Kate Soma on Trackshark

[wacky274]

http://gohuskies.collegesports.com/spor ... 05aaa.html

going to be doing a live interview, worth checking out...she's a really sweet girl, and I wish her the best...and she impressed the hell out of me at pac-10's last year

[TB]

Kate Soma of Washington will appear live in the Trackshark Chat Wrap on Thursday, January 27, 2005 from 8pm - 9pm EST.

http://www.trackshark.com/chatwrap/2005/kate_soma.php

[solovaulter]

does anybody else think it says Kama Sutra whenever you glance at her name?

[Scott Go Pre]

does anybody else think it says Kama Sutra whenever you glance at her name?

That might just be you, solo!

Kate was given some good questions. I think she could go 15'0" if she really has the desire to clear it!

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.trackshark.com/chatwrap/2005/kate_soma.php


Chat Wrap : Kate Soma of Washington



Soma recenlty cleared 13-5 at the annual Pole Vault Summit (Kirby Lee/The Sporting Image)


Kate Soma of Washington appeared live in the Trackshark Chat Wrap on Thursday, January 27, 2005 from 8pm - 9pm EST.


The senior from Portland, Ore. is the defending Pac-10 pole vault champion, a three-time NCAA All-American and competed at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. Soma's lifetime best of 14-2 is the fifth-best outdoor mark in NCAA history, and is 10th overall.


With two more All-America awards in 2005, Soma would become the most decorated female athlete in UW track and field history.


Below is the Chat Wrap session from Kate Soma:


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Adam from Virginia - What is your ultimate goal this season?


Kate Soma - My ultimate goal is to jump 15 feet. As I've planned it with my coach, this means getting 5 more inches off the top end and also raising my grip 5 inches. I think if everything comes into place this is definitely achieveable, although look for that big mark from me at the end of the season, because according to my coach I'm "a slow starter." I tend to peak at the end of the year, which is perfect and I have no compliants about it. I don't know what my coach does, but it always works out that I peak at the right time.


Kaicaine from Chelan - I know you come from a family of athletes.  In what ways have your sisters been an influence in your life?


Kate Soma - My sisters and I are very close and they provide a great support system for me. They both encourage me and now my little sister knows what it's like to be a college athlete because she plays soccer for Gonzaga, so I think we understand each other better now. It's hard because I don't get to see them as much as I would like to, but we support each other from afar and encourage each other to follow our dreams and be happy! My family overall is a great support system and I am very lucky.


Alisa from Little Rock - To what degree does nutrition play a part in your training?


Kate Soma - I am lucky because I grew up eating a lot of healthy foods and don't have too many cravings for junk food. I don't pay too much attention to what I'm eating, although I would say I have a pretty healthy diet. I really just try to make sure I'm getting enough protein and I try to stay away from fatty foods as much as possible. However, I am addicted to sour candy! I dont plan out whatI i eat, I just eat whatever I'm in the mood for and usually that food is pretty good for me because of what I got used to growing up.


Tom from Modesto - How much and what kind of weight trainning do you do?


Kate Soma - I do 2 days of legs and 2 days of arms in the fall and the winter, and then this will decrease as outdoor season hits. I do a lot of cleans and squats, and then right now 3x8 or 3x6 of some of the smaller lifts. I dont have much say in my weight training right now, although I'm hoping next year to be able to work throught that with a coach.


Leslie from Akron - I saw you at the NCAA Championships when you broke your pole during competition. What happened?


Kate Soma - We're still not really sure. That was a newer pole and as far as I know there were no dings in it, so that wasn't the problem. My take-off was also better than usual at that point, so it wasn't that either. Spirit looked at the pole and also couldn't figure out what happened, so it was just a fluke I guess. It was unfortunate timing because the break cut my hand and I had to get 10 stitches and couldn't continue competing, or comptete at the U.S. National meet.


Chris from Seattle - What was it like to win the Pac-10 title, especially with UCLA's Chelsea Johnson as such a big favorite?


Kate Soma - It was an amazing experience! About half way through the meet I just started thinking "I'm going to win this." I just got an overwhelming sense of confidence, because it wasn't something I thought about before the meet. I think that the best part for me was that the mark qualified me for the U.S. Olympic Trials which had been one of my goals for the year. I go into each meet just trying to jump my best and not thinking about how I'll stack up against the competition, although it was great to get the 10 points for the team and get the win.


Michael from New York - What are the lengths and weight ratings of the poles you have been using?


Kate Soma - In practice, I usually jump on a 13'6" 130 from my 8-step. This is the pole I usually start on in a meet now and I go up from there in 5 lb. increments. This weekend I finished on a 13'6" 145 and the biggest pole I've jumped on ever is a 13'6" 150. I'm supposed to transition into using 14-foot poles this year, but so far we dont have any that I could use. I'm about 5'1", 115 lbs, so we need to get some smaller 14- foot poles for me to jump on.


Karen from Arkansas - From your bio, it says that you are a senior. What do you plan to do after you graduate?


Kate Soma - Next year I plan on continuing my training in Seattle with my current coach. I'm also applying for an internship with Athletes in Action (a Christian group that works with athletes). If I get the internship it would be great becayse it will keep me on campus and interacting with other athletes at UW. I don't know how long I'll keep jumping, either until I'm not having fun anymore, or my body wont let me, but after I stop jumping I'm hoping to work in some sort of sports marketing field.


