" per height so I would start at 12', then go to 12' 6" and then 13' etc. Metrically this does not match up, nor do they go up 6" at a time, but rather 4". Here's an example; I had a girl tell me she had jumped 13' the weekend before at a pretty big meet. I told her that she actually did not and that the results would show that she vaulted 3.95m or 12' 11 1/2". What a bummer. Since there is no exact equivalent to 13' they round down to the lower height. HATE that. The solution is to request your heights in metric which is what I do. I've had three meets this year where I attempted a new American Record for my age group and each time I requested 4.14m (13' 7") rather than an English height. If there are only one or two jumpers left you can request where the bar goes next.

Just when you thought you were clear, the "standards", the uprights that hold up the crossbar, may be slid on a rail from 18" to 32" (actually 31.5") behind the stop board of the back on the plant box where you plant the pole. The best jumpers have the standards far back because that allows for the most energy to be built up.

The Math is Simple
15 cm is about 6" and 10 cm is about 4". I want my standards on 32" so 4" (10 cm) X 80 cm = 32". Again, they will raise the bar in 10 cm (4") increments instead of 15 cm (6") like we do. Because I will be sitting around for a while and may not get a run through, I will probably start at 3.60m or 11' 9 3/4". Here's the rest of my progression;
3.70m - 12' 1 1/2"
3.80m - 12' 5 1/2"
3.90m - 12' 9 1/4"
4.00m - 13' 1 1/2"
4.10m - 13' 5 1/4"
4.15m - 13' 7 1/4" (American Record is 4.13m or 13' 6 1/2")

I have all of this memorized except for my runway markers. Since I start in my warm-up very close to the box and walk back 11 heel to toe steps to my next run, then this is not so critical. I've gone to meets with no tape measure and been fine but you typically want to know where your run is so you can tell if you're in or back from normal. If I'm in I won't be so aggressive trying to get to bigger poles but if I'm back I need to be prepared that poles will be moving fast and feeling small.

That's it for today. Nothing special in my running. After my jump with Kris on Friday I'll move to using the 30 lb sled for all running. It's light enough on the dead grass that I can run a natural stride pattern but it helps me to be able to cover more ground with less effort. This equates to power on the runway where fast is not good enough. All the best and have a great day! Bubba

Lifting & Mystifying Injuries

2009-09-07T09:02:00.001-07:00

My good friend and confidant, the late orthopedic surgeon, Glen Almquist used to tell me that if your training is injuring you and your event of choice is not, then you need to re-evaluate your training. If your event is hurting you maybe you're training is not specific enough. He also told me that you can work all body parts everyday if you do it differently. He had a way of putting it in simple terms, like "a drywaller doesn't just work two to three days a week, he finds different ways to lift the drywall so he can work every day". That's a lot how weightlifting is. Dr. Almquist would say that you have a finite ability to lift but you also have a finite need to be stronger. He said that you could pick up a calf from the day it was born and try to pick it up every day, but at some point you would no longer be able to pick up the cow. Then he would say that if you can vault 17' with a bench press of 185 and you went no higher when your bench got to 225, that you need to leave that alone and start looking for other deficits. I try to follow this advice daily.

As mentioned, vaulters are always on the edge of some little physical issue so we are constantly making training adjustments. Yesterday after lifting standing curls I felt a little back spasm as I walked away - not during the exercise itself. Weird. It was suddenly very sore and stiff to bend over and it made getting up and down difficult the rest of the day. Of course this morning it is almost gone or so I thought. I lay down to do my first bench press and clearly was alerted by a deep soreness in my lower back. So the question is, "do I lift hang cleans today as scheduled and risk further injury, or do I skip them and let the back feel better?" I chose to lift the cleans as scheduled because I felt that this was not an injury but rather a little tweak that would work itself out. Again, Dr. Almquist would say that we have to learn the difference between and injury, a ding and a tweak. If it's a tweak, the fastest way to make it better is to work the area so the muscle group can get involved in something else other than contracting uselessly and causing discomfort. The result was that my 2 set was at 155, decent for me, and it feels looser and better already.

Lifting is Love/Hate
When you vault you have no energy to lift, nor do you want to lift, nor do you think you need to. But within a week to 10 days of stopping, I'll find myself losing power on the runway and slowly moving down to smaller poles because I can no longer command the bigger poles. My buddy Dan West trains very similarly in his focus on building an overall fit and powerful body while taking the parallel course of applying the new strength and speed to pole vaulting. The only man over 60 to ever vault 13', John Altendorf only vaults. You have to figure out what works for you.

That said, I LOVE lifting. In the early and mid 80's I lifted six days a week with my great friend, Dean "The Machine" Gregory. All 5' 8" and 155 of Dean was/is intense. There were no easy days or off days. If you were Dean's training partner you were fully committed every minute of every session. A certified genius, he has the rare combination of excellent common sense as well as deeply analytical skills. When I first started vaulting again he was there and quickly became my coach because he picked up on even subtle details very quickly. My lifting right now is as close to balanced as the days I lifted with Dean. When I'm lifting I love lifting. When I'm not it's hard to go back but you have to.

In January of 2008 I had an ankle sprain and then a very disappointing performance at our indoor national meet. This made me commit to finding a way to refine my technique that would make me more efficient as I aged. The goal was to learn how to jump high on small poles since that IS the future for all of us as we age. During the process I made some discoveries that put and kept pressure on the pole rather than hitting and releasing to get into the next position. The first thing that happened was that I could jump higher on smaller poles. What also happened was I was suddenly able to use much bigger poles with very little effort. This is that leverage thing I was talking about awhile ago.

So what does this have to do with lifting? Bigger poles are like raising the weight in lifting. The first day I hit a bigger pole using this technique I strained my bicep and got some swelling and bruising. Not a good sign. Think about the sustained force when I go from a pole I use from 65' and now I can use it from 44'. The relative sustained force and return of energy, is much greater. About a month later I found myself on my 1st 14' pole from 34' and promptly blew up my tricep. After fooling around with it for four months I again strained the bicep. The writing (bruising) was on the wall, I had to start lifting arms, something I had not done since the days I lifted with Dean.

As if all of these variables weren't enough, you tend to get to a point where you can't lift certain exercises anymore. I had some back issues so I switched to a hack squat machine until I got too strong at that and it started causing patellar problems. I did tons of lunges so my toe started bothering me. I'm making major adjustments to the actual exercises 2-4 times a year.

The sets and reps are not as important as in the intensity. A very well known trainer of pro athletes who does clinics tells them stuff like, "the key to success is to do sets of 7s and 9s" and then laughs. NOTHING matters but intensity. That said, high reps to fatigue will build muscle density so I do that for my arms and hamstrings whereas less reps with more weight will build strength without bulk so that's what I do for bench, leg press, hang cleans and incline. I need strength and power in the big muscles and deep density in the smaller ones.

I get questions pretty often about my 1 RMs (one repetition max) and baselines. I'm 56 and weigh on the average of 172 each morning and my bench is 235, leg press is 345, hang clean is 175 and incline is 215. Dan West is much smaller than me yet much stronger. I wish I was as explosive as he is. Or as Gary Hunter's professor used to tell him in college, "whatever you want to do in sport, it's easier if you're stronger".

My final word about lifting and all training is "reversibility". That means how much will you fall off after what time frame? At my age it is estimated that if I do nothing for six weeks that I will lose 40% of the strength and endurance I have built. How's that for a negative motivation? It gets even worse as you age. So in our case, staying the same is actually improving. That's one way to look at it. As a result I train all year every year. It's a way of life and allows me to keep moving forward when others may be talking time off.

That's it for today. Everything I wrote today I learned the hard way. That's what I tell the kids at the high school, "I've already made every mistake you will ever make in your vaulitng career so that you don't have to". Hopefully you might be able to use a few of these things or even suggest some new ones to me. I know nothing but WE know everything. Thanks so much! Bubba

Fear of Failure But Not of Success

2009-09-06T08:45:00.001-07:00

As you will read later, the title says it all for the homestretch - with the addition of "DON'T get hurt".

I'm a little beat up from yesterday's vault day but not too bad. Well not as bad as the last time I jumped on bigger poles. I know it sounds dumb but my lifting and bars this morning actually help me to recover faster. I've got to get back to stretching right after I vault because I am too stiff today. Yesterday it just wasn't possible as I was dealing with the AC guy. Yep - it's in and working but the house got up to 89 before he switched it on at 4 PM, dropped to 78 by bedtime and 72 by the middle of the night. Back to normal finally.

