Pole Push off

[rainbowgirl28]

Wow quite the rip.
What Im saying is there’s not a thing you can do about genetics, besides use it as an excuse. So why even consider it. Go get stronger, better technically, and at the end of the day be satisfied in your own improvement.

Excuses come out of jealousy/resentment. And they lead to self depreciation because you aren’t as "good" as someone else. None of which benefit any athlete.

I understand where you are coming from, but there is a certain amount of realism to be gained from understanding your genetics.

I am never going to be a 14' vaulter. I am wayy too slow. It doesn't matter how hard I train. If I did everything perfect, I would get faster, but there is a limit to how fast I would get (and it would never be close enough to jump really high).

I think it is good to have a grasp on reality when setting goals. This is one reason I wish more of the high schoolers on here would long jump and run the 100. It gives you a better idea of what your physical limitations are and helps you set more realistic goals.

[Bubba PV]

I agree Becca. I've also seen some VERY average athletes far exceed their apparent "potential" by sheer devotion and love of our sport.

On the other side of reality, I've got a whole group of kids who vault at The Woodlands High School (Texas) that will never be good enough to jump in an away meet (we have about 30 guys), yet they never miss because they love it. We’ve got 140’ runway and two pits so I'm thrilled to have them out!! We’ve even got a whole series of meets for those who can’t jump elsewhere including grade school kids and masters.

Most on PVP have real goals and real talent, and that’s just fantastic. But it’s also cool to see those who don’t have that much talent that are just as hooked as we are. One kid jumped 13’ 6â€Â

[bvpv07]

He asked me after his last meet if he could come out and jump sometime. I told him I don’t care if he’s 60, just come on out whenever and have some fun.

Our goals should fall someplace between dream and reality, and land a little closer to the dream side.

I love it.

Goals are motivators and they give us direction (or at least focus it). You have to have at least some idea of what you'd love to accomplish. Does it have to be realistic? Yeah, in a sense. I'm not going to say that my goal is to jump 14' this year just because there's probably nothing that I could do to accomplish it. However, to have a goal that is to set a pr that will take a bit of work, that's something that I can work with.

More importantly, I think that if you choose to have a "stretch" goal, you should construct a path of smaller goals that will lead you to it. That way you can mark your progress by accomplishing smaller improvements on the way towards achieving your biggest goal. It keeps you motivated for the long term by showing you what you've done on the short term.

Dream big. Work hard. Vault high. Have FUN.

If you love it enough, you'll have the time of your life regardless of whether or not you break a record.

[jcoover]

becca you might not be a 14 foot vaulter but you still rock my world!!!!!