Vaulting Pole Tips
All Inclusive Vaulting Pole Tips…Everything you ever wanted to know about Pole Vaulting…
The results are in for the Women’s Pole Vaulting event from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and American Jennifer Stuczynski has valiantly earned a silver medal for her vault of 4.80 meters. She came in second to the favored Russian women pole vaulter, Yelena Isinbaeva who grabbed the gold with a world record vault of 5.05 meters or just over sixteen and a half feet.
“To go to your first Olympics and get a medal, a silver medal nonetheless, it’s great,” Stuczynski said in an interview after the event. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.” Isn’t that the truth… a silver medal is certainly a thing to be proud of. Stuczynski beat nine other women pole vaulters to earn that medal status in the Olympic games.
Stuczynski cleared the jump at 4.80 meters and was guaranteed the second place or silver medal when her competition Svetlana Feofanova and Yulia Golubchikova, the only other threats she really faced for a medal, failed in three attempts at that height.
Stuczynski passed at 4.85 meters, which Isinbayeva then cleared, so Stuczynski was forced to try 4.90 meters, where she failed in four attempts. It is unusual for the vaulter to be given four attempts however due to a timing error Stuczynski was given an additional vault.
The Russian Olympian Yelena Isinbayeva needed to jump only twice to clinch the gold, clearing 4.7 and 4.85 meters. Isinbaeva then passed at 4.9 meters but cleared 4.95 meters after two misses. Passing 5.0 meters Isinbaeva had the bar set at 5.05 meters (16-feet, 6-3/4 inches) to attempt a vault. Isinbaeva cleared the bar on her third attempt to set the world record, and did a somersault on the mat before running around the Bird’s Nest donning the Russian flag.
“She came through like a champion, as she always does,” Stuczynski said of Isinbayeva. “I was doing what I tried to do, and I took a lot of jumps and I definitely feel it right now.”
Svetlana Feofanova of the Russian Federation came through winning the bronze medal by clearing 4.75 meters.
Stuczynski’s personal best of 4.92 meters (16-foot-0-1/2) was set in the U. S. Trials.
So, today for Olympic news in women’s pole vaulting it looks like two Russian women will take the stand, only to be accompanied by Jennifer Stuczynski who proudly will represent the United States wearing silver.
Tags : Jennifer Stuczynski, Olympic pole vaulting, vaulting poles, womens pole vaulting, Yelena Isinbaeva
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Vaulting Pole Tips
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August 18th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
The NBC coverage of this event allowed us to hear what Jennifer’s coach was saying after she had won the silver medal. Who the heck does this man think he is? A 4-year pole vaulter takes the number 2 spot, and he chews her out for not having “fresh legs” like the Russian. Whatever happened to offering helpful advice? I have yet to see any other coach come off so negative…this only shows inexperience. And why did she just meekly nod her head and put up with this? Is there more than a coach-athlete relationship going on here? Very dissapointing coach.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Great post…another healthy, beautiful athlete showcased well.
They are so strong aren’t they!? wow
August 19th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Christine,
I think you are absolutely right! What kind of pep talk was that? I think that he will be really upset when he realizes that was caught on NBC! Shame on him!
August 19th, 2008 at 3:32 am
How is this guy a coach?? What a jerk, she’s 2nd in the world and all he can do is rip on her…carma is a b_tch!!
August 19th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Congrats on your Win Jennifer. You should be so proud taking the Silver home. You totally earned your medal. An excellent accomplishment for being fairly new to the sport. Your coach Rick Suhr on the other hand - is a jerk and is an idiot! He should not have yelled at you for your efforts especially when the microphones and cameras were on the two of you. What was he thinking? Thanks Rick Suhr for showing the world what a sucky coach you are. She won a Silver Medal give her a break; “what are you going to do,” let me tell you buddy “what you are going to do”…get over it and be thankful for her accomplishments. As a coach you bring shame to coaching. You should be fired and be put in your own “meat grinder.” Your words were discouraging, demoralizing and disrespectful to the Olympic Spirit. I mean where was your constructiveness? Was it in the “meat grinder?” You are the “same old, same old” accusatory disheartening coach. Coaches like you suck. Rich Suhr you are a disgrace to the US coaching delegation!
