Stuczynski will never beat ISINBAYEVA in Europe!!

[vault3rb0y]

I think that a lot of really good vaulters focus on winning, but those who truly stand apart from the rest, like top 10 or 20 in the world, focus on getting things right. Focusing on winning will only take you so far. I think focusing on getting things right is more at the core of how to win than the actual DESIRE to win is.

Heck, you can even see it by talking to some of the high school guys at NON and state meets. The best of the best say "i do my best on that day, and if someone beats me, they deserve to". Of course they want to win, but only if they do it by competing the way they want to. Its that same attitude ive seen in elite vaulters that leaves them dissapointed, even after becoming a national champion. You vault for yourself to become better, not for the sake of being the best. Winning is not the end game. I completely agree with you Altius, even being one of the young vaulters you may be referring to who are missing that principle.

[golfdane]

Certainly, if any athlete has a mindset as portrayed in the first post, do I see a dark future for american athletes competing in Europe. Sadly.

Focusing on negatives never brought up anything good in sports.

Eventually, a fair win is the result of doing things more right than your opponent on any given day. Since you should expect your opponent to be giving his/her best on any given day, should your own primary objective be to execute correctly. Winning will be the almost inevitable result of being better prepared (physically fit) and doing things as correctly as possible.

Tiger's objective is to make every stroke as perfect as can be. Winning comes as the result of his successrate in doing so.

Anyway, I see a lot of great results by male US athletes in Europe.

[VaultNinja]

Anyway........
Back to Isi and Jen. To say that someone can never beat someone else in a particular region is pretty silly, especially in the Vault. Its anybodys meet to win on a given day.
Isi is a badass, Jen is on her way, and I think that the two will put on great shows in the future. And Jen will win some of them (I hope), in Europe.

[golfdane]

I agree with VaultNinja.

If an Jen has confidence in her own abilities under any circumstances, is triumph within grasp on any given day.

Still, it's my humble opinion, that Isi (at the moment) needs to have a bad day to make it happen.

I hope for a more level field. That is, that everybody ups the ante to get at Isi's current level. I feel, that many girls could get at 5m.

[jcoover]

Isi is obviously overconfident and quite cocky as bruce F. showed in his post. In fact her and petrov seem to both be arrogent saying they have no rivals.There are plenty capable of beating her.Stuczinki may be at a disadvantage and hurt but she is american dude,check your loyalty.

I think Isi has gained the right to be "cocky". Setting the WR 13cm higher than anybody else has jumped... that's even better than Bubka!!! And as for Petrov goes.... come on.... if anyone in the pole vaulting WORLD deserves to be arrogant, it's the coach of both WR holders. Nobody has beaten Isi in the last how many years? How is she not right in saying that she is competing against herself?

Also, I don't believe that there should be any "loyalty" in choosing which vaulter you believe has more potential. I believe that Isi will, eventually, jump 5.20. Stu on the other hand, might manage 5.00 sometime, but will never be at the level that Isi has achieved. As an American, I have no problem saying this, just as I have no problem saying that and American will NEVER win worlds or the olympics at a distance race further than the 1500... or at least not in the next ten years. This is not a matter of "loyalty", but rather of realism and common sense.

I hope that I'm wrong... but I don't believe that I will be.

[roger/over]

Yesterday, jcoover wrote,

"Nobody has beaten Isi in the last how many years? How is she not right in saying that she is competing against herself?"

--Not that it matters much, but Isinbayeva lost to Pyrek, both clearing 4.62m, at Stockholm on 25 July 2006. She also lost to Nicki McEwen at Warsaw a month later (30 August 2006), when she no-heighted.

[SlickVT]

Petrov was not her coach when she broke the WR, though.

Sorry Coov, just throwin that out there.

[jcoover]

my point was that she is the WR holder and is coached by Petrov... the fact that he coaches the WR holder is something in its own right, since she chose him even after her 5m success.

plus he will have coached her to the WR soon

[Barto]

...plus he will have coached her to the WR soon

On what are you basing this belief? I'm not saying it can't happen, but I am curious why you think so. She has not looked like she was in 5m shape in a long long time.

[jcoover]

...plus he will have coached her to the WR soon

On what are you basing this belief? I'm not saying it can't happen, but I am curious why you think so. She has not looked like she was in 5m shape in a long long time.

After watching her jump a few weeks ago when she jumped 4.90 (Paris?), I was convinced that she is in 5.00 shape. It seemed as if during that meet she finally got her competing feet back under her. She was finally moving well through poles, with her usual blowthroughs at the lower heights (4.60, 4.70), and finally looking really comfortable with her higher takeoff angle. Based on her jumps in Paris, I think she will jump 5.03-5.05 this year. OF COURSE I could be wrong, but hey that's why predictions are fun!