PoleVaultPower.com

I will be in Eugene doing live updates


This looks to be the list of men competing:

Men's Pole Vault Qual. Mark Seed Mark Entry Declaration
Brad Walker unattached / Nike 5.90 5.90 qualified declared
Derek Miles unattached / Nike 5.85 5.85 qualified declared
Jeremy Scott unattached 5.82 5.82 qualified declared
Jacob Pauli unattached / Nike 5.80 5.80 qualified declared
Jason Colwick Rice University 5.72 5.72 qualified declared
Timothy Mack unattached 5.70 5.70 qualified declared
Mark Hollis unattached 5.65 5.65 qualified declared
Daniel Ryland Bell Athletics 5.64 5.64 qualified declared
Jeff Ryan unattached 5.62 5.62 qualified declared
Brian Mondschein unattached / Pole Vault Power 5.60 5.60 qualified declared
Darren Niedermeyer unattached 5.60 5.60 qualified declared
Scott Roth University of Washington 5.60 5.60 qualified declared
Toby Stevenson unattached 5.60 5.60 qualified declared
Mitch Greeley unattached 5.55 5.55 qualified declared
Jordan Scott University of Kansas 5.55 5.55 qualified declared
Tommy Skipper unattached / Nike 5.55 5.55 qualified declared
Rory Quiller unattached / Asics 5.52 5.52 qualified declared
Nick Frawley unattached 5.51 5.51 qualified declared
Paul Gensic U.S. Air Force 5.50 5.50 qualified declared
Graeme Hoste unattached 5.50 5.50 qualified declared
Paul Litchfield unattached 5.50 5.50 qualified declared
Bryant Wilson Grand Valley State University 5.50 5.50 qualified declared


Walker gets an automatic bid to Worlds because he is the defending World Champ. He can NH and still go. My guess is that he is not 100% healthy yet, and since he doesn't need to do anything besides show up to make the team, I wouldn't be surprised if he takes it pretty easy. Why risk injury (or making an existing injury worse) when you don't need to?

The top 3 finishers who are not named Brad Walker will be selected for the World Team, provided they have jumped at least 5.70 between Jan 1, 2008 and now.

This has to be the first year in awhile that there seems to be a chance on a non-A standard athlete cracking into top 3. The marks above are from Olympic Trials last year to now, so there may be some athletes on the list who have an A standard from earlier in 2008 but have not jumped it since.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/loca ... 67446.html

CDT Rice's Colwick has nerves in check this time around

At last year's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, San Marcos native Jason Colwick was intimidated by the record-holders and medalists in his midst. This year, he enters with the fifth-best qualifying mark in the field.
USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
When: Thursday through Saturday
Where: Eugene, Ore.
Jason Colwick

College: Rice
Class: Junior
Event: Pole vault
Age: 21
Size: 6 feet, 160 pounds
Rundown: Won the NCAA indoor title and outdoor championships this season. ... Cleared a personal-record 18-9 1/4 in April at the Texas Relays in Austin. ... Finished 14th overall and bowed out of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials after clearing 17-8 1/2 in the preliminaries. ... Has enjoyed a huge step up from his personal best of 16-6 in high school at San Marcos. ... Finished first as a senior and third as a junior in the state meet.
Source: Express-News research

By Jerry Briggs - Express-News
San Marcos native Jason Colwick will feel much more at ease in Oregon this week than he did this time last year.

Somehow, competing against the best pole vaulters in the nation in Eugene won't seem nearly as daunting as it was before.

If you get right down to it, Colwick actually will take some swagger into the event Saturday at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

It's a 180-degree transformation in mindset from last year, when he showed up in “Track Town USA” and got paved and graded, bowing out in the preliminaries of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

“It wasn't too bad,” Colwick said, recalling his 14th-place performance. “I was young. It was kind of a kid-in-the-candy-store type situation, where I went in there and saw an Olympic gold medalist, world championship guys, American record-holders.

“Guys had (personal records) a foot-and-a-half higher than mine, and I didn't think I had a legitimate shot at making it.”

As a result, he cleared only 17 feet, 81/2 inches. This year, Colwick's technique has been so sweet that the junior at Rice has won both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships and has registered a personal-record vault of 18-91/4.

He has the fifth-best qualifying mark in the field at the U.S. championship.

Perhaps just as important as his high altitude is his consistency. He just isn't missing.

After no-heighting in a few meets this season because of his aggressive approach, Colwick lately has become almost automatic.

