Did you know that the world pole vaulting record is just over 20 feet?
I guess a drop like that gives you a lot of time to think about important stuff on the way down.
Stuff like: ‘What do I want to do with my life?’, ‘What will my future hold?’ and ‘Am I where I should be in this life?’
Okay, so maybe pole vaulters aren’t that deep, but junior transfer student Ryker Jones recently came to the conclusion that he wanted to do something to drastically change the course of his life.
After two years on the track team at Indiana University, Jones didn’t feel that there was any real “team spirit,” and he also decided that he wanted to attend a school with a slightly more academic reputation.
It was just time for him to go.
His school search eventually came down to choosing between New York University and Washington University, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The fact that his father is an alumnus and his parents grew up in University City might have had something to do with his decision, too.
“I did transfer here primarily for academics, but for other reasons, too,” Jones says. “That is, I kind of just wanted to try something different. Things are a lot more challenging [here] because of the class load I’m taking this semester and also the traveling every weekend with the track team.”
The transition to life at an academic school and a Division III athletic program, however, has gone as smoothly as could be expected for Jones.
“The track team at WU emphasizes the idea that it is in fact a team, rather than a bunch of people competing individually,” the PNP and music double major says. “By no means am I discriminating against IU’s track team, however there was less of an emphasis placed on getting to know other members of the team, which I think would have helped, especially during competition.”
And the team has had plenty of time to get to know each other during the grueling seven-meet indoor season. Over the course of this semester, they have had five team dinners, a trip to Wisconsin where they were forced to stay an extra night because of snow, a trip to Boston for the UAA Conference meet and, oh yeah, they also spent their entire spring breaks together.
Teammates describe Jones as “cool,” “easy-going,” and “fun” off the field. On the field, however, he is all business. Jones is a team leader and is quickly becoming the best pole vaulter in school history.
At last weekend’s UAA Conference meet, Jones set new UAA and school records in the pole vault with a leap of 15-feet-10-and-a-half inches. This jump improved his provisional-qualifying jump by 9 inches and guaranteed him a spot at the NCAA Championships in Greencastle, Ind. this weekend.
So what goes into “the perfect vault”?
“The process of making a good jump is infinitely complicated… well, not really.” Jones jokes. “I just focus on being aggressive and keeping my hair out of my face.”
That sounds easy enough. I have pretty short hair.
So if bending a pole and hurling yourself 15 feet into the air is so simple, why isn’t every Tom, Dick and Harry out there doing it?
Well, because it’s not that simple, really.
First, the vaulting pole is a very advanced piece of equipment. It is constructed from carbon fiber and fiberglass composite materials in several layers. The pole must be able to absorb all of the vaulter’s energy while bending, and then return all of that energy as it straightens out.
According to speed-fitness.com, the key to a successful vault is to, “swing the left leg (kept straight) in the widest arc to help penetration, and then move into the rock-back. Simultaneously with this, the arms should ‘row’ the body on top of the handgrip – with the shoulders as the axis of rotation.”
Huh?
Jones’ approach to the perfect vault is somewhat simpler, “[I try] things like keeping my run consistent, keeping my arms straight, and getting out of the way of the bar if it’s going to come down on my head – however that is one of the more difficult parts of the pole vault.”
The decision to transfer to WU has already paid off handsomely for Jones. His jumps have consistently improved, and he has finally found that elusive camaraderie that was so sorely lacking at IU.
“Of course there’s a brotherhood among pole vaulters,” Jones exclaims. “We’re all doing something that is seen as more or less unusual!”
Big guys running really fast, and then jamming long sticks into the ground so that they can catapult themselves mercilessly into midair?
Nah, there’s nothing too unusual about that.