Colorado State Fair PV - Aug 26th, Pueblo

[MaxVault]

The Colorado State Fair Pole Vault is Sat. August 26th in Pueblo Colorado. It goes all day with Elites at night.

Includes access to the fair, shirt, and a fun day. Costumes are encouraged.

All levels of athletes welcome. Contact Mark Pierson at 719-561-2995 or by email at markpvault@earthlink.net.

Elite vaulters contact Pat Manson at 303-403-9111 or email patmanson@msn.com for more info or see the Elite message board here on PVP. Prize money and travel money available.

[rainbowgirl28]

Word on the street is a big storm came through. I haven't heard what the pole vaulters ended up doing.

[rainbowgirl28]

Looks like they were able to wait out the storm.

Click on the link to see a funny picture.

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1156766401/8

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/MIKE SWEENEY

KC Halik, outfitted in Indiana Jones garb (including fedora and whip), celebrates after clearing 11 feet in the Street Vault Saturday at the Colorado State Fair.

Leap of faith

Pole vaulters put jump into Fair

By NICK BONHAM
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

It is safe to say that Elizabeth Stover can leap small buildings in a single bound.

Give the 15-year-old from Longmont a 13-foot-long stick and she is one of the best pole vaulters in the state.

A dozen high school and college females from around the state catapulted into the pleasant, cloudy morning sky Saturday in Triangle Park at the Colorado State Fair. The afternoon featured the men's competition, followed by the "elite" group, or some of the top vaulters in the world, according to Sam Pierson, a recent Pueblo South grad who won the 4A state championship last year.

The pros, some who are training for the Olympics, had to wait out a pounding thunderstorm to finish competing.

The bar only dropped when the slim and muscular athletes could not launch or bend their bodies up and over, falling back to Earth to the crowd's roar. The bar kept rising. Personal records were achieved and at the end of the women's competition there was only one - Elizabeth, in all her athleticism, which she attributes to eight years of gymnastics.

An all-around gymnast with a 4.0 grade-point-average, the blonde with pink nail polish is also the current 4A state champ of her sport. Stover and her parents, Anne and Jim, drove to Pueblo Saturday morning.

"I don't think they've missed a (track) meet in the 2 years I've been doing this," Stover, who will be a junior, said.

Mom admitted, "I get more nervous watching her on the balance beam."

Stover set a new personal best with a jump of 11-feet-6 inches. Her previous was 11 feet, which she nailed to win the state crown. Her goal this year is to clear 12 feet.

Stover would like to go to college on a vaulting scholarship. She wants to study medicine and, eventually, become a surgeon.

Pierson, 18, is off to compete at the college level. He has already moved in to a dorm at Idaho State University in Pocatello. Pierson cleared 14-feet-6-inches Saturday. His personal best is 15-feet-8.5 inches, which he also nailed for the state crown last year.

In its third year at the Fair, this year's vaulting competition brought some of the top athletes of its sport here - many of whom spent the night at the Pierson residence.

One of those competitors was 26-year-old Adam Keul, who is the No. 7 pole vaulter in the nation, and 43rd in the world. He's training for the Olympics.

After an hourlong thunderstorm soaked the Fair, the vaulting continued, even though it started to get dark and the athlete's landing pad was soaked.

From Nacogdoches, Texas, Keul spent the summer competing on the European vaulting circuit, where he "won a lot of meets and made some money," he said.

"It's not like we make NFL money, but I can call myself a pro athlete, which is kind of cool."

Keul attended Stephen F. Austin State University, which is in his hometown, and coaches there now. He has performed well lately, but said, "I just hope it gets better in the Olympic year."

Event organizer Mark Pierson, father of Sam Pierson, said because of the pole vault's popularity at the Fair they were given money to offer as cash prizes. The top six professional vaulters won money, with the top finisher receiving close to $750, Keul said.

[VaultNinja]

Yeah we jumped ......in the dark, after the flash floods and tornados let up. It was alot of fun though. 4 of us wound up taking a short run after word, and regreat it big time after seeing Adam and Jeremy blowing it up from full. Darren looked good too. That guy's going to jump a big one soon.

1. Adam Keul 18'6.5"
2. Jeremy Scott 18'
3. Darren Niedermeyer 17'
4. Pat Manson 17'
5. Paul Litchfield 16'
6. Ray Scotton 15'
7. Gordon Sasser NH

[UWvaulter]

Rain, tornado, dark, and I'ld still come back for next year's! The crowd was so electric! Hundreds of people cheered. It was the best time I have ever had vaulting. It's hard to say what parts were the best. I think the crowd loved Pat Manson in the Cat in the Hat costume. Adam Keul's clear at 18' 6.5" was so huge. All in all, I think the sweetest part was when a spectator approached me to say he thought the street meet was a great way to promote the sport.

[rainbowgirl28]

STREET VAULT RESULTS
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 5:58 PM
Subject: Resuts of Street Vaultresults


Results of the Colorado State Fair Street Vault Elite Division August 26, 2006

1) Adam Keul 18'6" 5.64 meters (one of the top 6 vaults in the country this year, currently training in Oklahoma, competed at Stephen F. Austin, PR 18'9")
2) Jeremy Scott 18' 5.50 meters (the tallest vaulter in the world at 6'10", training Jonesboro, AK with Earl Bell, grew up in Norfolk, NE, competed at Allegheny State)
3) Darren Niedemeyer 17' 5.18 meters (Grew up in Shamburg,IL went to Conant HS and the University of Wisconsin, currently training at University of Northern Iowa)
4) Pat Manson 17' 5.18 meters (grew up in Denver, went to Aurora Central HS, still holds the Colorado HS state record, first high school vaulter to jump 18', has jumped 18' for 21 consecutive years, Pan American Games Champion)
5) Paul Litchfield 16' 4.88 meters (attended and continues to train at Idaho State)
6) Ray Scotten 15' 4.57 meters (grew up in Indiana, attended Southern Illinois and Nebraska, currently training at Nebraska)
7) Gordy Sasser NH (competed with an injury, has a pole vault club in Fayetteville, AK,)

The elite competition was delayed for about 90 minutes for a few showers in the local area--3+ inches in one hour, more like a monsoon The competition at started at 15', then went to 16', 17', 17'6", 18', and finally 18'6". By the time we reached 17', it was totally dark outside. The only lighting we had was the residual lights from the concession stands next to the runway. Needless to say, the vault box was extremely difficult to see from 120' down the runway. Our hats are off to these great athletes who stuck around and put on one heck of a show!!!!!!!


Men's Open (age 14-53?)

Chandler Caldwell 15' Meet PR
Todd Roe 14'6"
KC Halik 14'6"
Sam Pierson 14'6"
Justin Purcell 14'
Brooks Waugaman 14'
Graham Anderson 13'6"
Matt Kaplan 13'6"
Will Shimel 13'6"
Eric Sutterfield 13'
Jin HoBaek 12'6"
Pearce Decker 10'
Kevin Schwindt 9' 1st Meet
John Carmony NH

Women's Open (16-23)

Kelley DiVesta 12'6"
Liz Stover 11'6" Meet PR
Steph Simpkins 11'
Val Bachman 10'6"
Rachel Godby 10'6"
Colleen Knill 10'
Kalynn Good 9'6"
Erin Ehrmantraut 9'
Hannah Moen 9'
Steph Whitmore 8'6"

[VaultNinja]

Watch this link to see some of the storm that went on when we were supposed to be starting.
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=c ... 0&fg=email