Justin from San Diego - Can you think of a "down" time in your pole vault career and what you did to overcome it?


Kate Soma - I have had a few down times. My senior year of high school was a horrible and basically I almost didn't vault in college. I just kept working through it though and my coach was very understanding and encouraging, so that helped. I also always seem to go through a slump right before the conference meet. It's always something mental and I just really pray about the situation and ask God to restore my confidence. I have seen it happen twice, so I know that things will all work out I just have to keep at it, but it's very discouraging at points. I just have learned to go into each practice with confidence, and not think about the problems of the last meet or practice. Approach each workout for what it is. It's important also to realize that pole vaulting isn't life and doesn't define me as a person.


James from Spokane - I heard you interned at Brooks this summer and I am interested in working somewhere in the running industry. I have heard nothing but good things about that brand. How did you like that internship?


Kate Soma - I loved working at Brooks this summer. It was a great opportunity for me and it worked out well because they were very understanding of my training schedule. I learned a lot and actually got to do plan a promotion that they will use next year, which was exciting for me. It's a small compan and everyone knows everyone else, which was very attractive to me. I really have no complaints about the experience at all and would definitely reccomend the company.


Megan from Louisiana - How do you prepare mentally for a meet? Is it different for championship meets?


Kate Soma - Most of my meets are early in the morning so my mental preparation is really just waking myself up! Seriously though, I just try and get focused by listening to music. I have a few favorite songs right now and just reminding myself what I need to do technically that day. For championship meets it's not much different except usually I have a whole day that I need to keep myself busy. I try not to think about vaulting until I get to the meet facility. Once I get there I've done everything I can, try to have a good time and do my thing. I'm the kind of athlete that cant get too focused or I mess myself up, so at meets you'll see me talking and running around between jumps!


Kerry from Gainesville - Do you have any role models in vaulting?


Kate Soma - I have some great friends who are vaulters and in a way they are also role models. Becky Holliday (Oregon graduate) is one of my close friends and I've always looked up to her as a vaulter because she is so technically sound and as a fellow short vaulter, she also has to be very efficient to jump high. I also had the chance to jump with Brad Walker at Washington since I was a freshman and he always had good advice for me. He has stepped in as coach for me in some practices and meets and I have been able to fix a few things with my vault because of his advice. He has a strong work ethic and sets an example in that way.


EP from Louisiana - I play football and was looking to possibly enroll at UW. Is a good atmosphere for student-athlete's?


Kate Soma - I know the atmosphere as a football player is a lot different than being a track athlete because my ex boyfriend did both. But overall I like the atmosphere. It gives you a group of people that you immediately know, which is nice for someone like you and I that come from out of state. Most of my close friends are other athletes and I have developed some life-long friendships because of my time at UW.


Christine from Spokane - I'm sure you're a big role model for those close to you (family and friends). Who are some of the people whom you look up to?


Kate Soma - I look up to a lot of people in my life, each for different reasons. I am very close to my mom, and look up to her as an overall role model. I ask her for advice about personal issues and she can even help me with vaulting sometimes, because she vaults as well. She knows the struggles of a vaulter so she can help me mentally. I also talk a lot to my high school coach, Tinker Hatfield, because he is the one that got me into vaulting and he has was a great collegiate athlete and a great coach, so he gives great advice as well.


Dave from Portland - How is your training different in college than from high school?


Kate Soma - Wow. It's much different. In high school I also trained for sprints because I ran the 100, 200 and 4x100. Although I lifted a bit my senior year I lift much more intensly now, and overall training is much more intense. I spend 3-4 hours a day at practice now and have to work practice around my class schedule which can be difficult. Some days I jump and run, then go to class, then come back and lift. In high school things were much more simple. Now I focus a lot more on the vault, and the technical things I'm doing wrong. And I dont do nearly as much sprinting which is nice!


Emily from New York - Where did you attend high school and what made you choose Washington?


Kate Soma - I went to Grant High School which is in Portland, Oregon. I chose Washington about 2 weeks before I was supposed to leave for Univ. of Arizona because I thought I could have a bigger impact on the team. I could get the chance to travel easier because Arizona already had Amy Linnen there (now at Kansas) jumping high and Washington only had 1 jumper who jumped just a foot higher than me. Now that I'm at Washington, I know it's the best place for me. I think I have one of the best coaches out there, and without him I wouldn't be jumping as high as I am now! I also liked Washington because it had a great business school and would open more doors in this area after college.


Jason from Florida - How does the rest of your indoor season look in terms of training and competition?


Kate Soma - All of my remaining indoor meets are at home, excpet for the NCAA Division I Championships at Arkansas. This is great because traveling really messes with my schedule. I have a meet this weekend and then I have a meet every other weekend until Arkansas. As for training, I generally jump 1-3 times a week counting meets, lift 4 days a week and do some sort of running workout 3-4 days a week.


Ken from Wisconsin - How was your experience at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada?


Kate Soma - Reno was a great experience. I have been looking forward for the chance to jump on stage since I started attending the summit. And I was very pleased with my performance as well. Even though I only cleared 4.10, each attempt at 4.25 was better and better technically. And 4.10 is only 1 cm under my indoor PR so overall it is great to be where I'm at at this point in the season.