Reno Summit after thoughts

[gtc]

Wow! Kenny, I don't even know what to say about your comment. Except you have no idea what your talking about or who your talking about!

[kmonty51]

Take it from someone with 33 years of experience working with high school kids. For many, many reasons, they must be closely monitored when on trips like that. If anything went wrong, or a kid was lost, even for a relatively short time, it could be professional suicide. Becca, even you are wrong on this one. You seem to have excellent judgment in your posts, but you have had a relatively short career with high school kids. I could tell you some amazing stories- some funny, some tragic. Many years ago, one of our teachers was with a group of students on a band trip to Hawaii. A girl was not to be found anywhere. After much frantic searching, she was located in Don Ho's hotel room!! (Honest to God...true story.)

[rainbowgirl28]

Take it from someone with 33 years of experience working with high school kids. For many, many reasons, they must be closely monitored when on trips like that. If anything went wrong, or a kid was lost, even for a relatively short time, it could be professional suicide. Becca, even you are wrong on this one. You seem to have excellent judgment in your posts, but you have had a relatively short career with high school kids. I could tell you some amazing stories- some funny, some tragic. Many years ago, one of our teachers was with a group of students on a band trip to Hawaii. A girl was not to be found anywhere. After much frantic searching, she was located in Don Ho's hotel room!! (Honest to God...true story.)

You are absolutely right that the kids must be monitored at all times, this is why the Summit Staff was checking them in and out and they were transported from the hotel to the arena and back. Every time they got on and off a bus it was supposed to be recorded.

I don't deny that it is a system that could use improvement next year, I think the only issue is who the responsibility falls on.

The number one purpose of the Pole Vault Summit is to be an educational clinic. The competitions are just there to get more people to come and to allow people to show what they have learned.

I think the mindset of the coaches shows which type of event they are viewing it as. At a competition, you have full responsibility for your athletes. At a camp or clinic, you are turning over some of that responsibility to the people running the event.

I hope that next year the Summit can continue to work on the kinks in the transportation system and to better communicate to the athletes ahead of time what to expect. (You might have to stand outside for 5 minutes. This is Reno. It is often below freezing this time of year. Your t-shirts, spandex, and flip-flops aren't going to cut it while you wait for your bus).

[kenny]

Kenny I'm sorry but i diasgree with your post. If you look at Munsoned's location he comes from Missouri. For a coach to bring vaulters half way across the United States and not monitor their locations / actions would be professional suicide. This man cares about vaulters and thier safety. As a parent I would definitely appreciate his concerns for kids. Just my opinion.

Your opinion taken, but I know that the Organizers truly care about each and every athlete and I saw that many precautions were taken to ensure that. One of the probles I see in this sport is the overzealous coaches and parents who think they have to control every aspect of their vaulters technique, thinking, etc. If just making sure they were alright was the coaches concern, that is one thing, but I doubt that was his only concern. I found the national staff working with my athletes to be the upmost professionals. I am sure they are selected because they are SAFE, well respected coaches who know their stuff. My friend was one of the instructors and he said they spent 5 hours the day before going over the learning by doing sessions from everything from transportation, to what was to be taught, to how to teach it. Kudos to Todd Lehman who headed up the learn by doing!

[munsoned]

I have gone to Reno the last 5 years. I usually take between 5 and 11 vaulters each year. I vaulted in college, I now coach and teach at the high school level. I dont think we will be back unless it goes back to the other hotel (Grand Sierra). There were just to many things to worry about. When I was with one vaulter who was competing I was not sure if the others would make it to their session, or catch the shuttle/bus to the live stock arena. It was just a lot more convienent having everything in the same hotel. I also thought the Nugget was just to smokey with a really poor selection of places to eat. It just was not the same experience as last year. THe elite vaulting had no excitement to it whatsoever. People were more concerned with getting a spot on the bus than who actually ended up vaulting well. Also, there were a few world records broken by older vaulters, but we never heard about it. Just was not the same.

Coach if your High School athletes can't take care of themselves, then maybe you shouldn't bring them. I thought this was one of the best ever and I truly enjoyed the setup. Yes, the invite wasn't the same, but I am sure the staff will work on it for the future. If your the type of coach who has to babysit your vaulters, you are in the wrong sport. I personally though the food was 10 times better at the Nugget.

\


Ouch, so much hate. I am going to give you a far nicer response than you gave me. I also had a 6th grader go with us. A nervous, impressionable, young lady and our only real goal with her is to develop a love for the sport, and get her hooked. I could not leave her by herself. I just do not think it was as good as it was last year, however. When things change they usually get a little worse before they get a lot better. As far as coaches insisting on going over to the venue on the bus... I just had no other ride. I work with some of the best coaches in the world, Launder, Attig, Cooper. I try and listen very intently when they speak,and I have done so for the last 7 years. However, I still enjoy listing to other coaches at the summit or really wherever speak. I have been able to go for the last 4 years at the summit, however I also know that one incident will ruin it for all other vaulters, so I guess I get a bit paranoid when it comes to their supervision. I never bother coaches, however I like to know that they get where they are going, we as coaches, teachers, and supervisors can just not be to trusting. There was a girl killed only 2 weeks after the summit. You never know who is walking around the hotel. I just thought it seemed a little more kid friendly at the Grand Sierra. You tore me up on that post, Man, even my wife doesnt rip me like that.

[munsoned]

Kenny I'm sorry but i diasgree with your post. If you look at Munsoned's location he comes from Missouri. For a coach to bring vaulters half way across the United States and not monitor their locations / actions would be professional suicide. This man cares about vaulters and thier safety. As a parent I would definitely appreciate his concerns for kids. Just my opinion.

Your opinion taken, but I know that the Organizers truly care about each and every athlete and I saw that many precautions were taken to ensure that. One of the probles I see in this sport is the overzealous coaches and parents who think they have to control every aspect of their vaulters technique, thinking, etc. If just making sure they were alright was the coaches concern, that is one thing, but I doubt that was his only concern. I found the national staff working with my athletes to be the upmost professionals. I am sure they are selected because they are SAFE, well respected coaches who know their stuff. My friend was one of the instructors and he said they spent 5 hours the day before going over the learning by doing sessions from everything from transportation, to what was to be taught, to how to teach it. Kudos to Todd Lehman who headed up the learn by doing!

I know Todd, I thought they did great. However, they cant monitor kids all the time. They are great coaches, its amazing what he has done at PVCC. I am not an overzealous coach at all. I am not the kindergarten mom who presses her head against the window and wont leave the room. If something happens to those kids it my job that is lost. Not someone elses. I dont want to screw up two paid days off school to watch pole vaulting, its pretty sweet. So if that means I have to double check to make sure they get where they are going its worth it. Kenny, I am going to buy you a BEER in Reno next year in hopes of mending our relationship. Just too much tension

[rainbowgirl28]

I also had a 6th grader go with us. A nervous, impressionable, young lady and our only real goal with her is to develop a love for the sport, and get her hooked. I could not leave her by herself.

Yeah, I think I did mention in one of my previous posts that there were a number of very young athletes who I agree it was appropriate to have a parent or coach holding their hand (figuratively) for the bus rides and such.