Britain's High Flyers

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8195236.stm

Britain's high-fliers


Kate Dennison and Steve Lewis reaching for the heights in Berlin and beyond

By Mark Ashenden

Planting a long stick in the ground and propelling yourself over the height of a double-decker bus is not a job for everyone.
Two young pole vaulters currently making it look easy are Britain's Kate Dennison and Steve Lewis and they will be showing off their skills at the World Championships this week.
Why would anybody subject themselves to the bumps and bruises and the gravitational forces six metres off the ground?
"Living on the edge", "scaring yourself" and "really living" is how Lewis, aged 23 and 2006 Commonwealth bronze medallist, describes the experience.

"It's like you're flying," he tells BBC Sport. "When you hit the sweet spot you don't feel anything - you have total freedom.
"You fly over the bar and then it's silent. You're upside down and then you hit the mat. It happens very quickly but it's beautiful."
Dennison, 25, who has broken the British pole vault record six times this year with a current best of 4.57m, says: "When you let go of the pole it's a wicked feeling.
"After going over the bar, you're in freefall - it's amazing. The whole sport is about adrenaline. I love that feeling of being in the air and wanting to go higher."
Stoke-born Lewis got into athletics at 13 as a hurdler but soon found a growing love for the pole.

Winning his Commonwealth medal in Melbourne three years ago is his "greatest ever night" but it is this year he has really come of age following a disappointing Olympics.
In Beijing 12 months ago Lewis failed to make the final, blaming the officials at the time for incorrect bar positions, but he now sees it as part of the "learning curve" and has gone on to grab fourth at the European Indoors and a new personal best of 5.72m in Germany recently.
With men's pole vault qualification on Thursday and the final two days later, Lewis says: "I'm peaking at the right time," while admitting there are still many areas he can improve on.
"Pole vaulting is all about balance. I need to be stronger and faster. In fact, I need to improve by 25% in everything really! Hopefully soon I'll be joining that exclusive 6m club.
"I'm just aiming to make the final and see what happens. But I feel calm, comfortable and pretty confident."
Dennison, who was born in South Africa and moved to Staffordshire aged four, developed her skills on the gym mat.
She was fourth in the British gymnastics championships before moving to pole vault in 2000 and is currently adopting a similar stance as her GB team-mate on her Berlin chances.
"I'm targeting the world final and then it's a case of unleashing what I have and seeing what I can do," she told me before qualifying for Monday's final with a mark of 4.55m.
Despite the prospect of facing Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva (who suffered her first loss for six years in London last month), Dennison has every reason to be in good spirits.


She has set new GB records indoors and outdoors, finished an impressive sixth at the European Indoors and was crowned British champion in Birmingham last month.
"I'm more confident and things are going in the right direction," the Sale Harriers athlete says.
"But Isinbayeva is far above everybody else and losing at Crystal Palace will just spur her on.
"It's just a case of me chipping away. The top 10, top six and then getting on the podium. I'm looking to really make an impact in 2012."
And for anybody thinking of getting involved in the crazy world of pole vaulting, Lewis, who is also into climbing and mountain biking, reveals a few of the skills that could help.
"If you can jump out of a tree, run quite fast and you like a thrill then pole vaulting could be for you," he says.
"But you have to be free of boundaries and be committed. If you get scared then don't do it."

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http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/sp ... ticle.html

Athletics: Lewis vows to learn lessons
Monday, August 24, 2009, 08:30
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STEVE Lewis vowed to learn the lessons of his Berlin adventure after missing out on a medal in the pole vault final at the World Championships.

The 23-year-old cleared 5.50m and 5.65m with his second attempts before three failures at 5.75m brought his medal bid to an end, placing him joint seventh.

But Light Oaks' Lewis, who injured his ankle on his penultimate jump, admitted he would use the experience as a launch pad for the next few years.

"I'm really inspired coming away from this championships and having been part of it was a great experience," he said.

"It's satisfying to get this far in the event and be chasing season's bests and personal bests in the final.


"Obviously getting those would have been the dream ending for me, but it didn't quite happen I'm afraid.

"But I can take real confidence from this and I know I can be competitive against these guys. Hopefully in a year's time I can be even more competitive.

"I was disappointed with my second attempt at 5.75m. I just twisted my ankle as I took off from the floor and I was unbalanced going up.

"Then I wasn't sure if I needed a bigger pole for the third jump – but I decided not to change.

"I managed my best jump of the year on that third attempt – so it was frustrating that it was on the wrong pole. It's something else to learn from.

"I'll take away a lot of positives and I'll be looking to add 10 or 15 centimetres to what I'm jumping now and that should help with the next step."

Lewis failed to register a jump in his World Championships debut in Osaka two years ago and suffered the same fate in Beijing last summer.

But he admitted there was plenty to build on during a busy 2010, when he will look to improve on the outdoor personal best of 5.72m that he registered in Germany earlier this month.

"I need to sit down now and have a think about what I am going to do next," he explained.

"The year ahead is pretty busy and I'm really excited about preparing for it.

"I'll be looking to get to the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games – I'll come back strong."

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