He won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles by clearing three heights without knocking down the bar once.

Two weeks ago in Arkansas, he leaped 18 feet, 18-4, then 18-81/4 to win the championship.

“Things are going exactly as we had planned this year,” Colwick said.

The growing consistency gives Rice pole vault coach David Butler hope that the 21-year-old Colwick could finish in the top three in Eugene, which would guarantee his spot on the U.S. team for the IAAF World Championships.

Because of his age, experience and size (6 feet, 160 pounds), Colwick will not be considered one of the favorites. But Butler said it might be a mistake to underestimate him.

“They'll say, ‘He's the guy from Rice, and he jumps kind of strange, and he's young,'” Butler said. “There's not much respect given to the rookie all across sports. But he's got some experience now from last year. So, I like his chances.”

Colwick could make the U.S. team even if he finishes fourth, Butler said.

Because Brad Walker is the defending IAAF world champion from 2007, he gets a free pass to Berlin in August if he just shows up in Eugene and makes an effort.

That could open up an additional spot for a fourth pole vaulter on the team if the other three athletes have the “A” standard, Butler said. Colwick has hit the “A” standard three times.

Colwick, the UIL state pole-vault champion at San Marcos in 2006, said it would mean a lot to make the team as a college student.

“It would mean everything,” Colwick said. “Especially being in college and to be able to represent the USA, it would be fantastic.”

I think this could be the first time in a long time that having an A standard is a potential issue for the US Men's Pole Vault.

Here are the athletes with an A:

Brad Walker unattached / Nike 5.90 - Automatic bid to World's, so 3 more spots open

Derek Miles unattached / Nike 5.85 - Should easily make the team

Jeremy Scott unattached 5.82 - 5.82 from his indoor training facility. Only has an outdoor lifetime best of 5.65.

Jacob Pauli unattached / Nike 5.80 - has 6 NHs, a 5.30 and a 5.50 this year, seems like a long shot to make the team.

Jason Colwick Rice University 5.72 - has been on fire this year and has a very real chance at making the team, but NHs at his school's conference meets show a touch of inconsistency.

Timothy Mack unattached 5.70 - Just jumped 5.70 at San Diego State, but before that was consistently in the 5.40 zone all year. In the past 2 years, with the exception of Pre last year, he was normally in the 5.40-5.55 range when competing outside of Southern California.

Tommy Skipper - Has a 5.70 from Millrose last year, but has struggled to make bars in meets and has not made a height this year.

Mark Hollis - Has a 5.75 from last spring. He was on fire early in the season last year, but peaked too early and didn't perform when it counted. This year he got off to a slower start, but has been jumping well in Europe with a 5.52 and 5.65 under his belt.

Toby Stevenson - Has a 5.70 from last year's PV Summit, but it's been all downhill since then. Did jump 5.60 in San Diego recently.


I don't think anyone else has an A standard.

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009 ... pionships/

Track and field: Mack back? Olympic pole vault champ in 2004, Westlake’s Tim Mack expecting big things at outdoor championships
Paul Heyse