August 19th, 2008 at 5:55 am
The coaches harsh speech was truly disappointing. The saddest part was the look on her face right after he basically chewed her out for winning a world silver medal. She’s only been vaulting for 4 years yet he acted as if she had lost a high school competition, not SECOND in the Olympics against the best in the world. I appreciated her speech to the reporter, though. It sounded as if she was truly pleased- as well she should be!! Many MANY congratulations to Jenn! BE PROUD! YOU ROCK!!
August 19th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Indeed! Let’s hope Jenn can find a real coach somewhere else. You’re an Olympic medalist, drop the loser!
In the meantime, let Rich Suhr hear how much you appreciate his coaching talent:
rsuhr@suhrsports.com
August 19th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Congrats on the silver Jen. We’re proud of you in Western NY. Your coach, Rick Suhr, howevershould get a good old fashioned ass kickin’ - what a total JERK-OFF. He should be ashamed to call himself a coach anad youu should dump his ass.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Rick Suhr should hang his head in shame, after publicly scolding Jennifer after winning a silver medal. I doubt this is the first scolding he has given her. He could be the very reason she didn’t get a gold medal. If he rides her that hard in public, I can only imagine what goes on behind the scenes. It’s too close to verbal abuse for my taste. I hope she fires his sorry butt and employs someone with class to lead her in 2012.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Amen Ming. We should all be proud of Jennifer’s accomplishment. Isinbayeva is the best in the sport right now but if Jennifer doesn’t let someone like Suhr dissappoint her out of the sport, the world better watch out.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I have the jerk’s email off his website. Write to coach Rick Suhr at rsuhr@suhrsports.com (from his website under the Coaches subhead at suhrsports.com
What a JERK. Jennifer should find a new coach. We are very proud of her silver.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I played and replayed the NBC coverage of this event, and I transcribed the dialogue verbatim. I added it to the wikipedia page. Here it is:
The dialogue between coach Rick Suhr and Jennifer Stuczynski, along with NBC commentary, follows. This dialogue is taken verbatim from the televised event.
NBC announcer/analyst Dwight Stones: “… As Silver Medalist Jennifer Stuczynski gets a competition debrief from her coach.”
Coach Rick Suhr to Jennifer Stuczynski after her Silver-medal-winning jump at the Beijing Olympics: “(It’s) the same old same old. You’re losing take-off at the big heights. What are you gonna do. You gotta learn to keep take-off. You got - you got caught at that meat grinder. I did not — and I told 10 people — I did not want to be caught in a meat grinder between 65 and 80. You had to, though. You weren’t on, you know, your warm-up didn’t go well, you were 55, you got caught up in that meat grinder. What are you gonna do. What are you gonna do. You didn’t have the legs. Her legs are fresh. Hey, it’s a silver medal. Not bad for someone who’s been pole vaulting for 4 years.”
NBC announcer Tom Hammond: “Wow, am I missing something, Dwight (Stones)? Didn’t she just win a silver medal, beaten only by the world record holder? Where’s the joy?
Dwight Stones: “In some defense of coach Rick Suhr, I think that was what he was trying to convey to her, but it was the body language and the looking away and almost not able to face her and not really giving her any information that was of any value to her.”
Tom Hammond: “And the tone of it was just sort of accusatory, I don’t know. It just seemed to be not appropriate for the accomplishment of a silver medal at the Olympics.”
Dwight Stones: “Well, when you consider again what he said, “You’ve only been jumping for 4 years,” she didn’t even know what she could possibly even be at this stage, and she loses to the greatest female pole vaulter in history.”
August 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Congratulations to Jenn on a great accomplishment. However, Yelena is clearly a superior vaulter - at 16′ 6 1/2″. Both are the same age (26)and will be 30 at next olympics, so it’s doubtful Jenn will ever get gold. By then we will probably see a new name in vaulting. Don’t be too hard on Rich Suhr. When people care deeply about someone and they don’t reach their great potential, sometimes people say things they later regret.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:13 am
he is her husband… kinda sad he treats her that way
August 19th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
the coach of our silver medal women’s champion should be castrated. It’s sad enough that he chewed her out like that, but to find out they’re married makes it even more disturbing. He should never be allowed to coach again.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Is he really her husband?