I emailed Phillip in Sydney to get his take on conditions at 3 PM and he feels that is pretty favorable for us. He says the wind usually swings back around to the east by then and that is a tail wind. That would be nice. If they have us jump with the M60 group then I also have my longtime friend, Tom Rauscher, jumping with me so that we can help each other. We are the last group to vault for the whole meet.

The unknown question is whether we will get a "run through" before we start jumping. In USA Track & Field, if you have not entered the competition within an hour of the start, you can come down the runway and do a take off with no bar. This is called a "run through". I start at 12' and our competition will begin with the early vaulters attempting 8'. I will "pass" all heights until 12'. Each person gets three attempts at each height so by the time they get to 12' it may be two+ hours of sitting. OUCH!! Internationally they don't allow this but Phillip says he sees it happening for us old guys.

Why would this be important? If you have ever gone out and done any type of strenuous activity and then come in and sat down for awhile, chances are when you went to get up you were very stiff and sore. Well we feel like that or worse after sitting for a long time after our warm up, and now we have to make meaningful high level vaults. SO, if we get a run through I'll start on big poles and if we don't I'll start on small ones. I'm comfortable doing either but of course would prefer the run through. That one practice jump fires everything back up so you don't waste real vaults in the meet trying to get warmed up again. Strategically if two guys jump the same height and one makes it on his first attempt and the other makes it on his second attempt, the guy who made it first wins. A BIG reason a run through is helpful.

It's the Real Thing - Almost
I said that once it gets inside of four weeks that it would start feeling real. I leave three weeks from Wednesday and compete four weeks from Tuesday so after I jump with Kris next Friday it will be very real. Having gotten over 13' (3.97m) yesterday makes it easier to be patient. The American Record is only 6" higher and I'm still on small poles and short runs. The point is that there is no reason to push or rush anything. Going in where I am now is better than limping in because I was looking for some last minute edge. Clean up the technical issues on small poles and don't get hurt. I keep saying this to remind me that this is my only goal at this point.

At breakfast this morning I told Nancy that even though I had a very good high level day yesterday, that I have had at least 15 vivid thoughts of nh'ng or "no height", which means I didn't clear my opening height so I get a zero. I mentioned to you guys early on that this is a recurring theme for all vaulters - fear of failure. Warped is a group who follows a good day with many thoughts of failure. On the big day this will turn to sharp focus to avoid all of the scenarios I've envisioned. I simply make a "mechanical checklist", based on fears and tendencies, and make myself do one thing right per jump. When that happens twice I get to go to the next thing on the list. As dumb as that sounds, it takes a scattered and frightful mind and devotes that random energy on doing one thing right and THAT is a relief. Hard to worry about 10 things going wrong when your only focus is to do one thing right. It's very calming and liberating when you need it most. BTW - I will post my mechanical checklist here a day or two before the meet. Have a great day. Bubba

PS - Milestones
Since the start of this blog my total weight lifted went over 300,000 pounds (316,297) with today's workout. More important, since I returned to training on New Years Day of 2005, I have now gone over 13 million pounds lifted at 13,002,503. Two nice benchmarks in one session. If it's worth doing it's worth recording. I often go back to see what I was doing when things were going well or what I did to get out of ruts. All the best.

This Just In - The Schedule - PM Addition

2009-09-05T10:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry for two posts today but this one is an important addition. Tonight I also added the full vault schedule at the end.

The schedule is up and it appears I vault at 3 PM Sydney time on Tuesday, October 13. That's midnight in Texas. Oil well as we say. Here's the final, final list;

M55-59
Bruce Arnold - Australia
Phil Carrero - Australia
Grant Chapman - Australia
Henry Charrois - Canada
Sergey Klimov - Kazakhstan
Jerry Moylan - United States Of America
Bubba Sparks - United States Of America
Richard Watson - United States Of America
Allan Williams - United Kingdom
Wills - Australia

I don't know who but it seems like 1 or 2 were added from the 8/31 list. Since entries closed that day I'm assuming this is the final field.

In a strange twist we are scheduled to vault with the M60-64. I don't know if they jump at the same time with us or on a different pit. If it's on our pit then we have these additions to give us 18 total vaulters;

M-60-64
Geoff Atkins - Canada
Tom Barber - Australia
Michael D'Lecki - Australia
Sven Donaldson - Canada
Tomlinson Rauscher - United States Of America
Francis Rosique - France
Normando Cesar - Brazil
Anders Tollstern - Sweden

-----------------------------------------------------
Math Whiz?
Somebody noticed that my flex numbers went bigger when I went to my 14' poles from my 13' poles and wanted to know why, since earlier I stated that the bigger the number the weaker the pole. GREAT EYE!! For every 6" in pole length there is a relative difference of 2.1 flex point to be the same pole, so going from a 13' pole to a 14' pole is 4.2 flex points. Hence a 13', 13.5 flex is similar to a 14', 17.7 flex. My first 14' pole is a 17.5 so it is .2 stiffer than my biggest 13' pole. WOW!! Can't believe you guys caught that and figured that it had something to do with the scaling system for different lengths of poles. Impressive!! Bubba

FULL VAULT SCHEDULE
Sunday – 10/11
9:00am Male 65-69
12:35pm Female 50+

Monday – 10/12
9:00am Male 70+
2:00pm Female 30-49

Tuesday – 10/13
9:00am Male 30-44
11:00am Male 45-49
1:00pm Male 50-54
3:00pm Male 55-64

Patience & Caution Rewarded

2009-09-05T08:10:00.001-07:00

If you remember, I didn't vault on my last scheduled day because of an odd feeling in my right hamstring. As mentioned, right handed vaulters hurt their left hamstrings, not the right so I didn't think it was a big deal. I just didn't want to take the risk so I skipped the jump session. Today I came out and felt relatively good so I took a calculated risk and did no warm up. I know that sounds completely contrary but I was running late because I had to open the house up for the guys to install the new AC. Don was already there and then Gary Scheffe showed up so I needed to get going. I think my warm up consisted of jogging down and asking Don about what pole and run I should start on. We decided to start on my smallest 13' foot pole and warm up on the runway as opposed to the grass, which I rarely do. I don't know why but it sounded fun. Maybe it's because of the low pressure of a small pole plus the promise of more vaults. Whatever, it worked today.

In total I took 10 jumps on eight different poles. Normally I'll get through 4-6 poles in practice so this was really a different type of day. Technically, starting on the smaller poles also allowed me to work on the problem issues I was concerned about. I made 11' on the 4m/15.5/176, then 12' on the 14.7 and tried 12' 6" once on the 14.3 but it was too small, all from 32' 6". I moved to 42' 6" and went to my first 14' pole and had a decent jump but it was too small. This is the pole that I ended the last practice on. I moved up to the 17.2 and made it on the first jump. This is my short run start pole for a meet if the conditions are bad. I normally start at 12' so to make 12' 6" on it today at the same run I would use in a meet was a nice confidence builder. I moved the bar to 13', my run back to 53' and up to the 17.0. On the 2nd vault I brushed it a little on the way down after clearing with decent height. I stopped right there and was again very grateful to be uninjured.

The lesson of the day was patience. Take care of the technical aspects and don't get in a hurry. Don kept bugging me to extend a phase that I was rushing. He was exactly right but sometimes when you're doing it the timing lies to you. The feeling is that you are behind in getting to a position whereas in reality, I'm there too quick and lose a ton of energy. I had a great practice with no hints of pain or any type of injury or ding. I 100% credit Don for his guidance today from the warm up on small poles, to jumping on every pole rather than skipping poles, to executing each position completely rather than rushing to the next phase. Don was the man today. I'll take these lessons and reminders with me to Oz.

Physically I felt like I was jogging down the runway and then executing a sound technical jump. The intent was to not have to run hard, yet I kept moving to bigger and bigger poles. I'm still two poles down from my big meet start pole but that's OK for today. That's it for jump days until I see Kris on Friday.

Don also got with me to make the final decisions on what poles to ship to Oz. We made one change in adding the pole I got over 13' on today. Even though I normally skip that pole it may work out if the conditions are bad. So I have seven poles total - three glass poles and four carbon fiber poles. Basically it's a small pole series of three poles, a mid/transition pole, and three regular meet big poles. The bag is packed and everything fit. I have room for one more pole but I don't feel the need as I think I'm covered for all conditions.

