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i'm sure some readers of this board are familiar with rick suhr, outside rochester, n.y. is he the guru he seems? some say he's a self-promoter, others that he is a good coach with superior athletes (see saxer in the lj) and some say he has channeled the wisdom of the eastern bloc coaches. interested in your takes on him and his program.

When it comes to the history of the pv don't get excited about early bloomers, no knock on Suhr, just look at the stats. PV is a very long sport/event. Everyone wants to be great for a long time........

When it comes to Rick Suhr, critics tend to run high. He seems to be a very intense and competitive coach. Suhr is not liked by everyone but when it comes to giving the most to an athlete he qualifies. Looking at his stats he has to have mastered something. In the last two years he has produced the number 1 and 2 national highschool place winnners. '04 Maskulsinki and O'neil, '05 Saxer and Maskulinski. He placed the top three highschool girls in NY State two years in a row. He coached the NAIA National champion in outdoor '04 (Renee Evans) and with just a years coaching produced the USATF Indoor National Champion, Stuczynski. I wish I had a piece of what he does know about the vault. The guys a mystery, however he is very friendly to talk to. Maybe you should call him and ask him.

fieldguy wrote:i'm sure some readers of this board are familiar with rick suhr, outside rochester, n.y. is he the guru he seems? some say he's a self-promoter, others that he is a good coach with superior athletes (see saxer in the lj) and some say he has channeled the wisdom of the eastern bloc coaches. interested in your takes on him and his program.

Don't know the guy and won't pass judgment. As to the statement of him channeling the "wisdom of the eastern bloc coaches," can't say I've seen that in his girls' jumping. I coach a Russian vaulter who grew up in that system, my head coach is from Russia, and I am in contact with a few Russian coaches and other coaches connected to that system. While I don't consider myself an expert in coaching that system (although I'm trying!), I CAN recognize if it's being implemented properly, and having observed Suhr's athletes at a few meets, I'm not seeing it. Not saying anything negative about his coaching, just saying I don't see the eastern european influence in their technique.

I think surh does a good job with some great athletes. From having talked with him, he is a nice guy doing what he can for the sport. He has transformed his home for the vault. He studies the event. He has some great talent to come his way (after all, not many coaches get a 20ft+ long jumper coming there way, or a 6ft+ tall girl with some speed and decent body control). I like the way he has approached the vault, but do not think his approach is anything new, or cutting edge, or even eastern bloc. His teachings parallel with many other coaches already out there. Learn how to vault from short and focus on technique before going long. A slightly outside take-off is adventageous. If someone didnt know anything about the vault and saw his athletes jump, they wouldnt think they were from the same school of vaulting, with very different jumps.