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http://www.ktiv.com/story/19116155/mile ... -towards-a


Derek Miles hopes to vault toward an Olympic medal


Posted: Jul 25, 2012 8:38 PM PDT
By Daniel Corey - email


Norfolk native ready to pole vault to gold in London Olympics

VERMILLION, S.D. (KTIV) -
As the Olympics inch closer, a Siouxland coach will represent the United States in London. And, this coach hopes to vault his way to a medal.

He's been close before.

Derek Miles has had his fair share of heartbreak in the pole vault in the Olympics.Finishing seventh in the 2004 Athens games and just missing bronze in 2008, the University of South Dakota assistant track coach and former Coyote star, is taking a different approach this time around.

Derek Miles, said, "Let's just take the whole thing in and see what you have and do the best you can."

The change of heart from the veteran was brought on by a nagging Achilles injury.

"It's been an interesting year, in terms of training, my base is all there, I've been training hard all year it's just been the last, probably two months I've has a little bit of this nagging, Achilles problem and then it gradually got worse, so we're at a spot two weeks before the trials, I couldn't even run down the runway."

Miles has been resting it, going 10 straight days of constant therapy.

"From that perspective, it's feeling a little bit better, but on the other end, I haven't been able to train like I'd like too."

Training, that he hopes to do in Arkansas before he "vaults" across the Atlantic to London.

"Really try and fine-tune whatever there's technically that I need to work on so that hopefully everything can kinda come together," he said.

Even with this hiccup for Miles, he's hoping that the injury plays in his favor, taking some of the pressure off of him.

"The times where I've gone in overstressing or putting more expectations on myself to medal, I've found I've done way worse."

And with what could be his last chance at an Olympic medal, the soon to-be 40 year old is giving it everything he's got.

Miles claims, "I guarantee we're going to go 100 percent down the runway until I can't go 100 percent or it tears or whatever it's going to do. So, you know, I understand that even though you have long career, the last meet, is typically the one you remember the most, so I'm going to bank on that. I know for sure when I walk away from that meet it will be everything I got."

Miles will compete in the qualifying round August 8th. The pole vault finals are August 10th.

http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/olym ... 90deb.html


Two Siouxlanders head to their third Olympics

July 26, 2012 11:00 pm • TERRY HERSOM thersom@siouxcityjournal.com

Don’t look for either man to march into Olympic Stadium tonight in London for the tape-delayed opening ceremonies that actually get under way at 3 p.m. CDT.

Pageantry, of course, isn’t the focus for two longtime Siouxland newsmakers, both headed to their third consecutive Olympics.

Pole vaulter Derek Miles, the former University of South Dakota standout who is now a coach at his alma mater, won’t be heading across the “big pond’’ until next Thursday.

Miles is busy in Jonesboro, Ark., making final preparations with his technique coach, Earl Bell, one of just two other Americans to pole vault in three Olympics.


For both Miles and Kruger, still world-class athletes at the ages of 39 and 33, respectively, this very well could be the last appearance on track and field’s biggest stage. And, it could also be the last opportunity for either of them to punctuate their impressive careers with Olympic medals.

Derek Miles

POLE VAULTER

THIRD TIME: The native of Fair Oaks, Calif., has been to Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) since losing out to close friend Chad Harting in a jump-off for the third spot on the U.S. team in 2000. Still, the trip to London makes him just the third American pole vaulter ever to make it to three Olympics.

AREA TIES: After failing to qualify for the California state meet out of Bella Vista High School, Miles blossomed into a four-time NCAA Division II All-American at the University of South Dakota, where he now coaches the men’s and women’s pole vaulters. This will be his final Olympics.

CAREER BESTS: Miles has twice cleared 19 feet, 2½ inches, most recently at an outdoor meet in Berlin in 2008. He finished seventh in the ’04 Olympics and was fourth in ’08. The world outdoor champ in 2008, when he was also the U.S. Olympic Trials winner, he was the 2011 U.S. outdoor champ.