I feel pleased for today and a little relieved. I had no intention of moving to bigger poles or longer runs but it was comfortable and well within my physical abilities minus maybe 10-15%. I'll hit the big poles with Kris and then back down to the small ones again for technical clean up and to avoid injury. When I walk away from Kris' I need to feel like I do today - healthy. That's my only goal. I'm writing that here and now as a reminder. NOTHING is more important than leaving that high level session uninjured, even if I don't have a good session. Then there will be a HUGE sigh of relief. At that point the hay is in the barn. There will be nothing I can do to get stronger or faster in the next 3.5 weeks that would be worth the risk or injury, so back off and enjoy the small pole stuff and some quality training. Think back to August and September of last year when I was grinding away think about Australia. The pages on the calendar keep flying by and in no time it will be over. For right now, pay attention to detail, stay focused and don't take risks. Thanks again everyone!! Have a great Labor Day weekend! Bubba

Pole Shipping & A Few Thanks

2009-09-04T08:26:00.001-07:00

Today is a light stretch day as I'll jump tomorrow. Since I switched my leg lift day to my running/jumping day I've had a day off every three days. Normally I lift legs the day after I vault and then lift upper the next day and then repeat. I switched it to be a little more fresh on vault days but so far I can't see much difference. I'll switch back tomorrow as I will vault Saturday, lift legs Sunday, upper Monday, easy stride Wednesday and jump with Kris on Friday. The poles will be shipped to Australia from his place on that day. As a pole dealer he has a commercial account so he can ship much easier and cheaper than we ever could.

We always ship our poles to meets through Kris. They arrive right at the stadium and you don't have to hassle with them at the airport or when you arrive. We usually have 3-5 people's poles in two bags so we split it equally which is far less expensive than if you took them on the plane yourself. Typically we send them a week in advance so they arrive at the venue a few days before we get on the plane.

Shipping to Oz is different because of tariffs on the way back in. No wonder we can't compete globally when it's cheap to export but complicated and expensive to import. We were quoted $2,100 by the shipper to get my poles to Australia. Bruce Caldwell of Essx, my pole maker, ships poles around the world so he has some clout. I've got $321 on the way out and I think just under $600 to come back. Having your own poles is a big deal but of they don't make it I have back up through Alan Launder. Obviously if they don't make it we don't pay so it's a fair trade off.

It takes a team for every athlete to be successful whether it is little league or pro athletes. We are no different and it all starts at home. My wife Nancy, didn't grow up around athletes but is a huge sports fan and very supportive. I'm not one of those guys who has a bad day and brings it home. There will be bad days, injuries and disappointments and that's just part of the deal. I certainly have no right to burden someone else with these issues or ruin their day over something so trivial.

As stated I have been on the business side of healthcare for 22 years. During my eight years of working on Wall Street, my mentor, a man who represented companies for 45 years, who's brother in law was the head of CBS at the time, etc., gave me some great advice. Like the scene in Dustin Hoffman's breakout movie, "The Graduate", the magic word for the future was "plastics". For me it was "healthcare". My mentor told me in 1987 that between 2007-10 that there would be the largest demand for healthcare services in history as the baby boomers matured to Medicare age in what was to be called the "Graying of America". They would need skilled business people to help in those volatile times. I took his advice and got involved in the physical therapy business. That has evolved into owning, running, starting, managing many clinics for myself, partners, physicians and therapists around the country.

My partner, Sam Fontenot, has been a PT for 38 years and is the first person I go to when I have an injury or a ding. I also depend on Bruce Forsyth in College Station, Tom Dalonzo Baker in North Carolina and Randall Fukuji in Honolulu. My point man as a physician is Earl "Butch" Martin Jr., who is in constant contact with me about any and every little ding or sign of weakness that comes up. If he can't do it he directs me on to a specialist. THE man that figured out the calcifications and how to work around them without surgery is orthopedic specialist, Scott Rand, MD. I had a tricep strain and a horrible tendonitis cause by what looked like bone spurs. What it really was is bone growing within my tendon. He shot it with cortisone and then told me how to work around it but still get the same training results. I would be lost without these guys and I'm thrilled to also call them my friends.

The Woodlands High School has the #1 athletic program in the US according to ESPN. We have a great community and a super deep talent level of coaches in all sports at that school. Mark Schmid is the AD and the Principal is Greg Colschen. Mark is a great football coach but he also coached the school record vaulter at 16" 1 1/4". Those two allowed me to form a USA Track & Field club there. USATF provides liability insurance covering the high school so we can practice there. The school has an outstanding vault coach in Robbie Dueitt, one of my very best friends and favorite people. When he's in football I take over the kids and when he comes back I do whatever he needs me to do. It's a wonderful cooperative effort. Of course this could not have happened without the legend track and cross country coach, Dan Green, who just retired. Coach Green is an amazing individual and his success is untouched over the 30 years he was the coach. He allowed me to join his program as a volunteer when he knew he had a great coach already. He didn't have to do that and it turned out well since I'm so close to Robbie. Coach Green's son, Juris has just taken over the program and my initial reaction to watching him work with the kids is that we are in for another 30 years of success under the Green leadership.

The "unsung hero" of our group is Charlie Bier, the editor of our local paper, The Villager. He took an interest in the vault and began covering it himself rather than sending out his sports guy. He promotes our events and keeps the community up to speed on the progress of the vaulters and vault programs. It's hard to get that type of support from anyone, much less the top dog, the editor. We are greatly appreciative of his efforts as it draws in new kids and creates interest. He's also been known to get a photo or two in the paper of a kid with his medal from a big meet. Thanks Charlie!!

Finally, thanks again to you guys and gals who are along for the ride. I thought about yesterday how it would go if crash and burn in Australia after all of this build up. One thing you should know by now is that I will tell you exactly how I feel whether it's good or bad. In my mind I've been preparing for this for a year since I determined this would be my big target for 2009. All year long I have adjusted planning to keep in mind that I have to be at my best in October. That's pretty strange since our outdoor national meet is normally the first week of August. So far so good so thanks again. I'm sure I will tell you this may more times. I say it when I think it so I must think it often. It's good to be grateful and I am.

That's it for today. A little more behind the scenes than usual because it's basically an off day from training. Vault tomorrow - Yahooooooooo!! Bubba

Optimism vs. Pessimism & Other Tangents

2009-09-03T09:26:00.001-07:00

Funny how I always expect the best/most out of myself but sometimes have very little confidence in the dedication of certain others. Our AC went out and though we have a maintenance agreement with a contractor for the home warranty company, they can't find the part. Of course the AC company has it in stock but the home warranty company doesn't have an agreement with them for that. So I wait while they search and await delivery of this humongous AC unit when the people who are going to install it have a whole stack of them in their warehouse. BTW - I don't want to be out of my house until the Tuesday after Labor Day so both entities are getting a lesson in customer based logic from me. Of course I'm nice about it but the solution seems so obvious. What they are looking for is in the garage of the people who will install it.

This ranks right up there with the Houston Astros having an 8-1 lead in the 5th inning and both Nancy and I look at each other and say that isn't enough. The Astros are very capable of blowing that lead. Or the Texans who were ahead of Indianapolis 28-7 with just under five minutes left and lost. We expect them to blow it and we're surprised when they don't. They seem to do just enough to get us interested and then fall apart when it really matters.

I say this because it skews my own reality. I've got a huge competition and four weeks from today I will be in the air going to Australia and I feel totally comfortable that I will be healthy and perform well. Foolish!! I haven't been near my main meet poles since early August because of an injury and, as a precaution, I'm pretty afraid to do so. Yet in my mind I'll just show up and things will be fine - because they always are if I arrive healthy, which I almost always do.

I'll jump at Kris' in New Braunfels next Friday and there I'll hit the bottom end of my smallest meet poles. If I survive that I should be OK. If not I've got 3 1/2 weeks to recover and may not have small enough poles in the bag that I'm shipping. The bottom line is I will be more than careful and take the minimum number of jumps to feel ready, then it's back to the safety of smaller poles in training.