If so, it’s scary.
It was hard to watch last night. What should have been an exciting time for her and her “coach” looked like abuse.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I have searched everywhere and can find no evidence that Rick Suhr is married to Jennifer Stuczynski. I am not sure where the poster got that information, but to my knowledge they are not married, he is simply her coach. If anyone knows differently, feel free to comment.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Great job Jennifer! You will be an inspiration to other women. Silver medal is great!! Nothing to be ashamed of…
August 19th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Jenn,
I’m wondering what heights you could attain with a coach who is hip to more positive coaching techniques. Your brave inner athlete spirit deserve a better coach than Rick Suhr.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
The response from the coach to Jenn Stuczynski after missing her third try and winning the Silver Medal was the biggest lack of sportsmanship shown of a coach at the Olympics. The coach knew he was being recorded, I hate to think how this guy talks to Jenn when he isn’t being recorded!
It was an amazing accomplishment for Jenn to achieve, we are proud of her and an honor to receive a Silver Medal for the United States!
Jenn is NOT married to her coach, he is only her coach. He knew he was being recorded, I hate to think how this guy talks to Jenn when he isn’t being recorded.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Suhr and Jenn are definitely living together in Riga, NY(outside of Rochester), but I don’t think they are married. Suhr lives in the house that his ex-wife’s father bought for them and has two teenage children.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I agree with all the comments. It was disrespectful and inappropriate the way Coach Suhr responded to Jenn’s amazing silver medal accomplishment. The way he treats her seems manipulative. It’s difficult to see a coach treat another adult like a 6 year old! Hopefully in the middle of all the controversy, she can enjoy her success. We’re proud of you, Jenn!! Take a look at Jenn’s website - the link below offers more contact information for Coach Suhr!
http://www.jenniferstuczynski.com/mainmenu.html
August 19th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Jenn is a pole vaulter is becouse of Rick. He is intense, but I don’t believe he was negative. The meet was over and I think he was just stating the fact that she used up her legs with all of the jumps. I can assure you that he only wants the best for her. It’s hard to walk in some body’s else’s shoes especially that of a coach and a Olympic athlete! I do think he could have done a little better job congratulating her. Let’s try not judge some one on 20 seconds worth of sound bites!THAY DID A GREAT JOB AND I AM VERY PROUDE OF THEM!!!
August 19th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Yeah Rich Suhr needs to be shot. What a JERK!
August 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
This is not an isolated incident. THis is the way Coach Suhr treats Jenn. I have witnessed this many times in many different settings. It doesn’t matter who is around, who hears or what the impression is, he berates her, degrades her and basically controls everything she says and does. He doesn’t stop there. He treats most people the same way. He even treats other world class coaches that way - I’m personally surprised he hasn’t been punched. Jenn did a great job. Many say, he was hard on her because she jumped centimeters below her PR…well guess what, that happens in the pole vault all the time. It happens in all track and field events. It is a brutal sport. The coaches should never add to the brutality.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I don’t agree with Andy T comment at all……give me a break. You are a team and you win a Silver Medal and he doesn’t smile or give any encouragement. Stating the facts????? that is something you do in private. She did her best and she came in second. Basically to him that was not good enough??? Winning at all cost with no regard for hurting someone who has been doing all the hard work. He had a moment to shine before the world and he blew it big time!!
August 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
If anyone has the video of her coach’s demeaning tirade after she won the silver, please let me know (drunger_33@yahoo.com). It’s an excellent example of de-motivation, and I’d like to show it in a leadership seminar. Her “coach” needs some coaching.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:05 am
yikes! All we can say is,”Leave Jenn Alone.” This goes out to nbc’s Tom Hammond (thanks for sticking up for Jenn)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZgKSk7m1so
August 20th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I knew it! After Rick’s diatribe followed by Jenn’s meek response, I figured there must have been some additional dimension to their relationship beyond just coach-athlete. Didn’t that interaction remind you of those awful couples where one partner is overly domineering, to the point of being verbally abusive? You just want to warn her — leave him, its not worth it to mix your professional life with your personal one!