Tim Mack isn’t the favorite to win the men’s pole vault at Saturday’s U.S.A. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but he’s fine with that. He knows he’s in the hunt because his season is on the upswing.
The 2004 Olympic gold medalist from Westlake is the No. 6 seed. He recently cleared
18-8¼ (5.7 meters) on June 12 to set the San Diego State University Stadium record. That puts Mack right in the thick of things for a chance to earn a spot on the United States’ World team.
Last year, 18-8¼ would have got him second at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., same site as the outdoor nationals. On that day, Mack cleared only 18-0½ and tied for sixth. The third and final qualifying berth to the Beijing Olympics was 18-6½.
“You just can’t lose hope,” Mack said. “I’m doing the training and it’s been feeling good. It’s just a matter of time.”
Mack tied for second with teammate Jeremy Scott at 17-9 at the Prefontaine Classic on June 7 in Eugene. Sweden’s Alhaji Jeng (18-1) was the winner. Four of the seven finalists no-heighted, including 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials winner Derek Miles, who is 13 days younger than the 36-year-old Mack.
“I’m 36 and still able to make the right decisions,” Mack said. “I’m pretty happy. I’m always trying to jump high, even though it’s not happening right now. Hopefully, it’ll come around.”
Last year, Mack vaulted 19-2¾ at Chula Vista for his best performance. He also did well at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic, finishing third with a mark of 18-81/4.
Mack said the tricky winds of the Pacific Northwest will impact his fate in Eugene, just as they did a year ago at the Trials.
“My goal is definitely the top three,” Mack said. “I’m going in with the mind-set that I’ve got to jump 5.80 meters (19-0¼) because it’s World championship year. The goal is to do what I need to do technically.”
Brad Walker (19-41/4), Miles (19-21/4), Scott (19-1), Jacob Pauli (19-01/4) and Jason Colwick (18-91/4) lead the field, followed by Mack (18-8¼).
“Who knows what the weather is going to be like,” Mack said. “Physically, I’m feeling great. Obviously, I wish my runway speed was just a little bit faster, but I think if I made the team I could put the finishing touches on it in the short time we have before the Worlds.”
Mack started the season slow. His best indoor mark was 18-0¼, but he was able to compete in more meets than in recent seasons because his health has been so good.
“Sometimes, it never feels perfect,” Mack said. “You just need to get something out of it (the competition). But sometimes you don’t need a perfect jump to make the team. The weather isn’t always going to allow you to jump high. You just have to deal with what you’ve been given.”
Conditions at Eugene’s Hayward Field are traditionally tough for pole vaulters. Mack doesn’t expect this year to be any different.
“It’s always a little bit challenging there,” said Mack, who has vaulted at Hayward Field nearly 15 times in his career. “The only year that was good was for the 2004 Trials. There was a lot of wind that day, but it was perfect. At end of June, you never know what you’re going to get over there.”
Returning to one of the most hallowed sites in the sport, the U.S. Track and Field Championships take place at Hayward Field, site of the 1972, ’76, ’80 and 2008 Olympic Trials.
“It’s kind of like golf. Some courses you just have to try to get through it,” said Mack, the former Olympic record-holder (19-6 1/4). “With Eugene, you can’t try to overpower it. You can’t overpower Mother Nature. You take whatever it gives you and that’s that. Sometimes you get a perfect day and you can really go for it.”

USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

WHERE: Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore.
TV times: Friday, 8-10 p.m., ESPN (live); Saturday, 7:30-9:30 p.m., ESPN (live/tape); Sunday, 4-6 p.m. Channel 3 (live).
AT STAKE: Spots on the Team USA roster for the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Berlin. The top three finishers per event that achieve the “A” Standard advance to the World.
PRIZE MONEY: First place—$4,000; second place—$3,000; third place—$2,000; fourth place—$1,000; fifth place—$500.
MACK’S SCHEDULE: Men’s pole vault—Saturday, 2:55 p.m.

go Timmy ! Let the dogs out !

Event 25 Men Pole Vault
===============================================================================
Saturday 6/27/2009 - 2:55 PM
Bar Progressions: 5.40/5.55/5.65/5.70/5.75/5.80 + 5 cm
Five alive
World: 6.14m 7/31/1994 Sergey Bubka, UKR
American: 6.04m 6/8/2008 Brad Walker, Nike
Hayward: 6.04m 2008 Brad Walker, USA
Name Year Team Seed Mark
===============================================================================
Flight 1 Finals
1 Mark Hollis unattached 5.65m
2 Brad Walker Nike 5.90m
3 Darren Niedermeyer unattached 5.60m
4 Tommy Skipper Nike 5.55m
5 Paul Litchfield unattached 5.50m
6 Toby Stevenson unattached 5.60m
7 Mitch Greeley unattached 5.55m
8 Jacob Pauli Nike 5.80m
9 Daniel Ryland Bell Athletics 5.64m
10 Graeme Hoste unattached 5.50m
11 Rory Quiller Asics 5.52m
12 Jason Colwick Rice 5.72m
13 Jeff Ryan unattached 5.62m
14 Scott Roth Washington 5.60m
15 Jeremy Scott unattached 5.82m
16 Jordan Scott Kansas 5.55m
17 Bryant Wilson Grand Valley 5.50m
18 Paul Gensic U.S. Air Force 5.50m
19 Nick Frawley unattached 5.51m
20 Timothy Mack unattached 5.70m
21 Derek Miles Nike 5.85m
22 Brian Mondschein unattached 5.60m

We are two hours away from starting!

The men are now checking in for the pole vault. It's pretty warm on the field turf they are warming up on, but it will be nice in the pole vault area. I haven't been there yet but I hear it's still a nice tailwind.

Reports also indicate the officials are at the pit and ready to go!

Anyone got any last minute predictions?

Miles
Colwick
Walker
Scott

My pick...

what everyone else think

1 colwick
2 miles
3 grande