Bubba PV wrote:Back to the kids. In 1994 we had the Junior National Championships in Tallahassee, Florida. It POURED so much that they would briefly stop the meet to empty the box when it became full. The pit was a lake. The only time they would stop was when there would be lightning in the area and we would all huddle underneath an awning. The meet was won by Dominic Johnson with Scott Slover getting 2nd to advance to the international competition. Both jumped over 16’ in the flooding rain.
I jumped that day as well. It was awful, but we came prepared and I took 5th. Being a coach in Washington, dealing with rain is an all too frequent ordeal. The best thing you can do is BE PREPARED. The absolute most important thing is to keep your tape and your hands dry. everything else can be soaked as long as your grip stays dry. here's what I try to bring to meets if I know its going to rain:
[*]lots of tape
[*]dry towels
[*]chalk (or stickum spray/whatever you use)
[*]umbrella
[*]tarp (to wrap the pole bag in if you can't keep it under cover)
[*]extra socks/clothes (and spikes if you have them)
Here's my routine for keeping my hands dry:
Preferrably under cover, re-tape your pole if you need to, just where you are going to hold. Chalk up (or spray) your tape and your hands, find your grip and DO NOT take your hands off the pole until you're coming off the top of your jump. have a teammate drape a towel over your grip and walk with you, holding an umbrella over you to your starting mark on the runway. when you're ready have them take the towel off, keep it under the umbrella, and walk up to the mats. After your jump, have your teammate catch the pole and immediately re-cover your grip with the towel. Keep the grip area covered with the umbrella and get it back under cover or back in your bag.