Everything you never knew you wanted to know about pole vault

Let me preface this blog by saying I know way more than the average person about pole vault, but way less than the average pole vaulter. These random musings are from my perspective, being married to a pole vaulter rather than actually being one! I want share just some of the things I have learned in my years being married to a pole vaulter.

10. There is alot of spandex! Laundry becomes an interesting chore when your husband wears spandex to work most days of the week. Of course, he doesn't go about town in spandex, so every day there are layers upon layers of clothing. Spandex, t-shirt, shorts, warm-up pants, long sleeve top and jacket--every day. And because I am married to a giant, all of the clothing must be hung to dry so that it doesn't shrink. So please don't be surprised if you ever come over and see spandex hanging all over the house to dry.


9. These are just some of the every day things that seem to be different in my world versus elite athlete world.

I go to the store and buy a bottle of vitamins.

Jeremy gets 6 boxes of vitamins.

I go to the store and might buy a new shirt or outfit.

Jeremy an entire athletic wardrobe several times a year.

8. If you aren't from Jonesboro, Arkansas you may not be able to name a pole vaulter if I asked you to. If you are from Jonesboro, however, you have definitely heard of Earl Bell. Four time Olympian and former bronze medalist (1984), Earl Bell was born and raised in Jonesboro, AR. He attended Arkansas State University. And apparently every single person from Jonesboro knows him, went to school with him, lived close to him, dated him, or was best friends with him. He is a legend not only in the world of pole vault, but most definitely in the world of Jonesboro, AR as well. He is a phenomenal pole vault coach and will hopefully help Jeremy reach his Olympic dreams.

7. The pole vault world is not a huge one. However, what has impressed me the most about this group of people is that they are all so supportive of one another. Pole vault is an individual sport, but they all help one another. I find it amazing to see competitors who are not only training together but helping one another succeed. They aren't competitors, they are friends.

6. Pole vaulters of the professional variety travel-- a lot! Indoor travel usually starts in January and outdoor season can go into October. Jeremy may be gone for a few days at a time or a few weeks at a time, depending on the location. They get to go to wonderful, exotic places, however rarely see anything other than the airports and track stadiums. This job may mean spending two days flying to Taiwan in economy seating to pole vault the next day and turn around and do the whole trip in reverse--and that is assuming the poles didn't get lost or damaged along the way and the meet's not rained out.

5. The long travel season means that for a lot of holidays and events, Jeremy will be gone. I have spent anniversaries, Valentine's Day, and birthdays alone. I have gone to friends' weddings and even gone on vacation sans husband. It might have been hard for Jeremy to miss those special moments with his wife, but I know now it's even harder to miss those moments with his son.

4. Travel for a pole vaulter doesn't just mean sending your wife flowers because you will be gone on Valentine's Day, it means coordinating airplanes, buses, trains and car transportation that can accommodate pole vault poles. With a pole bag holding up to ten poles that are up to 18 feet in length, travel becomes burdensome at best.

3. Schedule? What schedule? One of the most difficult things for me to come to terms with is that a pole vaulter doesn't have a schedule like you and I think of schedule. My friends, God bless every one of them, have tried for years to work out a vacation with all of our families. But a vacation is something you have to plan ahead of time and I don't know week by week, sometimes day by day what Jeremy's schedule might hold. This job isn't a typical job where you get paid time off, or even like other athletes who have schedules for each season/year. This job consists of doing your best every single day to get into the next meet. There is no "time off" because even home time means time training. Injuries, changes to meet schedules, or additional meet offerings mean travel plans change frequently.

2. Pole vault has it's own jargon. Some of the terms I still haven't learned what they mean (such as "mid-step"). Some sound dirty, such as "pole," "pit" and "box." And others sound like much more fun, such as "bar-tender" (the reality is this one is not much fun at all--it's the person in charge of putting the crossbar back up every time it's knocked off). Click here to brush up on your pole vault terminology.

1. And the #1 thing that *might* surprise some people is that pole vaulters vault because they love it. They do it because it's something they are passionate about and work diligently for every single day. So, when you hear "professional athlete" realize that most of their families are more like mine and less like this...