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I was just reading up on my Sergey Bubka, and I learned that Sergey would get to the track WAY before he actually competed so he could check out the wind, the runway area, and every little detail. He also tried to avoid the media because they were distracting, and it was mentally draining for Sergey to talk to the public about his performance. So what do you guys do to prep for the pole vault? What gets you focused?

Well I can't speak for myself as it has been a number of years since I vaulted in competition, but my athletes and I arrive, just like Bubka, at the meet site well before competition starts. Thankfully we don't have to deal with media but once there, I have them run their warm up laps after looking at the pit , getting our lil' camp set up, etc. etc. Once their warm ups are done I normally make sure they are the first ones on the runway. We have our standards and step dialed in when everyone else is struggling to get in line. We can sit back and visualize the vault, and go over any last minute things and once the meet starts, we are ready to go...

Hope that helps, best of luck, vault high

I personally LOVE to talk to the media before all of my meets... even if they don't want me to...

Sometimes I spend the whole day daydreaming about vaulting and a visualize every aspect of the vault... how it should look from a spectator's perspective and how it should look and feel when I'm running down the runway and vaulting.

Well, we're the only school in our area with a decent pole vault pit, so that's where we always jump at for meets. I know it like the back of my hand, and always check the weather the night before.
I get there about an hour before we have to vault, and make sure that my steps are on, and/or a nagging injury isn't bothering me.
After that, I run a lap, and warmup by doing some pole runs.

It depends on the meet. At most outdoor meets this year, i stayed out of the elements as long as possible. I would check it out the night before, so i could have an accurate visual for the night. Watch neovault and get the vault running through your mind before bed. Dont talk a lot once you wake up, just get your food and watch neovault AGAIN. I like stretching a little in the mornings too. If it is hot out, i try to get to the track and waste no time, go warm up and get my jumps. If it is indoor, i get there early and watch the other flights/girls jump. Listen to your ipod and get yourself mental syked to jump, but physically controlled and ready. Then have a banana after warm ups, to keep your electrolyte count high for up to 45 min after you eat it.