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"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

- John Wooden -
 
 
2013 Featured Presentations:
Rick and Jenn Suhr What we have learned over the last 8 years - Our Experience.
High School State Champion wrestler, Rick has always been passionate about sport.  Founder of Suhr Athletics, which produced 2 former National High School pole vault record holders, Rick seldom gives presentations, but has committed to the 2013 Pole Vault Summit and we couldn't be more excited!! For the first time, Rick and Jenn will share their journey over the last 8 years, and offer insight into the Suhr experience. This experience includes the passage from a beginning vaulter to winning Beijing Olympic Silver in 2008 to earning Olympic Gold in London 2012. It was a path of success, failures, hardships and triumphs!

Coaches Group:
In 2012 we re-structured the summit presentation sessions to create a more intimate setting with greater access.  The new conversational style Breakout Sessions for coaches is designed to give you the opportunity to seek the tools you need to meet any coaching challenge. Whether it be coaching a beginner, Pole Vault technique at advanced levels, training theory, college recruiting process, athlete management, dealing with the administrative parts of coaching, or something else; the breakout sessions provide a forum for you to engage in the discussion. We are thrilled to offer a diverse group of speakers with over 125 combined years of coaching experience.
  • John Kessel - How a true coach is a teacher.
    We are excited to reach outside Track and Field and introduce the USA Volleyball Director for Sport Development. Highly valued and sought out speaker, John Kessel excels in the field of coaching development. It may seem like an odd fit but his insight on coaching and teaching athletes stretches into valuable tools for all coaches regardless of specialty. He has served as a clinician for the Presidents Council for Fitness and Sport and authored the Coaches Encyclopedia and Thoughts and Quotes for Coaches. He paints a broad picture with the goal to help you become more efficient, more positive and more creative - his presentation will leave you entertained as well as inspired.
  • Robert Tilley - The Pole Vault Coach at Basic High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robert has over 20 years coaching experience in Southern Nevada and has shined as one of the top coaches in the state. In his experience he has coached a State Record Holder, 4 State Champions, 4 Runner-Ups, 17 top 4 finishers, 58 state qualifiers. In 2003 he was awarded the National Pole Vault Summit High School Coach of the Year. He also created and runs Pure Sky Athletics to continue to work with other area coaches and promote and develop the pole vault in his area.
  • Tim St Lawrence - Tim has coached for 38 years including 34 years as Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at Warwick Valley High School in Warwick, New York. This experience brings excellent perspective to our discussion. Upon retiring from his head coaching duties Tim is now Co-founder and Director of Hudson Valley Flying Circus Pole Vault Academy which has produced some of New York States best pole vaulters. Last year, Tim was awarded the National Pole Summit High School Coach of the year.
  • Jeff Guy - Founder and director of the Ultimate High vault club in the Phoenix, AZ area as well as the pole vault coach at Desert Vista High. Jeff has coached Pole Vault for over 20 years and he has developed some of the best Arizona high school vaulters. He has coached multiple state champions and develops girls to reach 12’ plus and boys to reach 15’ plus on a year to year basis. Jeff was the 2001 National Pole Vault Summit High School Coach of the year.
  • Tom Martin - Physical Education Co-Department Chairman and Teacher. Tom has coached the Pole Vault at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, California for the last 21+ years. Tom recruits 30 to 40 athletes each year to pole vault including last year with remarkable commitment to continue coaching and teaching while battling cancer. He has produced a number of California High School State Champions - including Tracy O'Hara (a former National High School Record Holder and NCAA Champion). Link

Open / College / Masters Open Athlete Forum: 

It will be worth your while!  Bringing a stronger focus to this group we are expanding on the Athlete Panel Discussion to widen your opportunity for interaction with top vaulters who have achieved the highest level of competition. Shoot the breeze with Olympic and World Champions, American or World Record Holders; get tips on training, nutrition, mental preparation - learn their stories. This session has been created for you to learn from the experience of the best in the World.Led by Olympic Champion Tim Mack, this focus group will bring in top level athletes topics that matter specifically to you.    Link



Summit Coaching Staff for Learn by doing sessions:
The success of the National Pole Vault Summit has been driven by the hands on learning and activity sessions lead by the best pole vault staff in the world.  Dedicated to safe vaulting principles, and developmental skills in an encoraging and positive environment the pole vault summit staff is commited to advancing a responsible Pole Vault culture.  Below is a short bio of many memebers.

Todd Lehman: In charge of our teaching sessions at the summit. Coach at Paradise Valley Junior College, coached both men’s and women’s record holders for junior colleges and numerous national champions. Co-director of the Sky Athletics clubs and camps.

Pat Licari:
Asst: Coach at the University of Washington, coach of multiple NCAA champions including Scott Roth and American record holder Brad Walker.

Tom Hays:
Asst Coach at Kansas, currently coaching Jordan Scott and former coach of top rated NCAA vaulters including former champion Andrea Dutoit.

Jim Bemiller:
Former coach at the Univ of Tennessee who guided Tim Mack to the 2004 Olympic Gold and Lawrence Johnson to the 2000 Olympic silver. Arguably the most successful coach on U.S. collegiate history.

