It's almost half past 1am and I've been staring at my wall for a couple hours now. It's been a tough month that has produced plenty of thoughts for me to stew over, which is apparently much more exciting to my mind than sleep right now. I don't have a girlfriend to complain to and I've spent way to many hours on the phone recently, so, forgive me, but you guys are going to be stuck with my rants - plus I'm hoping some writing and the glass of milk next to me will help me calm down a bit. What's on my mind? I'm glad you asked:
Hexham: I've decided I need to get another meet in. As #20 on the list for the Trials, I am not going to get in unless someone else doesn't go. As Jason, the Harvard head coach said: too much training to quit now. I've got to get another meet in. I'm in great shape and it's way too early to end it. There's a meet in Northern England that I've been thinking about going to for the past couple of years. Normally heald in September, it's being held on July 12th this year, thus, perfect time to go. I've been emailing back and forth with the meet director trying to get all the logistics squared away. It's a meet which has had constant rain the past four years in a row, but it has a good international field and not only would I have a chance to place or even win, but I'd also have a chance at some meet records and making some prize money. I will be traveling completely on my own with very little idea of what I'm doing, but if anything it'll be a good experience.
Trials: Since returning from Dallas it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks (has it been that long??). I have been in an ongoing battle with USA Track and Field about the legitimacy about our scores. It seems USATF is enforcing a new rule about wind-aided marks in the combined events that they neglected to tell anyone about. I just typed the incredibly boring details about this whole debacle, but have also just erased them to save you. You're welcome (if actually are interested, see Frank Zarnowski's article on the whole thing here at DecathlonUSA). Anyways, I have been constantly on the phone and email about the situation since I got back. It has however, led to two developments
....Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my poles:
My Poles: In recent years fewer and fewer airlines are allowing you to take poles on planes (as well as charging ridiculous fees for some of those that do carry them - see US Air's new charge PER POLE policy), thus like the previous 3 times I've competed at this meet, I shipped my poles. My poles arrived back on Tuesday while I was at lunch, so I got there just after they arrived. I noticed some rips in the bag, but unfortunately this is pretty par of the course when shipping poles, so after a real quick look at the tops of the poles and a quick shake test to listen for broken poles, I figured the poles themselves were fine.
While recruiting for Harvard at a meet in North Carolina this weekend I got a disturbing call from Brenner (my coach) who was borrowing some of the poles I had in the bag for a camp. That 'rip' in the bag turned out to be much much more.
Along with five of my poles, I brought down about 4 other poles some of the guys at the Dallas meet asked me to bring down for them to use. Of the 9 poles that were in that bag, maybe three of them can still be used. Somehow my pole bag (a canvas bag over a platic tube housing the poles) was run over or caught on something so that most of the poles are in some way crushed, melted, or some combination of the two. I don't even understand what they could have done. It looks like someone took a torch to the tube.
Of course, the poles were not insured (it was never offered and for some reason never even thought of it), and because they came at the precise half an hour that I was out of the office for lunch, someone with no knowledge of vault poles signed for them. Vis à vis, er go, I am royally hosed.
Today was the first day I was able to look at them myself. The most blatent damage was done to the poles I had for the other guys, but mine didn't exactly come out well either. My baby, the 16' - 210# (4.90m 13.6 for those of you in the know), the pole I've been battling with all year, the pole that finally got me over 5.10m, the pole I was hoping would soon get me over 17' (5.20) has about 4cm worth of hairline cracks about 4 inches up from the bottom of the pole. Just enough to not look like much, probably just enough to make it completely worthless. I think my 205 might actually be ok, but other than that, the 5m pole that should have been the successor to my 16-210 is crushed (a pole I had to beg, borrow, and steal to get), the 16-200 is melted and crushed. All in all, about (9 x average $400)...I don't even want to do that math...a lot of money's worth of damage. With time, I'll find a way to replace those poles...the problem is, for the poles I jump on, I don't have time. Anything stiffer than a 16'-195 is a rare pole. Not many vaulters are big enough to need a pole that big, not many decathletes jump well enough to need a pole that big. A 16'-210, however, you should see the reactions I get just telling people I have that pole. For Hexham, not to mention if I get into Trials, I'm not sure there's even one to try to borrow, let alone know where to find it if it exists. I knew at some point I would have to find a way to get some new poles...I just never thought it'd have to include poles I already had.
