2009 Grand Haven Beach Vault, July 17-18

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.grandhavenbeachvault.com/

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/2 ... 078810.bsp

GH Beach Vault: Touchin' the sky

Sat, Jul 18, 2009 to del.icio.us




The weather surely didn't feel like the summer, but it didn't keep away a strong cast of high school pole vaulters during the opening day of the eighth annual Grand Haven Beach Vault at the Grand Haven City Beach.



Click to enlarge
"It's a really nice event, but I was hoping it'd be warmer," said Sharon Michalak, a vaulter from Welland, Ontario, Canada. "I heard about this from a few of my friends who did it and had a blast, so I thought I'd check it out."

Several vaulters traveled from across the Midwest, including Indianapolis' Nick Blackwell, who just clipped the bar at 12 feet, 3 inches in the 15-16 Division 2 age division.

"Many use this event has a great training tool," said organizer Kevin Patterson, a pole vault coach at Rockford High School and Cornerstone University. "We've seen a lot of high schools bring their teams to this."

The vault will pick it up a notch today, as elite-level pole vaulters, including former University of Wisconsin standout Darren Niedermeyer, will wow spectators. Niedermeyer's personal best is 18-10. Saturday will also feature the women's elite division, where Kaitlin Rains, a Division 2 record-holder, is an early favorite. College-level vaulters will also get their day in the sun — if it decides to show up.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.mlive.com/sports/kalamazoo/i ... _pole.html

Sun, sand and big air: Area pole vaulters hit the beach to fly skyward in growing Beach Vault
by Nicole Watkins | Kalamazoo Gazette
Friday July 17, 2009, 8:28 AM


Nicole Watkins / Kalamazoo Gazette
Mia Atkinson, a Portage Central graduate, launches herself over the bar while practicing for this weekend's Grand Haven Beach Vault.
GRAND HAVEN -- Pole vaulting isn't for everybody.

Just ask Portage Central graduate Dewey Sinclair.

"I was always told pole vaulting is only for the strong and the crazy," said the 18-year-old, who is headed to Grand Valley State to vault. "To be a pole vaulter, you have to be one of the best athletes out on the field. I would always like to prove that to myself -- I always like to test myself, and I just love the feeling of flying through the air. ... It's one of the biggest adrenaline rushes you can ever have."

Sinclair may be right, but the "strong and the crazy" part of the population may also be growing -- with the help of a West Michigan vaulting event that continues to thrive.


Dewey Sinclair
The Grand Haven Beach Vault, now in its eighth year, has become one of the premier off-season competitions for the sport, with nearly 300 competitors registered for the two-day event today and Saturday at Grand Haven's city beach.

Billed as the "world's largest outdoor pole vaulting competition," the Beach Vault gives vaulters of all ages a chance to compete and network with athletes from all over the country. Notable vaulters competing this year include Katelin Rains (three-time NCAA champion from Minnesota), Kylie Hudson (2009 NCAA outdoor champ from Indiana) and Rockford High School's Sarah Birkmeier (2009 MHSAA Division 1 state champ).

"The West Michigan area, it's a hot-bed for pole vaulting," Beach Vault co-organizer and founder Kevin Patterson said. "We get better pole vaulters here in this area than most areas do -- there's a lot of good coaches and programs."


April Monaweck
Patterson, Rockford's pole vaulting coach, started the event with friend and East Kentwood track coach Dave Emeott shortly after the pair had their first "Street Vault" in downtown Rockford nine years ago.

"It was 95 degrees that day, it was super hot, and we thought, 'We really need to move this thing to the beach,'" Patterson said. "We approached the Grand Haven city commission, and they said 'You want to what? Where? Why?'"

After an eventual approval and an inaugural Beach Vault that drew just 75 participants, the event has grown to include a spectator base of more than 5,000.

April Monaweck, a Plainwell alumna who now competes for the Bethel College (Ind.) track team, said the Beach Vault is a chance for others like herself to enjoy themselves while performing a sport that is "the closest thing to flying."

"I love the Beach Vault," Monaweck, in her third year competing, said. "It's probably our favorite meet of the year, even though technically it's not a real meet. It's kind of a fun meet that everyone looks forward to. ... It's not every day that you see people pole vaulting on the beach."

While the competitors don't actually run on the sand -- there are two raised running platforms made of plywood that lead to corresponding landing mats -- the chance to compete on Lake Michigan's shore is something that intrigued Mia Atkinson.

The Portage Central graduate picked up pole vaulting in her final year of high school, and has continued to work on the skill even after graduation.


Mia Atkinson
"It was just cool to find something that I was actually decent at," Atkinson said. "I'm not really good, but I'm OK at it and I picked it up fast enough and it was fun. ... I'm really excited -- I've never really done anything like this before."

What excites Patterson most about the event is the sport's opportunity for growth, especially among the younger generations (kids under the age of 14 are allowed to compete).

"We put this together to give the kids something else to do in a popular spot in the summer," he said. "One of the things with pole vaulting is it takes so long to learn, and I've found, for the kids, they want to come back to do it. A lot of other sports and events it takes a lot of hard work and dedication and we have that, but we also make it fun for them. We make it fun, and we make it a big deal and then they think it's a big deal."