TICKET TO RIDE: Because he had surpassed the Olympic ‘A’ standard of 18-9 during the qualifying period dating back to May 1, 2011, Miles made the three-member American entry as the fourth-place finisher at the U.S. Trials since third-place Scott Roth had not met the standard. Both men cleared 18 feet, 4½ inches.

STORYLINE: After committing the last four years to another Olympic bid, even though he’ll turn 40 on Sept. 28, Miles surprised even himself by making it after battling a persistent Achilles injury in his right (non-takeoff) foot. He has scaled back his workouts to keep the injury from becoming too inflamed.

WHAT HE SAYS: “I still feel like there’s one good day left in my body and that’s what kind of fuels me. I feel like if I can put it together on the right day, I can jump up near or even past my P.R. If I didn’t feel like I had that left, then I don’t know if I’d be making this trip.’’

THE SCHEDULE: The men’s pole vault prelims are 4 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Aug. 8. Finals are 1 p.m. CDT on Friday, Aug. 10.

http://www.ktiv.com/story/19077593/usds ... n-olympics


USD's Miles ready for London Olympics


Posted: Jul 20, 2012 3:49 PM PDT
By Brad Pautsch, Sports Director - bio | email

Derek Miles works out at the DakotaDome as he prepares for the London Olympics.

VERMILLION, SD (KTIV) -- -
The opening ceremonies for the London Olympics are July 27th, and for the third time Derek Miles will be competing for the U.S. in the pole vault. The former University of South Dakota athlete and current assistant coach has come close to winning a medal in the past two Olympic games but is hoping the third time is the charm.

Miles, who will turn 40 in September, was seventh in the '04 games, and just missed a bronze in '08, finishing fourth. He's been ranked in the top ten in the U.S. for the past ten years, and in four of those years, he was the number-1 American.

The pole vault finals are still three weeks away in London, but Miles says he's ready to compete.

"I guarantee we're going to go 100 percent down the runway until I can't go 100 percent or it tears or whatever it's going to do," said Miles. "I understand that even though you have long career, the last meet is typically the one you remember the most so I'm going to bank on that. I know for sure when I walk away from that meet it will be everything I got."

The qualifying round for the pole vault is August 8th. The finals are on Friday, August 10th.

Norfolk, Nebraska, native Jeremy Scott is also a member of the U.S. pole vault team.

http://www.yankton.net/articles/2012/07 ... 409373.txt


Local Pole Vaulter Ready For His Final Olympic Appearance


Derek Miles approaches the bar during a jump at the January 2008 Derek Miles & Friends pole vault exhibition at the DakotaDome in Vermillion. (P&D File Photo)
BY JEREMY HOECK
jeremy.hoeck@yankton.net
Published: Saturday, July 28, 2012 6:16 PM CDT
VERMILLION — “You make one bar, you go to the next.”

Derek Miles calls that the pole vaulter’s mindset. You always want to push forward; to accomplish one goal and focus on the next one.

For the 39-year-old University of South Dakota graduate and current assistant track coach, however, his third appearance at the Olympic Games — where he has twice finished in the top eight in his event — will be his last.

Though Miles finished outside the qualifying mark at last month’s trials in Eugene, Ore., he previously met the London Olympics standard back in 2011. As he heads to England next Thursday, Miles is not only battling an Achilles injury but the fact that this is his last competition.

“It’s a little surreal in terms of calling it quits,” he said during a media session in Vermillion a week ago. “It’s exciting to be able to do the things I’m doing here coaching-wise. That fills that void a little bit.”

That void is about to be filled with the preeminent athletic event in the world — a stage Miles knows all about.

The Sacramento, Calif. native and current resident of Tea finished seventh in the pole vault at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and was fourth at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. Miles owns a personal best jump of 19-feet-2.5, but says he has been most focused on recovering from his injury.

“I can do some things without much pain, but then a couple of things definitely show in terms of how bad it is,” he said. Normally, the most intense pain comes in acceleration patterns or in dead springs. “I try not to test it too much, because the more you do that, the more you put in that inflammation.”