As you can see, I sure have no confidence in today's customer service, the Astros or the Texans. To me that's strange because if you look at this on paper, I am easily the one you should have no confidence in, yet I feel good about where I am at this stage of preparations. Seems stupid but that's my reality. Sorry for the ramble but this is the question that haunted me through today's lifting in the hot garage. BTW - It was great to have an extended stretching session again and I feel absolutely nothing from yesterday.

Still no schedule but at least now I have a link where we always know what time it is in Sydney. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=240
Right now it's 11:03 AM Thursday here and 2:03 AM Friday there. I remember when Simon Arkell got his first 19' jump he called me from Oz and it was 1:30 in the morning for him yet early afternoon in California. That's why I want to see the schedule. I don't want to be calling Nancy at 3 AM her time with a meet report.

I'm just a schedule guy. I feel more productive if I know it and control it to the level that I can. Sure it changes all of the time but at least I started with some idea of what is was going to be. Any semblance of order has been totally gone this week yet I'm still getting my stuff done in all categories. It's just a little more STRESSFUL!! Thanks for being there. Bubba

Almost Stupid + Golf Revisited

2009-09-02T08:41:00.001-07:00

As the title suggests, THIS could have been the day I would be kicking myself about for the next year. As I stated yesterday I didn't feel I would be ready to vault today. I woke up feeling better but still a "maybe". I talked to my training partner, Don Curry, last night and we agreed that today I would start with my smallest 13' pole (171.6/15.9) and work on the bothersome technical issues on my extension up the pole. Seems I can do it fine on big poles or small poles but not the in between poles.

Why the change in plans when I knew I would be at risk? As also mentioned yesterday my central air went out at our house. I have an extended home warranty and a maintenance agreement so long story short, I get a brand new one for $60. The problem is I will lose half of today and all day tomorrow coordinating this replacement, so jumping tomorrow is not an option. Add to that the fact that Nancy, her mom (93), me and the two dogs are getting ready to head to a hotel for the day and night. Last night the house only got down to 80 degrees and the sun is already out bright and hot.

SO, I can't jump Thursday so let's try a low level day Wednesday? During my warm up I was starting to feel pretty good. As you do when you feel pretty good, I started to increase my rhythm. Still everything is A-OK. Then it happened. I hopped over a drainage grate on the inside of the curb of the track that drains the football field. As I quickened my pace on the other side I felt a sudden twinge in my right hamstring. Not pain just a little weakness. Right handed pole vaulters strain left hamstrings, not the right one so I knew this was a fluke resulting from my soreness from training and lifting. Left alone it will fine tomorrow or the next day as there was no pain or injury. Here goes that 18 year old mind trying to convince the 56 year old body that all is well and that I can still jump at a low level since I have never hurt my right hamstring in my entire career since I was 12 years old. I hook up to the 30 pound sled and do my four easy 50m hill runs. I'm carefully watching for any sign that it might be OK or not.

Then it hit me - I've got you guys. The whole reason I write this is to manage stress and anxiety by sharing my inner thoughts about my approach to training for this huge event. I remember telling you that every single time that I have been hurt I KNEW it was a distinct possibility yet tried to go anyway. The result today, thanks to you, is that I put the sled away when I was finished, locked up and left the track to go to my leg lifting session. Never even took my poles out. I might have been able to jump today but it wasn't worth the risk and I knew it. I felt nothing in my leg while lifting and I'll jump again Saturday morning with a clear head and fresh body. Crisis narrowly averted. Thank you!

An old lesson remembered - so what was it today? When you get busy you tend to skip the easiest things and for me that was stretching. I stretch 5-6 days per week and have only stretched once since my hardest training day Sunday. Again, I know this but today was a very scary reminder that it wouldn't be on the training plan if it weren't urgent to get done. I can assure you I will not miss another stretch session.

Golf and Pole Vaulting Revisited
According to the Houston Chronicle today, last week Doug Sparks got a hole in one in golf on the 15th hole of the Cypresswood Golf Course. That would be my 78 year old dad. After my mom's passing just over three months ago he has renewed his passion for golf. As I told him shortly after she died, he had been a 24/7 caregiver for three years and now he's lost his job. Therefore he had better start learning about what he likes to do again. I related my blog post to him about the similarities of golf and pole vaulting and he agreed, it takes just a few good shots to get him anxious to be back out on the course. Needless to say that one shot will have him back for quite awhile.

My mom was a big leader and supporter of all of our interests but she pretty much forced my dad into golf, not that he minded. He had retired after 44 years at AT&T and had joined their ladies walking club. It didn't take long for them to kick him out because he's not a lady, had no gossip to contribute, but plenty of opinions about theirs. To break it to him easily my mom enrolled him in a golf training group called the "Century Club" for those aspiring to break 100. Two weeks after he joined the group they were on the cover on Golf Digest as a new senior's movement. Today he shoots in the low to mid 80s and this was his third hole in one.

That's it for today. Gotta get to the hotel and some cool air. Thanks again for being there and present in my conscious!! As a result I am still 100% healthy. Bubba

Odds & Ends + Thanks!!

2009-09-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

Still no competition schedule. It's really not that important but you like to know what time of day you jump, especially because they are coming into Spring as we are going into Fall. Once I know then I can check weather for trends that time of day and see what temperatures, wind, humidity, rain, etc. If it's evening or night it changes what I need to take to make my grip stay sticky. If it rains it requires something else. Sure you take this stuff anyway but mentally you need to have already been there and worked through the details as far in advance as possible.

Reading this blog I realize how much my schedule and daily events make every attempt to knock my training off. Somehow I manage to get it done anyway. I had no idea that my life is day after day of constant adjustments in order to remain accountable to my training. Is that any way to live? I don't think I know another way. I need exercise to stay sane (releatively) but I need a reason to work out, so there you go.

To that list let's add that it will be 95 today and our central air went out during the night so the house is already 76 at 8 AM. So I won't stretch this morning as I have other things to juggle. I'll do it later today when it is real hot in the garage where I will just crank music, take my time, sweat and enjoy!

My gut feeling is that I will wait until Thursday to jump. I considered going on the short cycle and jumping tomorrow but Sunday was a high intensity day and I'm pretty sore today. I'll give it a day on the side of caution and see how I feel Thursday. Worse case I'll drop down to my mid-level 13' poles, work my way up, and clean up some technical things that are bothering me. As you can see I'm a big planner but I also don't hesitate to make changes if I feel it puts me at risk when the day arrives.

I feel somewhat frustrated today because I'm not able to control my schedule this week as much as I usually can. But hey, life is full of surprises and you just deal with it. On top of that I felt like Sunday was a breakthrough day but now my body tells me that it's not ready for that demand every vault day. I could force it and be maybe 60-70% safe that I don't get hurt but it's not worth that risk. I just have to remember Sunday - I started on an easy pole and finished on a big one. What's wrong with that? I don't HAVE to start on a big pole for it to be a good day. But when I can I will be ready for big jumps. Apparently not yet.

The biggest thing that keeps going through my mind is that every time I have gotten hurt I knew I was at risk and took the chance anyway. I simply can't do that. When I woke up this morning to let the dogs out, my body said "you are NOT jumping tomorrow". I think I need to listen. Thanks!! Bubba

PS - I have gotten some very nice emails from people watching this blog from lifelong friends to fellow vaulters. Thank you so much as you are very special to me. Do me a favor - if you see anything glaring that I'm missing or reasoning wrong, shoot me an email and let me know. This is truly a team effort and I am very grateful to have you all on board.

Ho Hum - No Schedule Yet

2009-08-31T06:27:00.001-07:00

I've been on the business side of healthcare for 22 years now, specifically working with relationships between physicians and therapists. Because they are always with a patient and I am always on the phone, I schedule all of my phone calls. So this morning I do my bars and get the garage set up to lift before my 8 AM call. I call the guy, as scheduled last week and he needs me to call him back in 30 minutes. Of course this kills my workout because he just split my only allotted time for the day. I'll have to skip the stretch but I went out and cranked through my lifts with minimal rest in order to be done before I have to make this phone call. As you can figure, I'm totally booked from that point forward. So "Ho Hum" is a way of saying "let it go" and get your work in anyway.

We're expecting the final competition schedule today so I know what time I vault. It's not on the website yet but these folks have done a great job at communicating with us. There website does say the Games begin in 40 days. Sorry but until we are under four weeks I have a hard timing feeling like it is real.