Regardless of how well Jenn has done for herself, I have never seen an Olympic-caliber athlete treated with such disrespect and disregard.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Yeah, these kind of responses is why the U.S. has more bronzes than gold. You know what a silver is? A glorified loss.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Bob,
You Are NOT Awesome…
You are STUPID !!!
August 21st, 2008 at 9:52 am
Wether they win, lose, draw, or drop out of the competition nobody deserves to be treated like that by their coach. This tirade didn’t even take place during the heat of the competition when some might see it as him trying to fire her up. This was said after the event was over and IN PUBLIC. It was unprofessional at best. People need to stop making excuses for coaches like him.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:37 am
Dave,
Here’s a link to the video. Not only a perfect example of poor coaching abilities, but of basic human character.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0818_hd_atw_hl_l1722&channelcode=sportat
August 21st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Rachel’s comments are correct.
His comments to Jenn are common place. If you aren’t breaking a record, beating the competition or winning notoriety, he’s not interested and will focus on something else more important.
Hopefully she can do as I did, and continue learning the pole vault from a respectful and encouraging coach.
Jenn, we’re proud of you. What you have accomplished is incredible.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I went to high school with Jenny Stu at FHS, we played softball together in Little League and on JV. She is an amazing athlete and even more importantly, she’s a seriously wonderful person. We had a lot of fun goofing around in class and on the field and I’m so proud of her. Go Billies! Go Jenny Stu!
August 25th, 2008 at 10:09 am
“They’re hammering my coach. When you attack my coach, you attack me, too.
“It’s a relationship, a coach and an athlete. That’s the part that bothered me. We have worked so hard to come this far and they’re pinpointing one person. It’s two people. It’s unfortunate that the cameras didn’t see the celebration afterward, or the encouragement he gives me.”
“People don’t understand this is my job,” she said. “I pay Rick to be my coach and to tell me what’s wrong. He tells me when I’m good and he tells me when I’m bad. I asked what I did wrong and he told me. I’m 26 years old. I can think for myself. I’m a strong girl. My parents raised me to be strong and I was not even remotely sad that night.
She asked her coach why she failed to make the bar on four attempts and he told her. If he had said, “don’t worry about it, you just won the silver medal”, she would have probably been quite upset at him. That’s why she’s the #2 all time woman pole vaulter.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Jenn, you’re a Queen, Rick’s a creep.
Can him, fly high!
August 26th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
My gosh, people sure have a hard time comprehending written English words when strung together in sentences. Stuczynski explains that her coach did and said exactly what she pays him to do and people are still coming down on Rick.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Well..stop paying him to be your coach, and wake up here…He is an ass! He does treat other people like crap, that’s not good character..I can’t think why anyone would defend Rick Suhr. A coach isn’t just good because he/she knows the event well..It’s the total package, character, encouragement, validation. It’s good we heard that clip. I think everyone is shocked because we have all heard other coaches get on their athletes before. I’ve personally known some tough coaches, but this dude is out of place..Jenn will never beat Yelena, simply because she isn’t as tough as Yelena..Jenn should go to Russia and train with Yelena and meet her coaches, and learn how those coaches respect yet train well their athletes..Rick needs to publicly apologize for his actions. Most of the world heard him and aren’t experts enough in the sport to understand the dynamics of what happened. They just saw an asshole at face value and it upset them. The best thing for Jennifer to do is think hard, spend some time away from this coach, and relocate to a warmer place with some other top vaulters in the USA and she will discover a whole new world of possiblity for achieving success in her discipline.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
While I was watching this “coach” talk to his silver medal athlete, I got a sick feeling in my stomach, and I said out loud (having no way of knowing )”these two are sexually involved”. I know what an abusive relationship looks like,–I was in one myself at her age,—with an older man (which I’m guessing Rick is). The dynamic between Rick and Jenn is classic. The fact that she defends his behavior only convinces me more that she is a victim. Even gifted people get sucked into unhealthy relationships. I pray that she breaks free from this man and realizes her full potential.