Kids, always fly your poles with you if you can. If you can't, get insurance, and always check your pole on delivery.
I'm going to bed (I hope).
Hexham: I've decided I need to get another meet in. As #20 on the list for the Trials, I am not going to get in unless someone else doesn't go. As Jason, the Harvard head coach said: too much training to quit now. I've got to get another meet in. I'm in great shape and it's way too early to end it. There's a meet in Northern England that I've been thinking about going to for the past couple of years. Normally heald in September, it's being held on July 12th this year, thus, perfect time to go. I've been emailing back and forth with the meet director trying to get all the logistics squared away. It's a meet which has had constant rain the past four years in a row, but it has a good international field and not only would I have a chance to place or even win, but I'd also have a chance at some meet records and making some prize money. I will be traveling completely on my own with very little idea of what I'm doing, but if anything it'll be a good experience.
Trials: Since returning from Dallas it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks (has it been that long??). I have been in an ongoing battle with USA Track and Field about the legitimacy about our scores. It seems USATF is enforcing a new rule about wind-aided marks in the combined events that they neglected to tell anyone about. I just typed the incredibly boring details about this whole debacle, but have also just erased them to save you. You're welcome (if actually are interested, see Frank Zarnowski's article on the whole thing here at DecathlonUSA). Anyways, I have been constantly on the phone and email about the situation since I got back. It has however, led to two developments
- An incredible frustration at the way our governing body is ran.
- If USATF accepts my mark from Dallas (which they they more than likely will - after a $250 appeal process) I am the first alternate to be accepted if anyone doesn't declare for the meet.
....Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my poles:
My Poles: In recent years fewer and fewer airlines are allowing you to take poles on planes (as well as charging ridiculous fees for some of those that do carry them - see US Air's new charge PER POLE policy), thus like the previous 3 times I've competed at this meet, I shipped my poles. My poles arrived back on Tuesday while I was at lunch, so I got there just after they arrived. I noticed some rips in the bag, but unfortunately this is pretty par of the course when shipping poles, so after a real quick look at the tops of the poles and a quick shake test to listen for broken poles, I figured the poles themselves were fine.
While recruiting for Harvard at a meet in North Carolina this weekend I got a disturbing call from Brenner (my coach) who was borrowing some of the poles I had in the bag for a camp. That 'rip' in the bag turned out to be much much more.
Along with five of my poles, I brought down about 4 other poles some of the guys at the Dallas meet asked me to bring down for them to use. Of the 9 poles that were in that bag, maybe three of them can still be used. Somehow my pole bag (a canvas bag over a platic tube housing the poles) was run over or caught on something so that most of the poles are in some way crushed, melted, or some combination of the two. I don't even understand what they could have done. It looks like someone took a torch to the tube.
Of course, the poles were not insured (it was never offered and for some reason never even thought of it), and because they came at the precise half an hour that I was out of the office for lunch, someone with no knowledge of vault poles signed for them. Vis à vis, er go, I am royally hosed.
Today was the first day I was able to look at them myself. The most blatent damage was done to the poles I had for the other guys, but mine didn't exactly come out well either. My baby, the 16' - 210# (4.90m 13.6 for those of you in the know), the pole I've been battling with all year, the pole that finally got me over 5.10m, the pole I was hoping would soon get me over 17' (5.20) has about 4cm worth of hairline cracks about 4 inches up from the bottom of the pole. Just enough to not look like much, probably just enough to make it completely worthless. I think my 205 might actually be ok, but other than that, the 5m pole that should have been the successor to my 16-210 is crushed (a pole I had to beg, borrow, and steal to get), the 16-200 is melted and crushed. All in all, about (9 x average $400)...I don't even want to do that math...a lot of money's worth of damage. With time, I'll find a way to replace those poles...the problem is, for the poles I jump on, I don't have time. Anything stiffer than a 16'-195 is a rare pole. Not many vaulters are big enough to need a pole that big, not many decathletes jump well enough to need a pole that big. A 16'-210, however, you should see the reactions I get just telling people I have that pole. For Hexham, not to mention if I get into Trials, I'm not sure there's even one to try to borrow, let alone know where to find it if it exists. I knew at some point I would have to find a way to get some new poles...I just never thought it'd have to include poles I already had.
Kids, always fly your poles with you if you can. If you can't, get insurance, and always check your pole on delivery.
I'm going to bed (I hope).
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