I'll get a long stretch in tomorrow and am considering jumping again Wednesday rather than wait for Thursday since I lifted legs yesterday after I vaulted. We'll see how I feel. Have a great day! Bubba

Patience Rewarded + Random Thoughts

2009-08-30T09:01:00.001-07:00

Nancy and I were to have breakfast with my dad and sister-in-law this morning so that put me warming up at the track in the dark at 5:45 AM with my first jump at a bar at 6:45 before the sun showed up on the horizon. Because of this I re-thought my plan to start on the first 14' pole. I reasoned that at the last practice I had to go to my 43' run to use my 13'/14.7 and 14.3, so today I would try and use them from 32' and be more aggressive. That turned out to be a good plan as I again made 12' on each of those two poles. I did not try higher again as I was looking to solidify a few technical issues. I mention this because I ALWAYS raise the bar after a clearance. I will start progressing the bar again next time.

After these two clearances I moved back to 43', skipped my first 13' carbon fiber pole (13.7) and went right o the biggest 13' pole (13.2) I have and IT was too little. I went into the shed and got my smallest 14' pole (17.5) and made 12' by quite a lot, yet that pole was too small. So my patience was rewarded. I had a total of eight vaults but all were at a high level and far more consistent technically than the last time. I guess my rehab is over because I felt well within my physical abilities and never felt at risk of injury though I've not been on a 14' pole since August 11, at Nationals. The good news is that the pole felt too small from the 43' run, as it usually does when I'm jumping well. So at least physically I'm back to 100%.

Reality check - I'm still four poles down (weaker) from my normal big meet start pole (55' run) and one down from my start pole if I choose to start my meet from a 44' run. My opening height is always 12' (3.66m) and my objective is to easily make it on either of these pole/run choices. Knock on wood but I have made each height except my final height on the first attempt of every meet I have been in for the past year and a half. Part of this is that I use a much bigger pole than is needed to make the heights. Remember that I just cleared 12' from 22' 6" last week whereas I start at 43' or 55' in a meet. The difference is from 22' 6" I made it by a few inches and on bigger poles I make it by over a foot with a bigger margin for error.

I'm going to move up my leg lift day and do it today so I will feel good again on Thursday, when I hope to use only 14' poles. These next three sessions will solidfy the poles I will take to Australia.

I found out yesterday that my friend Tom Rauscher is going in the M60 group where he should be a threat to win. Hoping the best for him and look forward to seeing him. He won't be on our flight but will arrive Sunday as we get there Friday.

There is one "official tour company" who books this trip for all of the athletes. So almost all of the passengers on our flight will be athletes in various sports going to the Games. The LA to Sydney leg is 14 hours so I'll try and sleep as much as possible since we arrive at 8:25 AM. I'll want to be on their time immediately so oversleeping has always been the best way for me.

That's it for today. I jump five weeks from Tuesday but the email activity has jumped drastically as final plans are being coordinated. Tomorrow I find out what time I compete and then will know what time it will be at home. I got a new netbook with a wireless adapter that can work off of my cell phone so I can remain in contact. That's it for now. Thanks for being there. Bubba

More Training Adjustments

2009-08-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

It's a lazy day waiting on the jump day tomorrow. I saw Don this morning to pick up some poles that just got back from Stanford. We've decided that if I can get on my first 14' pole tomorrow without pushing my run then that's the plan. That would give me four high level vault days before my poles get shipped. I feel fresh so we'll give it a try. Worse case it will be too stiff and I will move back down.

I'm adjusting my lifting from 28/18 reps to 18/12 for the rest of the way as that is my standard in-season ritual. I think this will make me feel a little better on jump days. In fact I skipped today also so I wouldn't be stiff for tomorrow. So after the jump day I'll get back to a more normalized training pattern. Until then I'll hold my breath and hope for the best. Bubba

PS - Looking at my training log I was off two days, had a bad vault day, and now took two more days off. To the outside that might sound odd but from my seat it's making sure I stay uninjured and not over trained. Today is the two week mark of this program and I have already lifted 190,379 pounds and done 154 bar drills. The body has to be eased into that type of training load. If you listen to your body it won't have to yell at you.

Olympic Stadium Weather From a Local

2009-08-28T08:16:00.001-07:00

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
====================================

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/

Bad Day on a Good Day

2009-08-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you feel good but jump crappy. Today was one of those days - hate them!! I guess a bad day of jumping is better than a day that I'm injured so I shouldn't complain. My technique was all over the place today. I did one good thing on most jumps but it takes more than that. I think part of it is I was feeling pretty good from the two days rest and I was being super careful not to run too hard. As a result my timing was very inconsistent. For example, on my next to last jump I was too careful on the run and came down on the bar at 12' pretty hard even though I had a lot of height. On the last jump I ran right and hit the pole hard with my arms and it was way too little.

The number one thing is to create pole speed with a solid body at take off. You're either the bug or the windshield as far as energy transfer goes. I started on the 15.0 (13-176) from 32' and made 11' and then 12' on it but I wasn't getting in as far as I was the last day when I felt flat. That's a mystery to me. A big part of that is that the box is starting to come up on me faster as my run improves and moves back, so if you're a little off there you lose energy. That's a one day adjustment so I should be past that now.

I moved back to 42' the 14.7 (1380) and made 12' easy. Moved to the 14.3 and did the same. I didn't try higher because I was too inconsistent. Part of the problem of "rehab" is that your run is closer so the poles you are used to moving may not move as easily. For example, I was at 42' today and I'm normally at 44' or 45'. It may not sound like much but 2-3' further back with only 8 steps is a big difference in speed and power. That said, I feel healthy enough to start to attack my run and take off like I'm used to.

Long story short - very frustrating as I had some components of some very big jumps for the level I'm vaulting at, but I never did the same thing right two jumps in a row. My vault requires pressure on my hands and when I catch myself finessing I get into consistency trouble. When I jumped 12' from 22' the other day I HAD to do everything right or I wouldn't be in far enough to go for the bar. Today was flat out sloppy. I need to be more aggressive on may take off step while still being cautious on the runway speed. Bubba

The Pain of Rest

2009-08-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

I remember during the Tour de France that Lance Armstrong said he hated the days off because he felt so bad the next day. Today is my second day off and I feel pretty beat up but more than ready to resume training. Everything "heals short" so you have all of these little aches and pains that you really don't feel when you're always active. I guess it's like the "Tin Man" getting oil. Once those joints get moving they feel much better.

Tonight I'm working on structuring my training to go hard until I jump with Kris in New Braunfels on September 11 - 10 days away. I have to take my poles there anyway to ship to Australia so I might as well get a good jump session in. Actually I will ramp up to that point and that day will be my last high level vault day. After that I'll go back to 13' poles and work on technique.

I'm jumping tomorrow morning early (7 AM) because I have a ton of business work to get done. My training partner, Don Curry, is coming out to help. I'll be careful but each practice until I go to Kris will be a little more intense as I move through to bigger poles and longer runs. It is nice to be completely healthy no matter how temporary. Oh yeah, I don't feel that thing in my right leg at all so the break was the right call.

Some might question that my hardest vault day would be a month out from the big meet but I think it makes perfect sense. When you jump on small poles your body gets used to that timing so you hold technical positions for longer. That's a big problem as it is hard to hold these positions for very long. Then when you switch to a bigger pole it throws you very hard before you can fall out of the desired position. More importantly it lessens the chance of injury to train on small poles.

That's it for today. Thanks for being there. Bubba

Change of Plans

2009-08-25T14:30:00.001-07:00

Ah, the joy of the blog outlet of stress!! I'm listening to my body and trying to be mature. After 10 straight days of training with no rest day, I have decided to take Tuesday and Wednesday off and then resume my regular training schedule Thursday instead of staying on this compressed one. This will give me a rest day every two rotations.

I've made this decision because my training and vaulting intensity is rising pretty fast and I don't want to risk injury. For example, these very short run jumps make the right hamstring a little sore and weak feeling because of the quick step right before I take off. NOTE - a vaulter usually strains the left hamstring so the right one is more sore than strain. In fact I don't think I've ever strained my right one since I was 12 years old. I felt it warming up yesterday and even more when I ran afterward yet I was able to vault at a very high level. Still, that's too big of a signal to ignore.

