USATF Men - Hollis wins! Hollis, Miles 5.60, Colwick 5.50

[rainbowgirl28]

USATF Quotes:


Mark Hollis - Men's Pole Vault Winner

On winning on a day when everyone struggled:

"Man, it was the best day I've ever had a Drake Stadium and I don't know what happened. I mean, warm-ups went great for everybody and it seemed like it was going to take 5.80 to win it. The competition started and I don't know if it was just the heat or what. Everybody's run was just getting messed up. But it was a great competition and I never thought that 5.60 would be the win, but I'm not going to complain about it."

On his winning mark, which he hit on his first attempt:

"I knew that that was going to be key if I could come back and hit that and put the pressure on those guys."

On how he feels to win, in spite of how everyone struggled:

"I feel great. Of course, I came here wanted to win - and I won. So I mean, I can't ask for anything more."

[dj]

hye

congrats Mark... NAIA rules...

Everybody's run was just getting messed up.

this statement seems to continue to come up!!!!

there is a way to fix this... What were the run lengths of the top vaulters?? anyone at 20?? 18?? anyone NOT stretching.. any of the top vaulters inside of 55 feet at the 6 step "MID". or even 41 at a 4 step check!!!!!!!! which i am totally against.. when the run was "off" how many times was it because of being OUT at the "MID", or did no one care to check!!! as usual.

but again congrats Mark.. you may not have gone in as the favorite but you out "battled" all of them.. much the way i pulled off the Indoor NAIA Long Jump Championship..



dj

[rainbowgirl28]

DJ they had a smoking tailwind, I am going to guess they were under on their mid as often as they were out.

[patybobady]

I'm in DC at a local watering hole awaiting USA vs Ghana and at 1pm eastern time Espn which had been doing pre-game since 11am, switched over to cover the meet at drake. Everyone is about to riot... It's one of the happiest moments of my life...Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of a vault pit and all would be good in the world.

[CowtownPV]

When was the last time 5.35 was 4th at USAs?

Sometime in the late 90s there was one where all but 2 or 3 guys NH'd since they were jumping in a 20MPH headwind and the officials wouldn't flip the pit.

If it is the meet I'm thinking of at New Orleans they warmed up with a great tailwind, and then during the national athem the flag went limp for about 5 seconds and them started going crazy the othe way. All the vaulters were lined up on the runway looking at the flag and you just see their hearts drop. I think they went all the way through the rotation at the first bar without a make.

[dj]

hey

DJ they had a smoking tailwind, I am going to guess they were under on their mid as often as they were out.

sorry Becca but i have found that 99.9% of the time the opposite is true... with a tail wind most athletes will automatically move their start out as much as 2 feet... every time!!!... and then they will come out a little faster because of adrenalin and meet conditions, shortening each step to the “MID” and be out even more.

But never check the 6 step.. but assume other reasons (poor posture, poor pole carry, wind, the athletes stupidity and “refusal” to listen to the coach!!! ) than an out “mid” is the problem!!!

It’s none of the above… it’s the general populace of vaulters and vault coaches refusing to “monitor” the 6 step “MID” as a tool to being a better vaulter.

Until someone gives the exact numbers I will never accept being “under” as ever being the issue..

What do you do, or everyone for that matter, when your athlete is “under”???

You move them out, whither they are “in” or “out” at the “MID”.. ( 6 step mid.).
what? 90+ percent of the time..

So being under has never been a “run” problem…now or in the past.

I have done the numbers but you guys are still having a hard time accepting it. Like I said someone needs to do the “numbers” other than me, but it seems the more I bring it up the more resistance there is… more “excuses” are given.

Do I need to do some “reverse” physiology and treat everyone like 2 year olds.. and say yes your right.. yes it’s the athlete, yes he/she has to stop stretching!, yes the posture is off, yes he/she was under, yes, yes, yes , yes…

Learn how and why you should use the 6 step for a “reference” point… and how and why we all should run from a longer run and the vault will move to a much higher level. Until that is done we are blowing smoke and making excuses..

dj

[rainbowgirl28]

Mark Hollis Interview

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage ... atf-champs

[KirkB]

When was the last time 5.35 was 4th at USAs?

I don't know about THAT ... but I know that the FIRST time that the top 3 vaulters in a meet EVER cleared 5.50+ was at the 1972 USA Olympic Trials.

Held at Hayward Field in Eugene on July 2, Bob Seagren won with a WR 5.63. Jan Johnson and Steve Smith joined him on the Olympic Team with 5.50 clearances. Dave Roberts was 4th ... at something like 5.40 (I forget the exact height).

While that was in an Olympic year, and this is an "off" year, the results weren't much different ... but in 1972 they used "old technology" poles ... aka "logs".

Kirk

[polevaulter08nw]

Congrats to Mark, thats freaking awesome!

The end result of the meet was a little disappointing

[rainbowgirl28]

Lowest winning height since 1983... but that's nothing, the men's 1500 was the slowest winning time (including mile conversions) since 1955! HJ was the lowest winner since 1981.

[rainbowgirl28]

Nice video of Hollis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aZR64t8ihA

[polevaulter08nw]

why we all should run from a longer run and the vault will move to a much higher level. Until that is done we are blowing smoke and making excuses.. dj

oh ok