Still, even getting to the Olympics at age 39 — injury or not — is an accomplishment in itself, his coach, Lucky Huber said. Huber has been with Miles every step of the way, from an incoming college freshman, to a four-time Division II All-American, to his 1996 USD graduation, and now a three-time Olympian.

“You think back to when he first came to town, we went down and had cheesy fries and a Mountain Dew, and sat down to plan out where he wanted his career to go,” Huber said. “Track and field athletes can kind of fall off the edge pretty fast, but the university has done a good job supporting him.

“Hopefully things go well in London, but if not, you look back and think, ‘Wow, what a great career.’”

For Miles, there’s not a debate on ‘will this be the last meet?’ Yes, this is his final shot at the Olympic games. Where as many professional athletes continuing playing long past their prime, Miles will in fact get to determine his finale.

“That’s really the neat thing about this,” he said. “When I was in Beijing, my friend (and fellow vaulter) Jeff Hartwig was 40, and I just remember us talking and being envious that he gets to decide how he wants to go out.

“I’m fortunate to have that be the case.”

As he has progressed in his career, certain things have had to change, especially recently with the Achilles injury. Gone are the days when youthful energy translated into big jumps.

“The biggest thing that I’m noticing is just that the speed and the power isn’t there like it used to be,” Miles said. “What it’s done is forced me to be a better technician.

“I’ve been learning how to get more out of a jump and out of a take-off, and get every ounce of energy out of the pole has been a necessity.”

Consistently one of the best American vaulters in the world, Miles has earned two USA Outdoor titles (2008 and 2011), an indoor title (2003) and a World Athletics Final title (2008). Referencing his earlier remarks about the “pole vaulter’s mindset,” Miles was clear that his goals have never wavered.

“I always want to feel like I’m in the top 10 in the world, and every world championship team or Olympic team I’ve been a part of, I’ve at least been in the finals or in the mix,” he said. “When I can’t feel like that, that’ll be when my cue is.”

When it comes to the 2012 Olympics, Miles will likely need a personal best to even reach the medal stand.

“I know I’ll have to jump as high as I’ve ever jumped, to get a medal. That’s a given,” he said. “There are just too many kids out there jumping really high.

“You’ll have to jump 19-2 or 19-4 to even be thinking about medals. I’ve got 19-4 before, so I feel like I’m capable.”

The qualifying round is Aug. 8 at Olympic Stadium, with the finals set for Aug. 10.

Renaud Lavillenie, a 25-year-old from France, enters with the top mark of 19-7. Bjorn Otto from Germany enters with a mark of 19-4.

Still, there’s a possibility that weather may even the field, Miles said.

“Who knows, you may get there and it’s 60 degrees and rainy,” he said. “That’s the ultimate equalizer. It’s just a matter of who navigates the weather better.”

Joining Miles on the United States vaulting squad are Brad Walker (31) and Jeremy Scott (31), a native of Norfolk, Neb. Miles was that age when he made his first Olympic appearance in 2004, but now, his career has taken him on a whole new path — that of a coach.

Huber said Miles, who coaches the USD men’s and women’s vaulters, will take on added responsibilities when he returns from London. Among those will be the behind-the-scenes logistics and an increased role in recruiting.

“When you can go into a house and sit down with a kid and say, ‘I was on three Olympic teams,’ the kids you’re recruiting, that’s their goal,” Huber said. “The (USD) administration has made a nice commitment to him. We need him on our staff and we’re happy he is.”

As he prepares for his final competition on the biggest stage, Miles is still able to joke about being the “old guy” in the field. Sure, he doesn’t mind the references, because he can remember when he was an 18-year-old freshman vaulter at USD, dreaming about the days when he could be an Olympian.

“It’s more of an envious thing. You see these kids running down the runway, and you can see the youth,” Miles said. “I remember thinking a while back that I’ve been jumping longer then the French kid has been alive. That gives you some perspective of the cycle.

“At some point, your time is up,” he added. “My time isn’t necessarily up yet; a month from now, it will be.”

Really hope he has "that one good day still left" Go USA!