I can't imagine that lifting legs today would make it feel better to jump by Thursday so I skipped it. I hate it but you just have to try and be smart here as I compete six weeks from today. If it bothers me at all on Thursday (never does) then I won't jump and will just run but run easy with a focus on rhythm. I've only had this a few times and it goes away real fast if you don't irritate it. So let the patience begin and thank you for yours. I need the outlet. Bubba

PS - the bottom line is that if I had to compete Thursday I would be fine - 100%. What I'm concerned about avoiding is repeatedly training something that's telling me it's tired. It may not bother me much today but could possibly turn into something bigger and we can't afford that to happen.

M55 Final PV Field for World Masters Games

2009-08-25T04:34:00.001-07:00

Here are the competitors for my group in the World Masters Games. There are some very good vaulters in the field as expected.

Henry Charrois Canada
Richard Watson USA
Bubba Sparks USA
Klimov Klimov Kazakhstan
Jerry Moylan USA
Phil Carrero Australia
Allan Williams United Kingdom
Bruce Arnold Australia

Back to My Baseline

2009-08-24T08:10:00.001-07:00

In my last post I had guessed that I might be back over 12' in the next 2-4 sessions. I wasn't expecting it to happen today but it did. I knew I would be sore from the heavy leg lifting Saturday but it wasn't too bad. What's shocking is that I made 12' three times on three different poles with the first time being from 22' on my 4m/15.9, easily the biggest pole I have ever used from that run. All I can figure is that I have spent a lot of extra time on bars with straight arms which really increases leverage on the pole. Then when I jump I try to do the same thing AND not allow my hips to break. WOW - three poles up and 1' 6" higher from the 22' run. I had a couple of very average jumps at 12' 6" with no chance of clearing as the pole was too small. This is exactly why I go back down to tiny poles and short runs - to revisit and correct sloppy technique.

I got a total of nine jumps in today with six from 33'. The poles feel mushy so I tried to go no more than 2-3 jumps per pole before moving on. I ended up jumping on four poles from two runs. I also had a heavy running day with 8 X 100 and 8 X 50 hills. On Thursday I'll start from 33' on the pole I ended on today and remain cautious. I'm beat up but not injured. I guess I feel bad in a good way. Bubba

Start of Week Two + All About Poles

2009-08-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

It has been a long nine days but I've kept the intensity low to medium and my body is responding well. In that time I have lifted 190,357 pounds and done 122 bar drills. Workouts range from 45 minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes. The competition is six weeks from Tuesday so I'll ramp up slowly and try not to let my intensity get away from me so my body starts running down. I need to remind myself that this is base training and not meant to tax me to the highest levels and risk injury.

Pole Reunion
I got my poles back yesterday from Nationals in Wisconsin. We sent two bags of poles and they only returned one, leaving mine behind. When they did get the delivery back to us it was delayed because we were in California. To put it in perspective, I vaulted in Wisconsin on August 8th and I got my poles back on the 22nd. Hence, we will send my poles to Oz about a month early. Supposedly all "sporting equipment" is being held a central location and then distributed to the venues where we compete. The only thing that gives me comfort is that the company handling the shipping also coordinated the Sydney Olympics.

Kris and I decided yesterday on the poles to ship. My bag is corrugated PVC with ridges on the outside and smooth on the inside. It will hold 7-9 poles depending on the thickness. The stiffer the pole the thicker it is. You need many poles to cover changing weather conditions and how you feel. If you have rain and a headwind and you don't feel well you had better have a small pole. Or as I found out at the Quintana Beach Vault this year when conditions were great and I felt good, I was left attempting a new American Record for my age group without my biggest poles. I left them at home because I didn't think I would need them. So my biggest pole was too small and I was not even close.

Why So Many Poles?
Big poles throw you harder but require more energy and there is less room for error as mistakes are magnified creating poor timing. You learn and develop good timing on small poles and then progress that technique slowly to bigger and bigger poles.

Poles are like fishing line in that they are rated first by weight and then by flex number. So a 1480 means a 14' 180 lb. test pole. The problem is that there are many "flexes" between a 1480 and a 1485. The feeling to the vaulter is about 1 lb. stiffer for every .15-.2 flex points. The flexes come from the manufactures hanging a weight from the center of the pole and measuring in centimeters how far it bends down. The bottom line for us is that the bigger the flex number, the smaller the pole because it bent down further. So my 14? poles are 17.5, 17.2, 17.0, 16.5, 16.2, 15.9, 15.7, 15.5 and 15.3. So I'll take the ones I mainly use at meets and leave behind a few in between poles that I can practice on. With all of that said, MOST of my practices between now and WMG will be on 13' poles which require less energy from me and allow me to work on technique without getting hurt. I have 22 poles at a retail cost of about $400 each. Fortunately through relationships and sponsorships, I didn?t pay near that much.

There are three big pole manufacturers and a few smaller ones. I exclusively use Essx which are made by my friend of 30+ years, Bruce Caldwell in Fort Worth. When I was an elite vaulter he was the National Sales Manager for a big pole company and I got some comped and some at reduced prices. Later he started a company called FibreSport and I vaulted on the very first pole he ever made. It was only fitting that I would do the same when he started Essx. Not just because he's my friend but I truly believe these are the best poles made. Here's my "endorsement" - http://www.bubbapv.com/Pages/ESSX.htm.

That's it for today. Have a great Sunday. Vault day tomorrow - can't wait! Bubba

New Friends, Plans & My Coach

2009-08-22T05:16:00.001-07:00

Six weeks from last night (Friday) I will be in Oz. I leave Wednesday night but because of the time change and 14 hour flight it will take two days to get there. That's both scary and exciting as I continue to press forward with my training with the greatest caution. After the first week my body has not yet started rebelling against the training load so I will keep it easy and consistent. Today after breakfast I've got my hardest of the two leg days so I'm sure I'll feel that when I vault Monday. Also as I move through to bigger poles I'm sure adjustments will need to be made.

New Friends
Yesterday I got an email from a fellow competitor from Sydney, Phillip Carrero, who is in my age group. He sent an invitation to practice at his place, borrow poles, or whatever I might need to make our trip a fun success. He had heard of me through Alan Launder. I Googled him to learn more and found out that he is quite the accomplished artist. Here's a link to his website http://www.carreroart.com.au/polevault/10200da.htm. If you click under "Pole Vault" he has some very impressive pieces. Well done Phillip and I very much look forward to meeting you and hanging out with you and your group. Count on me for Sunday's practice before our Tuesday meet.

We're now supposed to get our final schedule and list of competitors on August 31. I have set my last big pole practice in New Braunfels for Friday September 11, as my poles will leave for Oz on that day to assure plenty of time to arrive safely at the Games. I have other poles to train with but my "meet series" of 6-8 poles will begin their journey before me. Hopefully I can count on Phillip and Alan as my back-up.

In 1997 I shipped poles to South Africa and they never arrived. Seven weeks after the meet they found them in Germany and got them home to me. I had to borrow poles for those World Championships from my fellow American, Charlie Barnard. I got 3rd and he got 4th with me on his poles. I felt pretty bad that he missed getting a medal because he helped me out. But you can ask any vaulter and we all would do the exact same thing. We always help each other, even during the competitions. It's never us against each other but rather us against ourselves. That is one of the things that make our event so unique.

I go to New Braunfels (170 miles away) to see my coach, Kris Allison, (www.lonestarpv.com). Kris has been highly successful as a vault coach for all levels of athletes since he left his job as a math teacher to take of his club full time. He has a massive training facility and can vault both indoors and outdoors. He had the first Texas high school girl to vault 4m (13' 1/2") and coached the current collegiate champion, Jason Colwich of Rice University, 5.72m or 18' 9 1/4", to 17' (5.20m) in high school. When I arrived back in Texas in October of 2001 I coached Kris and helped him start his club. Over the years, the student has surpassed the teacher as I run everything I do by Kris and report to him daily. I can clearly say that any success I've had since my return to competition has been hinged on Kris and his expertise. I see him maybe 6-8 times a year and jump at his beautiful facility 2-4 times, but we email and talk constantly. He is truly a great friend and invaluable part of my team.

That's it for now. I can't say "team" without talking about my medical guys but I will do that another time so I can devote the entire post to them. You don't compete at this level at 56 years old without constantly having something that needs attention. More soon. Bubba

The Value of Leverage

2009-08-21T08:35:00.001-07:00

Whenever I get a ding I move my run back in and work my way back up poles and runs as a way of augmenting my rehab process. It gives me a chance to focus on technical issues that may be slipping. Big poles require more energy but they throw you harder and can cover up some mistakes that cost you efficiency. That said, my focus has been to keep my body as long as possible without the natural urge to break at the hips to try and get vertical. Breaking at the hips cuts your leverage in half at exactly the point you need it most. This mental discipline, to wait when you want to go, makes a huge difference in your results. Today I got to see a little of it firsthand.

