RIP Alan Launder (altius)

[VTechVaulter]

Board member altius passed away yesterday due to a heart attack. Love him or hate him he loved the pole vault community and worked hard to promote the sport and help young kids develop. His passion for the event will be missed dearly.

[dbarrero]

Rest in peace Alan. A big contributor to pole vault knowledge. Honored to have been adviced by him and forever grateful for his book BTB2

[rainbowgirl28]

We were all so blessed to have Alan make a trip out to the United State this summer, and I was personally so lucky to have him make the trip up to the Tacoma Beach Vault, where he spent the day imparting his wisdom on anyone who was willing to sit and listen for a few minutes.

Alan was a wonderful contributor to this website, and to the pole vault community as a whole. He will be greatly missed. I am thankful that he took the incredible effort of writing From Beginner to Bubka and Isinbayeva Too, and producing several DVDs to further the art of coaching the pole vault.

[rainbowgirl28]

If anyone wants to leave their condolences here, I will print them out in a week or two and send them to Jenny.

[KirkB]

I am so sorry to hear of Alan's passing. I've never met him in person, but I feel like I've lost a good friend. We had many, many interesting discussions and debates on PVP.

As already said by others, he will be missed by all of us on PVP, and by the entire pole-vaulting world!

He was one of a kind, with a keen eye for discovering and developing the best pole-vault training methods and pole-vault techniques available - especially the Petrov Model, which he learnt first hand from Petrov and Bubka.

He articulated these ideas into books, papers, and even right here on PVP (using the handle "Altius").

Although he can no longer clarify or expound on his PV thoughts, his ideas are still readily available for all of us to find in writing. His book "From Beginner to Bubka and Isinbayeva too!" should continue with good sales (available right here on PVP) until sold out. That book is Alan Lauder's legacy!

If you haven't already done so, you can buy a copy here: http://www.polevaultpower.com/store/

Thank you, thank you, thank you Alan, for all of your generous contributions to our sport!

May you rest in peace, knowing that you had a life-long passion for our sport, and you generously gave far more than you received in fulfilling that passion.

You had a good life.

Kirk Bryde

[PVstudent]

It is with deep sorrow that I am reporting the news, just received, that Alan George Launder aka "Altius" has died whilst in England.

My condolences to Jenny, David, Richard and all in Alan's family on their loss.

Altius , through his contributions on the forums of PVP, to the world of pole vault in particular and track and field coaching around the world as well as teacher and coach education, has left us a priceless legacy of having imparted knowledge and learning experiences that touched and changed for the better the lives of countless people in the UK, USA and Australia.

Vale Alan and thank you for reawakening my passion and interest in pole vault coaching over these past three decades.

To Jenny and all of Alan's family my sympathy and fondest wishes are with you at this particular time.

I will miss Alan and his relentless drive and passion to change the world of teaching and for having made such an indelible contribution to us all.

John
PVstudent

[vaultdad]

He'll be missed. The originals that light the path always are.

Condolences to the family,

Vaultdad

[pMightyMousev]

I haven't posted on pvp in quite a number of years (so long that I needed to make a new account) but I wanted to stop by to send along my condolences about Alan to his family and share a story about how wonderful a man he was.

Alan was an inspiration to me as a vaulter. He was happy to engage with an earnest high schooler online about form and training. It was so encouraging to talk to someone about how it was OK (and helpful) to nerd out about the science of the pole vault while most coaches were telling us to 'go upside down better'. I read his book cover to cover several times and it helped me jump safer, better and help coach other vaulters at my school.

When I had the pleasure of meeting the man and learning from him in person at Slippery Rock (in 04' if memory serves me) I found him to be even more passionate and engaging. After I got over my celebrity shock of seeing him offline we talked pole vault shop and I did straight stick work until I couldn't stand. It was one of the greatest memories of my vaulting career.

I'm so grateful for the impact that he had on my life and I'd like to pass along my condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.

Stephen

[master]

I too add my condolences to Jenny and family. My thoughts are with you in this difficult time.

I knew Alan through his pole vault camps here in the United States and then through his posts on PVP and eventually through some email exchanges. He helped this old man become a better vaulter and I am indebted to him for that and for his friendship. His passion for the sport of pole vaulting was second to none and yet he expressed to me that in the larger picture of life, getting over a bar using a long flexible stick wasn't very significant. However having a goal to work toward can be. Alan helped many an athlete work toward their goal of becoming a better pole vaulter.

Thank you and rest in peace Alan.

- John
master

[rainbowgirl28]

(I merged the two threads on this topic)

[AVC Coach]

It's sad to think that Alan won't be sharing his knowledge with us here on PVP anymore. Any time I got to a sticking point with an athlete I could always get sound advice from him. RIP, Alan and thank you for everything! You will be missed!

[Victory Sports]

As critical and overcomplicated as people can be about the pole vault, Alan made it simplistic.
I have the book and the DVD and he will continue to impart wisdom on generations to come.
Thank you for your contributions and your straight forward approach to making the event better.