Racking up the hardware
Summer competitions often mean an opportunity to finish unfinished business from the regular season. This summer, athletes from Pole Vault City took advantage of the opportunity to travel and compete without pressure. The first meet of the summer took us to Orlando for the Golden South Classic Invitational. On the boys side, Josh McDaniel finished 4th, Shelton McLean finished 5th, and Marcus Blessing finished 9th. On the girls side, Emily Gale led the way with a runner up finish, Amanda Gale finished 7th, Stephanie Cook finished 8th, and Jenna Meyers-Sinett finished 13th. Our next stop was Greensboro, North Carolina where 5 athletes, the Gale sisters, McDaniel, McLean, and Blessing competed in the New Balance Outdoor National Championships. Our athletes performed well with many of them coming very close to their personal bests. Although we were shut out of the medals in Greensboro, our athletes rejoiced by partaking in overnight stay in Maggie Valley followed by an exciting day of rafting down the Chattooga River. The last stop on the summer trail landed us at Disney for the ESPN Rise / AAU Club Championships. It was here that Emily Gale and Josh McDaniel would earn AAU All American awards. Emily won the 17-18 year old division followed by her twin sister, Amanda, in the 3rd spot. Josh won the 17-18 year old division with a gutsy performance that included a winning vault into a nasty cross-head wind. McDaniel’s effort epitomized the will to win shown by our athletes throughout the year. Marcus Blessing and Clayton Washburn travelled to the University of North Florida on the same day the girls competed at Disney. Washburn would near his personal best with a vault of 12’6″ and Blessing would achieve a new personal best of 14’6″ on the same track where Marcus will be attending college with Pole Vault City teammate Shelton McLean in the Fall.
The process of peaking in athletics requires a specific plan of attack. Our athletes peaked at the state meet in late April and early May, where the results were fantastic. These athletes participated in thesesummer meets outside of their peak times for the enjoyment of the sport. Our program is truly blessed to have athletes who were willing to take on the summer heat and travels to better themselves. Thank you to all the parents that participated in the summer travels along with the effort of the athletes that made it all worth while. We look forward to a sensational 2013 season where the bar will literally be pushed to new heights.