My best vault from my 22' run is 10' 6" and I have matched that the last two sessions. Today I decided to stay at that run and move up a pole, something I have been unable to do in the past. I knew that I would have to stay long and keep pressure on my hands or I would not be able to get in on the pole and therefore would not be able to attempt to clear the bar. It worked and I was able to make 11' on the pole.

I knew the pole would be too small for 11' 6" so I went into the shed and got the next pole up. I tried four times to use that pole from that run this year and was never close. Sure enough, I made 11' on it and then on my 3rd attempt, made 11' 6" on that pole. Amazing breakthrough to move up two poles and jump a foot higher than my previous best while being careful with my legs. It just goes to show that it's more about position than speed.

The great coach, Vitaly Petrov, of the Sergey Bubka, starts all practices from two steps, then four steps then six steps. The idea is that ALL vaulters are strong and fast so we need to take that away from them in order for them to learn how to work with physics instead of against physics. I think my success today reflects that thinking.

My next jump day is Monday and I will move back to the 33' run and start moving through poles as needed. My guess is that between 2-4 sessions I'll be over 12' again (my baseline start height) and then back to 44'. It's important that I don't just move up poles to make the bar but rather stay with the focus on an easy run with better mechanics. I need to allow leverage to be my friend and not be in such a big hurry to add back in the speed and power. Fun day!! Bubba

PS - if I had to jump in Sydney on Tuesday, instead of six weeks from Tuesday, I would be able to use one of my smallest meet poles and clear at least 12'. That height should be enough for a medal. That means I have no reason to do anything but to remain cautiously optimistic and very careful not to get hurt. Keep training hard but jumping under my present physical level.

The Meaning of Oz + Games We Play

2009-08-19T17:02:00.001-07:00

The Meaning of Oz
I'm out of town on business tomorrow so here's what I wanted to post. I've gotten a few questions about why "Oz" is in the title of this blog. Quite simply, Australians call their country "Oz" and themselves "Ozzies". And as we learned from the good witch in The Wizard of Oz, "Oz" is also a state of mind.

I have some pretty good Ozzie connections but this will be my first trip there. In 1992, after their housing connections fell out, two Australian Olympic pole vaulters, Simon Arkell and Adam Steinhardt, lived and trained with us for the last three months before they went to the 1992 Olympic Games. In 1996, Simon came back and trained with us again before the Atlanta Olympics. He is still a great friend to this day.

At the 1996 Olympics, Simon's longtime personal coach, Alan Launder came to visit practice and could not get in. I was one of two coaches selected to assist all of the Olympic vaulters so I got him in for the day and that began a long friendship. In fact, Alan was just in The Woodlands this summer doing a pole vault clinic and signing copies of his bestselling book on pole vaulting, "From Beginner to Bubka". He also coached me at the Quintana Beach Vault. With 60 years in the sport I see and talk to Alan any time I can. He will fly over from Adelaide to Sydney to be my coach for the World Masters Games.

Games We Play
NOTE - What we compete in is generally called "Masters Athletics". We call it "Track & Field" but the rest of the world calls it "Athletics". We compete in five year age groups so I am in the M55-59 since I am 56. Masters officially starts at 40 years old. Athletes younger than that are allowed to compete (not in worlds) but called "Submasters". If you are 50 you enter a division called "Seniors". There are seniors only meets like the National Senior Games/Olympics.

There are a number of championship meets that we attend. Here is the list and their frequency;
1) Each year USA Track & Field hosts an Indoor National Championship in March and an Outdoor National Championship in late July or August. It's the two times we know we get to see our friends from around the country. USA Track & Field is the governing body of our Olympic Team as well and in international competitions, like Australia, we wear USA uniforms issued by them.
2) Every odd year there are World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships. This summer they just completed those games in Lahti, Finland. In 2001 they will be in Sacramento, California. As the name describes, these are only "Athletics" and no other sports.
3) Every even year there are World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships. Next March these will be in Kamloops, Canada. This blog may actually continue to there.
4) Every odd year we have the National Senior Games - 18 sports with over 10,000 athletes. We just finished these at Stanford University. In 2001 they will come to Houston.
5) World Masters Games, which I am training for, are every four years and offer 28 Olympic sports with over 28,000 athletes beginning at age 30. This year we will compete in the stadium where the 2000 Olympics were held. This will be the third Olympic Stadium I have vaulted in as I won twice at meets in Mexico City, jumped in Atlanta, and now will compete in Sydney.

All of these offer you the opportunity to see the absolute best age group athletes in the world. It keeps you hungry yet humble. Most importantly, a reason to work out.

Have a great day! Bubba

Twice the Pain Today

2009-08-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

I?m going to do a double today as I will drive to Austin tomorrow and lose the day. I lifted legs and arms/shoulders at 7 this morning (18 reps) and will do big lifts for chest and back this afternoon ? 6,4,2. I?ll jump again Friday hoping to get on the next biggest pole (1365) from 22? or so. I figure by Thursday of next week I will be back on my regular 13? poles with a little longer run and will get more aggressive.

Right now practice is like a meet. I make my first 2-3 heights and then when I have three misses I stop ? maybe 6-7 jumps. I also only use one pole per day whereas when I?m healthy I may take 15 jumps on 4-5 poles. Hopefully I?m only a couple of weeks from getting back to there. Right now I?m really trying to clean up my technical issues as small poles are more forgiving. So far so good. Bubba

Another Jump Day - No Injuries

2009-08-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

Today was my 2nd attempt to vault at a low level and physically it went much better than last time. I didn't jump any higher but was on a bigger pole from the same 22' run. My leg did not bother me at all so I was able to run a little more aggressively thus making the pole too small to be effective. This is definitely a ray of hope that I will start progressing.

How about Issy nh'ng World's and Jan Johnson's daughter, Chelsea, getting 2nd? Another example of big meet surprises. Gotta hit the road. Bubba

Training Adjustments + Golf and Pole Vaulting

2009-08-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

Hot day I the old garage. I lift my upper day in the garage because I have high parallel bars in the backyard and I also have a workbench to do a different type of stretching routine. In Texas, the temps can easily get over 100 degrees this time of year so you can imagine the garage. I also lift heavier on my upper day doing sets of 8,6,4 on one day and 6,4,2 on the other with my stretches in between.

Training Adjustments
This week my schedule is all over the place because I will be driving out of town to meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. Because of that, and since I?m at pretty low intensity, I will compress my week and take no rest days. These means I will jump every third day until I get back on my Thursday and Sunday jump days. This will happen a week from Thursday. Obviously I?ll change that if I feel at risk of injury. The bad news is that I?ll be in the gym or garage before 7 AM on both Wednesday and Thursday before I hit the road.

Golf and Pole Vaulting
WOW. My last post regarding big meet shake ups came true on the golf course yesterday as the 110th ranked player in the world took down Tiger Woods after Tiger was ahead the whole way. That has never happened in 14 previous attempts. The defending champion, Padraig Harrington, was also tied going into the final round and fell by the wayside with a quadruple bogey. Golf is largely a mental game dependent upon a series of small fundamentals done perfectly with great consistency. So is pole vaulting.

I tell the kids that in this sport you have to have the mental discipline to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and then go find the next uncomfortable. This is harder to do in a big meet unless that?s the way you practice.

Another funny golf to pole vaulting comparison is that both tend to have only a very few really good attempts or jumps over a long session but it?s those rare successes that draws us back out the next time.

Still No Schedule
We were notified by management in Sydney that today we would receive an email with our final competition field listed and our exact time to compete. I?m anxious to see who I know and what time locally we will jump. I?ll keep you posted. Bubba

Embracing the Grind + Fear of Failure

2009-08-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

Embracing the Grind + Fear of Failure

First, I?m happy to report that the healing groin muscle in my right leg did not hurt at all after practice yesterday or today so clearly I?m finally on the road to recovery. That?s a big stress reduced. Jumping is always the test and yesterday I had a 50/50 chance of flaring it. Since it didn?t I?m probably done with this ?ding? even though I will continue to ramp up slowly. BTW ? my little jog in 10? 6? jump from a 21? 6? run yesterday would have gotten 4th in the National Senior Games at Stanford that I just watched as a spectator. My normal opening height is 12? which would have been 2nd.

