Pole Vault City

Sorry this post took so long to get up, but it’s better late than never.  I can’t tell everyone how excited I was to see all the vaulters at the April pole vault camp held at Titusville Astronaut.  I saw some major breakthroughs made by vaulters that came from all over the state of Florida and Georgia. Alright, there was only one from Georgia.

The perrennial powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas from Ft. Lauderdale brought a whole group of people including Hunter Moon, James Boozer, Nico Shepherd, Winston Perry, Mary Curran, Katrina Layman, Sarah Houghtaling, and Kaela Fudali.  Deland High School represented with the big man, Andrew Kustodowicz, Natalie Shortlidge, and Patrick Oliphant.  Titusville Astronaut was represented by Alyssa Bundy, Lucy Walter, and Aaron Cowley.  Merritt Island had vaulters Mike Vani, Sam Adams, and Shelton McLean present.  Flagler Palm Coast showed up for the last day with Kenlee Critcher and Cory Soard.

Individuals represented areas from all over the state.  Amy Bauer came from Cocoa Beach, Alex Kazanski and London Enos came over from Tampa, April Rogers came in from Jacksonville,and alumni Lindsey Bott came by from Naples.

Speaking of Georgians, Boom Nuanual, made the trek down and was able to put on a pretty good show for the Floridians.

Everyone did a great job and I wish everyone luck at their upcoming championship meets.  Alyssa Bundy won her district and Lucy Walters was runner up as these young ladies prepare for their regional meets coming up next week.

A special thanks to April for breaking everyone’s favorite pole, the 10’6″ 110.  In April’s defense, the poleseemed to be spiked due to the way it broke right between her hands instead of near the sailpiece.  So we’ll let April off the hook and try and get a replacement pole in time for the next camp.

Good luck to everyone and thank you for coming to camp.  Hopefully we will see some great results.  Keep me posted on how you are doing.

In an effort to reward schools that send a large contingent of pole vaulters to Pole Vault City vault camps, Pole Vault City will donate a free pole vaulting pole to those schools.  In order to be eligible for the pole, the school must have 5 vaulters attend the same camp.  Pole selection will be made by the Pole Vault City staff based on the vaulter group that is present.  There are several reasons, outside of generosity, for the incentive program.  Coach Haeck and the staff believe that by having a large group of vaulters from the same school, they are showing a commitment to building a successful program. Pole Vault City believes in rewarding that commitment.  High school budgets are shrinking more and more as our nation faces difficult financial times.  Pole Vault City understands that those shrinking budgets should not adversely affect the great sport of pole vaulting.  By attending a Pole Vault City camp, the program will understand the importance of safety and collectively will be able to recollect the information from the camp as opposed to a single individual.  Coaches are encouraged to attend the camps with their athletes.  There is never a charge for a coach accompanying an athlete or athletes, but they do have to cover their lunch expenses.  Pole Vault City is dedicated to promoting the sport of pole vaulting and is very excited about this new, upcoming plan.

The first pole vault camp of 2009 for Pole Vault City will be held in April at Titusville Astronaut High School. The camp will be on Thursday, April 9th and Friday, April 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily. This is a day pole vault camp and vaulters will need to provide their own transportation both to and from the camp site. The cost of the pole vault camp is $300 per vaulter and includes instruction, use of equipment, including poles, camp booklet, t-shirt, and lunch. Vaulters are encouraged to bring sunscreen, athletic attire, and both track and running shoes. To secure a spot in the pole vault camp, please email Coach Haeck at nolevault@gmail.com. If you need additional information, Coach Haeck can be reached at 352.348.5930.

Riley Egan at the 2008 State Meet

Use this link to find directions to Titusville Astronaut High School