Cranston Hysong:
Long time high school coach in Arizona, developed six 16’ vaullters including his son Nick who jumped 17’4” in high school and went on to win Olympic Gold in 2000.

Pat Manson:
One of the most successful vaulters in U.S. history with an amazing streak of 20 years jumping over 18’ which started while in high school. Currently runs camps and clinics in Colorado.

Peter McGinnis:
Well known as our leading bio-mechanics expert for the vault but also a long time coach at Cortland State University in New York.

Richie Mercado:
Works hard to promote coaching techniques throughout the U.S. and other countries in the western hemisphere. An active coach in southern Texas.

Brooks Morris:
One of our most enthusiastic and active young coaches. Works with all ability levels of vaulters in the Los Angeles metro area. Son of 1960 Olympic silver medal winner Ron Morris.

Dave Nielsen:
Head coach at Idaho State University. Consistently one of the top vault programs in the U.S. for over 20 years. Dave is well known for developing and guiding Stacy Dragila to the 2000 Olympic Gold.
Scott Steffan: Asst: coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy. In his years at Air force and at New Mexico Scottie has developed multiple 18’ male vaulters. His enthusiasm and energy are well known by his athletes and his peers.

Robert Tilly:
Runs the highly successful Pure Sky vaulting club in the Las Vegas area. He works tirelessly to keep the vault alive and well in Nevada.

Mark Vanderville:
Former coach at the Univ of Oregon and currently working with high school athletes in the Eugene area. His pupils have included Tommy Skipper as a 19’ vaulter at the Uof O and J.J. Julifs as a 17’ plus high school vaulter.

Rick Bagget: A long time club and college coach in Oregon. Has been one of the leaders in making Oregon a great vaulting area for many years. Known for his dedication and commitment to his athletes.

Roy Willits/Jen Crossiant: Currently serve as directors of the Intermediate group at the summit. Founders and co-directors of the Pole Pilots vault club in Tucson, AZ. Roy and Jen work out of their back yard promoting and developing local high school and masters level vaulters. Their athletes have gone on to great success at the collegiate level.

Mark Brown: Our director for the beginners program at the Reno Summit. Mark is a former national class gymnast who fell in love with the vault. His ability to work with young people is amazing and along with his staff help introduce our beginners to event. He is a valued member of the Sky Athletics coaching staff for their winter and summer camps.

David Butler: Long time vault coach at Rice University and one of our leading historians of the event. David has traveled around the world gathering knowledge and developing contacts. His pupils include NCAA champion Jason Colwick.

Kate Carlson: Currently serves as the vault coach at USC and works with many post collegiate athletes in the LA area as well. Originally from Texas, Kate is a true student of the event and is one of our most outstanding young coaches.

Anthony Curran: Long time and highly successful coach at UCLA and a former world class vaulter. Anthony is one of the truly “good guys” in our sport and attracts many of the top athletes to his program with his knowledge and enthusiasim.

Greg Duplantis:
The former world class vaulter from LSU has become a passionate coach in the Baton Rouge area. His love of the event has drawn his whole family into the event and it is a pleasure to see the success they all share.

Jeff Guy: Founder and director of the Ultimate High vault club in the Phoenix, AZ area as well as the vault coach at Desert Vista High. He has developed multiple 12’ plus girls and 15’ plus boys on a year to year basis. Selected as our National High School coach of the year a few years back.

Reg Hulbert: Reg has served as a volunteer coach in the Spokane area for years, working around his real job as an airline pilot. Reg has guided many successful 16’ plus high school vaulters and introduced American record holder Brad Walker to the event.

John Hoogasian: A long time advocate and coach in the New England area. John has a passion for the event and continues to encourage and educate young people about the joys of vaulting.

Jenni Ashcroft: Currently serves as the vault coach at Cal Poly SLO and the former coach at the Univ of Oregon where among others she guided Melissa Gergel to All-American status.

Scott Huffman:
Scott is a former American record holder who was best known for his unique clearance style dubbed the "Huffman Roll" as he looked more like a high jumper than a vaulter. Scott has recently returned to a more active role in the vault and his energy and enthusiasm are a great addition to the summit staff.

Darrin Bryant:
A long time club and high school coach and official in the Kansas City area. Darrin has spent years working alongside some of the top coaches in the country as he developed his own positive and successful coaching style.

Matt Hull:
Currently coaching at the high school level in New Mexico where he has developed numerous State champions for both boys and girls. Has coached for Sky Athletics for a number of years and grew up learning from some of the top coaches and vaulters in the world.

Nick Paramo:
A top young high school coach from the central valley of California. Nick has worked at the summit for years and always gets great reviews from his co-workers. Nicks high school athletes have had excellent success in California state meet competition the last few years.

Aric Juarez:
Aric is a long time summit coach and currently works in the community college system in Southern California. He has a calm and professional approach to his coaching style and an excellent teacher.

Rob Wahl:
Rob has been a fixture at the summit for the past decade plus. He works in the vault in many areas in the Pennsylvania area and is one of the top advocates for education and safety in the event.

Dan Wilkerson: Dan is a relative newcomer to the summit staff. He coaches in the South Bend area with collegiate athletes and has been guiding Mary Saxer to some world class performances the last few years.  Link


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