Into the minds of the vaulters competing at Clovis

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http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/102890.html

Vaulter inspired by the fans
Atmosphere, chance to train also sways Lanaro.
By Lisa Houk / The Fresno Bee
08/03/07 04:30:28
MORE INFORMATION
North American Pole Vault Championships
When: 5:30-10 p.m. today, Pollasky Avenue between Third and Fifth streets in downtown Clovis.

Admission: Free



Into the minds of the vaulters

"I try to approach every competition the same, but with the street vault it just doesn't seem as tense. When you go to any other big competition, you're a little bit more tense because it's a different environment with a different feel. Whereas here in Clovis, you come and the fans are going nuts, and more than anything, you're trying to put on a show for them."

-- Giovanni Lanaro, 25, of West Covina

"A lot of practice is definitely needed to pull it off. In reality, you're taking a pole and gripping at the very top of it and you're running as fast as you can and pretty much jumping into a brick wall -- and trying to long jump 20 feet from 13 feet to 5 feet into the pit and go 18 feet into the air. So it's a big rush and I love it. It's the best sport ever because you get to fly."

-- Mike Landers, 23, of Merced

"I tend to wear different outfits, I guess, and the fans like it and it helps me relax, too. ... Especially when it's a tense situation because it's kind of hard to be serious when you're wearing a blue tuxedo. It's a speed suit and it's spandex. I've got a baby blue one and I've got a black one that's full body. I'll be wearing the shorter suit tomorrow because it's going to be pretty warm."

-- Paul Litchfield, 26, of Auburn

"After the warm-up ... you have all that adrenaline and the crowd starts to go crazy and your heart's going. For me, that's when I accept the crowd's energy and use that. It's a huge advantage to be able to harness that extra energy. But then you have to focus at the same time and remember your cues and remember what you want to do technically in order to perform."

-- Tye Harvey, 32, of Sonora

"You think of what your coaches told you to do. I do a lot of visualization before, after and during the competitions. You try to stay relaxed and it's really hard. If you're too tense, it's like a golf swing, and you're not going to do it right so it's very technical in that aspect. You definitely want a relaxed, good pressure ... you have to be fluid as you go."

-- Becky Holliday, 27, of Sparks

"I think it takes a lot to relax in a situation like this because it's so easy to get caught up in the crowd. It is such a help to be motivated and have all the energy that you wish you had at every meet. And people say, 'You're only going to do well when you're having fun.' And this is the perfect opportunity here in Clovis."

-- Justin Norberg, 30, of Ottowa, Ill.

"I really just like to have fun. The street vaults are so much focused on fun and high energy. If you start focusing too much on bars and really being serious, you tend to not jump as well or at least I do. I just like to relax and listen to the crowd and listen to the clap and take it in and jump."

-- Nikki McEwen, 27, of Missoula, Mont.

Giovanni Lanaro turned down big money to return to his favorite pole-vaulting event in Clovis.

The Mexican/Pan American record holder made a $20,000 decision to bypass the European circuit and make his third appearance at the North American Pole Vaulting Championships today in downtown Clovis. Lanaro, one of the top 10 vaulters in the world, is more concerned about training than money at the moment.

With a personal-best mark of 19 feet, 1 inch, Lanaro is pushing to peak at the World Championships Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 in Osaka, Japan.

"My main focus right now is to prepare for the World Championships, and Clovis is my favorite place to jump," he said. "I jump for Mexico. Right now I'm already going to the Olympics in Beijing, and I'm on the team because of what I jumped this year and that qualified me for next year."

The 13th annual Clovis meet provides the perfect warm-up.

"You come here and the fans are going nuts, and more than anything, you're trying to put on a show for them," said Lanaro, 25, who's been vaulting for seven years. "I want to jump high and I want to win. The 8,000 fans and atmosphere in Clovis, not the money, is what gets me going and I need that right now to motivate me for the World Championships."

Brian Yokoyama, who is co-director of the Clovis street vault, predicts Lanaro will hit some top jumps because of the ideal conditions along Pollasky Avenue in Clovis.

"Giovanni is well ahead of the others, and this is the best conditions he'll have all year," Yokoyama said. "He's probably No. 7 among the top 10 in the world but that's just height-wise. Head-to-head, he's beaten everyone so it's not indicative of where he really stands.

"In Italy, he went 19-1/2 but that was in bad conditions, and he won the Prefontaine Classic in the rain with a head wind. It'll be exciting for the Clovis fans to watch him jump."

Paul Litchfield, 26, is going to stick to his fun-loving strategy to distract Lanaro and the other 19 vaulters. His "tuxedo" style always is entertaining.

"I tend to wear different outfits, I guess, and the fans like it and it helps me relax, too," said Litchfield, who wears a speed suit made out of Spandex. "It's kind of hard to be serious when you're wearing a blue tuxedo. I've got a baby blue one and I've got a black one that's full body. I'll be wearing the shorter suit tomorrow because it's going to be pretty warm."

Litchfield, of Auburn, is an Idaho State graduate and enters the Clovis event second in the North American Pole Vault Association standings. He's trailing 27-year-old Andreé Pickens, the top women's vaulter, by a 230-point margin for the overall $5,000 first-place prize.

"Yes, I'm getting beat by a girl," Litchfield said. "I'm not one of the best guys in the world, but I'd like to be. But I do this for fun and I like to share that with people."

On the men's side, the local vaulters to watch are Mike Landers of Merced, the 2007 NCAA Division I runner-up, and Fresno State's Andrew Pancotti, the 2006 Central Section champion from Clovis East High. Landers, a UCLA graduate, will try to best his mark of 18-2, and Pancotti's top height is 16-3.

On the women's side, Fresno State's Andrea Greenman, a Clovis High graduate, and former Buchanan High standout Sarah Savage will compete in the Madeleine Arnold USA Track and Field Pole Vault Development Championships. Greenman's top mark is 12-6, and Savage's best vault is 11-10.