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Drake Relays adds indoor pole vaulting competition at mall
Associated Press - March 31, 2008 10:14 AM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Drake Relays is adding a shopping mall to its list of venues.

An indoor pole vaulting competition featuring world-class vaulters will take place at Jordon Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

Relays Director Brian Brown wants to showcase the athletes during the annual track and field meet, and says the mall can be "close and personal."

The 99th edition of the Drake Relays, set for April 23-26, will feature nearly 8,000 athletes in more than 100 events.

The men's invitational pole vault will be on April 23rd.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... /803310333

Drake Relays: Vaulters will compete at Jordan Creek
BY ANDREW LOGUE • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • MARCH 31, 2008
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A gathering of world-class pole vaulters will take place at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

And it's not because they're into mall walking and Orange Juliuses.

Drake Relays officials are adding an indoor vaulting competition to their itinerary for the annual track and field meet, which will be held April 23-26.



"We have Olympic pole vaulters. We have American record holders," said Relays director Brian Brown. "Let's showcase them in the mall, where a young kid or fan can be up close and personal and really appreciate the event."

The men's invitational pole vault will be held Wednesday, April 23, with athlete introductions beginning at 6 p.m.

Jeff Hartwig, a longtime crowd favorite at Drake Stadium, is among the expected entries.

Hartwig, of Jonesboro, Ark., owns the American indoor record of 19 feet, 9 inches, which he set in Sindelfingen, Germany, on March 10, 2002. That tied him with Russia's Rodion Gataullin for No. 2 on the all-time list. Only Sergey Bubka of the Ukraine has vaulted higher in an enclosed venue.

"It's the mentality of a vaulter," Brown said. "These guys are used to doing these kinds of competitions."

The 99th edition of the Relays will feature nearly 8,000 athletes participating in more than 100 events.

Brown, in his third year as the chief organizer for one of the nation's premier meets, helped bring recent indoor high jumping competitions to downtown Des Moines.

He was inspired to do the same for pole vaulting while strolling through the Jordan Creek complex.

"I thought, 'Oh, this is pretty good space. Pretty good location,' '' Brown explained. "And then I thought, 'Why not?' ''

Scheels and Mercy Medical Center are helping sponsor the event.

The vaulting will take place in the mall's lower level, with each athlete performing to his own theme music.

It's the sort of environment that is used to showcase the sport in Europe but is rarely seen in the Midwest.

"It's not original by any stretch," Brown said, "but it is unique in the United States because they don't hold many events like this."

At least five elite vaulters are expected to join Hartwig:

- Toby Stevenson earned a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics after winning gold at the 2003 Pan American Games.

- Nick Hysong, a former NCAA champion for Arizona State, won the 2000 Olympic title.

- Derek Miles was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, placing seventh. He was fifth at the 2003 World Indoor Championships.

- Giovanni Lanaro, the Mexican national champion, finished second to Hartwig at last year's Relays after clearing 18-8.

- Jacob Pauli, a former three-time all-American for Northern Iowa, was ranked third in the U.S. last year and is vying for a spot on this year's Olympic squad.

From the comments to the above article:

This event is in addition to the track and field events held during the relays. These guys will still be competing on Friday or Saturday. They've done this sort of thing with the high jump in Nollen Plaza in the past and still held the competition at the meet.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... /804200350

Drake Relays: Viewers get rare look at indoor pole vault
BY ANDREW LOGUE • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • APRIL 20, 2008

Up. Close. And Personal.

That's what Jeff Hartwig envisioned when he and Brian Brown began planning Wednesday's pole vault competition at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

"It's going to be the coolest thing ever," Hartwig said of an indoor spectacle that will jump-start the 99th annual Drake Relays. "The thing that's going to be the best about it is, fans will be able to stand either down on the ground level or up on the balcony.



"We're going to be flying pretty close to eye level."

It's the brainchild of Brown, the Relays director. He wanted to create a track and field showcase that would inspire athletes and spectators.

Most of this week's 111 events will take place at Drake Stadium, but Brown was looking for an opening act capable of captivating the casual fan.