8th Annual Grand Haven Beach Vault
What: World's Largest Outdoor Pole Vaulting Competition.
Who: Nearly 300 men, women and youth of all ages from across the country are registered for the event.
Where: Grand Haven's city beach on South Harbor Drive.
When: Today through Saturday, with 11 divisions running from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission for spectators is free.

Online schedule: www.grandhavenbeachvault.com

[P-VCoach]

Wow...
What a great weekend! Temps were a little chilly, but the fast runway and rippin' tailwind made up for it. Thank you to all the competitors, sponsors, helpers, etc. for making this the most successful event ever!

Full Results at: http://www.grandhavenbeachvault.com

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapid ... ulter.html

Stiff wind helps beach vaulters at Grand Haven
by Jeff Chaney | The Grand Rapids Press
Saturday July 18, 2009, 9:45 PM
Paul L. Newby II | The Grand Rapids PressRockford senior Sarah Birkmeier competes in the Grand Haven Beach Vault on Saturday. Birkmeier cleared 12 feet in the event.

GRAND HAVEN -- It may not have been perfect weather for sun bathers, but almost 300 pole vaulters who converged on Grand Haven City Beach this weekend did not mind.

Cold temperatures and cloudy skies hovered most of Friday and Saturday, but a strong wind that came off Lake Michigan helped assist vaulters who competed during the two days at the eighth annual Grand Haven Beach Vault.

"This is the coldest and windiest one," former Rockford High School and Grand Valley State vaulter Bethany Hecksel said. "But it wasn't bad because of that tailwind. Everyone was faster, and we had a lot of (personal best) jumps."

Hecksel, who has jumped in all eight of the beach vaults, won the Division 1 College Open title with a leap of 11 feet, 6 inches.

"This wasn't bad for pole vaulting," said the 2003 Rockford graduate, who won a state title with the Rams.
Paul L. Newby II | The Grand Rapids PressBryant Wilson competes in the Grand Haven Beach Vault on Saturday.

The weather wasn't bad for 75-year-old Bob Root, who won the Men's 75-79 age group with a jump of 7-6.

"This is my third beach vault, and after the first competition, I had no competitors anymore," said the Niles resident. "So I have to compete against myself, but that's OK because I really enjoy this. I do it for the spirit of competition, and to more or less keep me healthy. I don't want to sit around and grow old."

Event organizer Kevin Patterson said besides the cold weather and cloudy skies, the eighth beach vault has been a success.

"Other than the temperatures, it's been perfect," said Patterson, who coaches pole vault at Rockford. "We have a tailwind of about 10 to 15 miles per hour and the runways are fast. It's just that the temperatures have been chilly."

Asides from the approximately 300 vaulters, several thousand fans watched the juniors and high jumpers take to the runways Friday, and master, college and elite jumpers vault Saturday.

"(Friday) was jamming because 70 percent of our vaulters go then," Patterson said. "I'd say we had about 3,000 people come and go Friday, and 1,500 to 2,000 come and go today. We usually average between 5,000 and 8,000, so it was a good two days."

Here are the results from the weekend's competition:

Friday

GIRLS
• 14 and under -- Katie Callaghan, Whitmore Lake, 9 feet
• 15-16 D1 -- Elizabeth Herron, Indianapolis, 9-6
• 15-16 D2 -- Tori Wesley, Marine City, 11-0
• 17-18 D1 -- Kendra Miller, Plainwell, 9-6
• 17-18 D2 -- Sarah Birkmeier, Rockford, 12-0

BOYS
• 14-under -- Aaron Hughes, Cadillac, 10-9
• 15-16 D1 -- Carl Rayford, Livonia, 12-6
• 15-16 D2 -- Drew Volz, Bloomington Ind., 15-6
• 17-18 D1 -- Harry Shepperson, Avon Ind., 14 feet
• 17-18 D2 -- Tommy Stacey, Carol Stream Ill., 15-6

Saturday

MEN
• 25-29 -- Brian Finney, Canon Ohio, 14-1
• 30-34 -- Michael Lugas, Lorain Ohio, 14-0
• 35-39 -- Brent Dykstra, Wyoming, 13-0
• 40-44 -- Jim Fast, Eaton Rapids, 12-0
• 50-54 -- John Christanson, Stevens Point Wis., 9-6
• 55-59 -- Terry Woodward, Brighton, 10-0
• 65-69 -- Howard Booth, Gregory, 9-6
• 75-79 -- Bob Root, Niles, 7-6

WOMEN
• 25-29 -- Kristyn Buck, Brighton, 11-6

COLLEGE OPEN
• D1 women -- Bethany Hecksel, Rockford, 11-6
• D2 women -- Molly Bartkiewicz, Westlake Ohio, 12-6
• D1 men -- Jeremy Rogers, Hastings, 13-0

ELITE
• Men -- Darren Niedermeyer, Schaumburg Ill., 18-0
• Women -- Kylie Hutson, Terre Haute Ind., 14-3

[UWvaulter]

http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapid ... and_h.html

Above is a video recap of the 2009 Grand Haven Beach Vault, and interviews with the Mens and Womens Elite winners Darren Niedermeyer and Kylie Hutson.

[VTechVaulter]

way to refer to yourself in the 3rd person. HA