Embracing the Grind - As I settle back into to training I remember how hard it is to get my butt out there when I don?t feel fresh physically, which is most of the time. I picture myself on the field at big meets and know that every session I get through will be money in the bank on that day. I remember Bo Jackson telling a room full of senior citizens that his perceived level of exertion is no different from theirs and that he had to monitor his daily. Some days the training will feel easy but on most it will not. This is your body rebelling against change. When I feel like crap I drop the weights and make sure I am more deliberate and perfect in everything I do. So my day is labeled wither ?Quality? or ?Intensity?, depending on how I feel. But I do it at all costs. Those work days add up just like missed days do.

That said, today I lifted legs and arms/shoulders for 28 reps. No matter whether it takes two sets of four sets to get to 28 there is one thing for sure ? it?s going to hurt. I take 10 breaths between exercises and five breaths between sets so that things keep moving. I may do an 18,10, or a 12,8,8. Whenever my body fails I stop and take five breaths and take up the count where I left off. I?m currently doing this one day a week per lift day and 18 reps on the shorter rest rotation. I lift four days because whatever you?re trying to do in sports, it?s easier if you?re stronger.

Work/rest ratio is important not to get hurt so I make a lot of adjustments by instinct. Yes I could complete a scheduled component but if it feels wrong I?ll substitute something else or skip it if it might cause an injury. The objective now is to ramp up slowly and complete all of the work. So today was great but it sucked ? in a good way. I lifted 45,835 pounds in about 40 minutes and added 20 more high parallel bar reps. If it's worth doing it's worth recording. Sergey Bubka can tell you what he did on this day when he was 11 years old.

Fear of Failure ? EVERY single pole vaulter fears the ?nh? or ?no height?, which means you did not make your opening height in three attempts. My opening height is almost always high enough to get a medal in big meets but Worlds will be a bigger stage. Strange things happen at big meets in that someone always comes out of the woodwork with a big performance and someone pretty good falls apart. My first national championship in college I was ranked 10th going in and didn?t expect to be in the top five. To everyone?s surprise including me, I won. The next year I won again with only the 6th best mark. Because others had jumped higher I felt no pressure to repeat as I was just happy to have gotten one championship.

Flash forward to 1997 to Boston when I won my first Masters National Championship. That same year I was 3rd at World?s in South Africa. Sounds and felt so easy. Reality check ? this March was the first time I won another National Championship and Sydney will be the first Worlds since South Africa ? that?s a 12 year drought. Guys and gals I?m putting myself out there to you because I can only train my butt off, try to be smart and instinctive to progress yet not get hurt, and then roll the dice on the big day. I?m scared and I like it.

As of July 27, I had the 4th highest jump in the world, only 2? behind #s 2 and 3. That guarantees me absolutely nothing. My best friend and training partner, Don Curry is a 13? vaulter in the M50 group. He was hurt going into Stanford yet tried to jump because a low height would get a medal because of athletes who withdrew, didn?t jump well or didn?t show up. So a guy who jumps 12? every day could not make 9? 6? to get a medal in a huge meet because his body failed him on a day he has trained for all year. Even worse, he won this meet in 2007 and I was 2nd. That scares the hell out of me, just like me not being able to jump at Stanford. This simply cannot happen in Australia even if I have to come in undertrained yet healthy.

As much as I try I will be unable to keep the fear and negativity completely out of my mind, I will simply have to gain mental strength by challenging myself in training with many do or die situations. My past success in big meets comes mainly from ignoring everyone else and making a ?mechanical checklist? of things I?ll need to do well to succeed. I'm first on the runway for warmups so I don't feel rushed and have time to make last minute adjustments if needed. I focus on one technical component per jump and that takes my mind off of the other stuff. I sure hope it works at least one more time on October 13. Dumb as it sounds, I already have butterflies when I put myself on that field mentally. Game on ? the mind either makes you stronger or weaker and I will face that opponent every day between now and then in my training.

Thanks again for all of your kind words and support. It means the world to me, as well as this opportunity to vent. Bubba

First Day Back to Training

2009-08-15T07:46:00.001-07:00

It was a decent first day with no injuries or pain. Of course I?ll have to wait a day or so to see if that is true but at least I left the field that way.

Today - 8 X 100m @ 40-70%, 8 X 50m hills at 50-70%, six vaults from a 21' 6" run, clearing 10' 6" on a tiny pole, 10 X high bar pullovers, & 10 X parallel bar vertical extensions.

Rationale ? this time of year you take things back down to basics to refine technique and build a strength and speed base. For me that?s what I also do for rehab from injuries. My previous best jump on the tiny pole I used today was 10? so the 10' 6" clearance is a Personal Record (PR). My best of the year has been 13' 2 1/2". Still, today shows that the technical improvements are coming along. Think of a scale model - if I can perfect a vault on a smaller scale then I can transfer that efficiency to higher level on bigger poles and longer runs.

Injuries - Words of Wisdom - I got an email from a friend recently who said something so simple and profound, "pole vaulting is about having a good place to jump, feeling good when you jump, and working hard and continuous enough without getting hurt, that you can continue to experience periodic breakthroughs". Along those same lines, my late friend and orthopedic surgeon, Glenn Almquist, MD, told me that training at the elite level is like walking on a balance beam - if you fall off one side you get hurt, and if you fall off the other you're not progressing. The older you get, the more narrow that beam becomes. At dinner after the Drake Relays, 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, Toby Stevenson said, "Yeah, and it's a longer fall and climb back up too!" AMEN!!

There is a difference between an injury and a ?ding?. An injury will keep you out for 6-8 weeks and a ding can range from 3 days to three weeks. Fortunately or unfortunately I have become a master of the ding in that I always seem to be nicked but never out with anything big. I?d love to avoid those dings all together. I believe the answer to that is better conditioning. Here?s the history of my current training and it is updated almost daily http://www.bubbapv.com/Pages/CurrentTraining.htm. Bubba

Preparing for the Fight

2009-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. This web log diary or “blog” is about my impending trip to Sydney, Australia where I will compete in the World Masters Games, along with 28,000 other athletes over the age of 30 in 28 events from over 100 countries. I will be in the Men 55-59 pole vault. I compete on October 13, 2009.

The link to my pole vault site is www.bubbapv.com and the link to the World Masters Games is here http://www.2009worldmasters.com/. There is a neat summary video here http://www.2009worldmasters.com/Sydney-2009-World-Masters-Games-Promotional-Video/default.aspx.

Why a blog? As a 56 year old athlete we train for events like boxers train for fights. I have just over eight weeks left before the event. Frankly I'm hoping this will keep me sane and entertained as the stress mounts and the time gets closer. I've found in the past that letting others in on the behind the scenes stuff did just that.

In 1996 I spent five weeks in Atlanta with the Olympic pole vaulters and then in 1997 I went to the World Masters "Athletics" (what the rest of the world calls Track & Field) in South Africa. Both times I chronicled my journeys and it was fun. Why should this time be any different?

Reality - Let's start with the fact that on July 11, I was slightly injured at our USA Track & Field Outdoor Masters Championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I stopped during the competition to avoid further injury yet still got 3rd and the bronze medal. I thought I would easily be healed by August 8th when I would compete at the National Senior Games in Pal Alto, California, but I was not cautious enough and had to watch the meet as a spectator. Now eight weeks out from Sydney I'm scared to death about every move I will make in training as I cannot afford any further setbacks or miscalculations. This is not an inexpensive trip and my performance must be dead on if there will be any hope to win a medal. Heck, it costs nearly $1,000 just to get my poles there.

Injuries are prevalent at the highest levels in our sport. Managing them is essential to remain at the highest levels. For example, I won the USA Track & Field Masters Indoor Championships in March at Landover, Maryland, even though I was injured on my 2nd vault of the meet and had to stop. So in this short segment you see I have had injury issues at all three of my big meets this year. Not great for the ole confidence.

Tomorrow will be my first training session following my forced vacation as a spectator at the National Senior Games. I’ve got that sting reminding me not to be stupid. I plan to report my progress (or lack of), rationale and even my frustrations as I prepare for the biggest competition of my life. Thanks in advance for your support and coming along for the ride. Bubba