"As I'm walking through the mall one day," Brown recalled, "I'm like, 'Oh, pretty good space. Pretty good location. Why not?' "

Hartwig, perhaps the most accomplished vaulter in American history, latched on to the idea.

"I've jumped in several different shopping malls in Germany," Hartwig said. "So it's pretty similar to the normal indoor competition, with the exception of the crowd being so much closer."

Hartwig, the national indoor and outdoor record-holder, assisted in designing a layout that will enable elite vaulters to connect with the crowd.

"We're going to try and set it up where the people can be within just a few feet of the runway," he said, "and really get a good close-up perspective of what it's like."

Hartwig developed his own indoor vaulting facility several years ago.

It's made up of 16 sections, 8 feet in length. When assembled, the runway will be 130 feet long and 4 feet wide.

The takeoff strip also will be 9 inches high, making it possible for the vaulters to plant their poles down in a steel box in front of the landing pit.

"With the high jump, it's pretty easy," Hartwig said. "You can get the pit from a school, and then you just need rubber to lay down for the surface.

"For the pole vault, you always have to have an elevated runway, or you have to dig a hole in the floor. We didn't figure the people at the mall would appreciate a hole in their floor."

The challenges begin when Hartwig leaves his home in Jonesboro, Ark.

He planned to gas up his Ford F-150 this weekend and hitch on a dual-axle trailer, loaded with everything he needs for his visit to Jordan Creek. The typical drive to Des Moines is 8hours.

"It'll probably take a little bit longer pulling the trailer, but I probably drive faster than I should," Hartwig said. "I kind of go back and forth every year whether it's easier to fly or drive.

"I have family in St. Louis anyway, so I'm just going to make a couple-day trip out of it."

Why would anyone go to that much trouble? Brown says it's what makes vaulters tick.

"I think it's the mentality of a vaulter," Brown said. "These guys are used to doing these types of competitions in Europe. It's not original, but it's unique in the United States."

Who all is planning on going to this? Me and my teammate are driving out to watch Mark vault in it!

http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm ... 2C76450B12

Drake Relays start with indoor pole vault
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 9:19 AM
By Todd Kimm
The Drake Relays will start tonight in a unique venue, a suburban Des Moines Mall. Several of the country's top pole vaulters will compete in the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines. American record holder Jeff Hartwig assisted in designing a layout and he brought a portable runway with him.

Hartwig drove up from Arkansas with a stack of wood to build the runway. Hartwig says a critical piece is the box that is eight inches deep at the end of the runway. Hartwig says it kind of puts vaulters on the stage and they "feel like runway models up there."

Hartwig says the venue will allow fans to view the event up close, and he says it's really a chance to take the sport outside the normal stadium setting. Hartwig says the fans will be able to get up close and personal and see how high the bar is, and the vaulters don't have to worry about the weather.

Hartwig says the mall is big enough that the competitors will be safe and fans to get to watch up close. "The pit's gonna sit between Victoria's Secret and William Sonoma, there's a little something for everyone, if the window displays aren't a distraction," Hartwig says.

Drake Relays director Brian Brown added the event after the success of the men's and women's invitational high jump, which was held in downtown Des Moines the past two years. The high jump will be held downtown again during the Thursday noon hour.

Here's a picture from Mark's phone of the set up area for the vault.

or just go here to check it out! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... =695210618

I hear Mark Hollis and Derek Miles jumped 18'8

Miles won as he cleared on 2nd attempt. Hartwig and Pauli both made 5.60. I hear that everyone of those four guys looked good. Jacob short approach

rainbowgirl28 wrote:I hear Mark Hollis and Derek Miles jumped 18'8

Yeah that's true! Mark surpassed his PR by 7 inches. He was on a 210 16'5" brand new pacer carbon FX he just picked up last week
. We're all pumped!

Mark, I am so proud of you dude! It brings chills to my spine everytime I think of that jump dude! So glad I was there to watch it and help you in anyway I could!! Great job man!!

There is a interview with Derek Miles after the vault at this web page. It also shows a bunch of jumps.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 4/80423047