PoleVaultPower.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/article919456.ece

Next stop for Suhr: London Games
Fredonia native overcomes injury to earn second trip to Olympics; Saxer first alternate
NEWS STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Published:
June 26, 2012, 2:00 AM


Updated: June 25, 2012, 8:17 AM

EUGENE, Ore. - Jenn Suhr of Fredonia is headed back to the Olympics.

And she did it the hard way.

Suhr overcame a Grade 2 tear in her quadriceps suffered four weeks ago to win the pole vault competition in the U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday. That put her on the American team that will be in London in about six weeks.

Suhr cleared 15 feet, 1 inch to win the competition. That was two inches better than Becky Holliday's best effort, and it was a happy ending to about a month of drama.

"For five or six days, Jenn and I were walking around trying to figure out how to tell people we were done," said Rick Suhr, her coach and husband. "If you know about Grade 2 tears in sprinters, that injury would have ended the season. But she's gotten better and she got to the point where she could win it."

Suhr had missed a couple of pre-trials meets, including the Prefontaine Classic here earlier in the month.

"I can't tell you how difficult it is to win in that situation. She's the only one who could have done it," Rick Suhr said.

Jenn Suhr passed on some of the lower heights in an effort to conserve energy. She only had about 75 percent of her speed.

"We trained for what we needed to do," she said. "We cut my run down. We worked on everything technical. ... Technically, I'm a better jumper than I was before now."

Now there's time to prepare for the Games in August.

"I would say she's healthy," Rick Suhr said. "If things go well, she'll be ready."

Suhr, the 2008 Olympic Trials champion, won the silver medal in Beijing, finishing behind Russian world-record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva.

The event had been scheduled to begin Friday, but qualifying was canceled due to heavy rains.

"They had 29 girls in the finals, and that's suicidal," Rick Suhr said. "I don't think there's a more pressurized meet. It's worse than the Olympics."

Mary Saxer of Lancaster came very close to fulfilling her Olympic dream. She and Lacy Janson both cleared 14-9. However, Janson won on a tiebreaker.

"It came down to misses," Rick Suhr said. "There were three girls left when Jenn went. If Jenn didn't make it, Mary would have. Jenn knocked everyone down a place.

"Mary had one shot to make the team, but missed at 14-11. That was an absolute heartbreaker. But, Mary is the first alternate."

Janice Keppler of Medina, the other member of the Western New York contingent, finished in a tie for ninth. Her best vault was 13-11?.

"We had three from Western New York in the top nine. That's pretty good," Suhr said.

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2687327.shtml?cat=565


Suhr bound for London
Posted at: 07/12/2012 3:29 PM | Updated at: 07/12/2012 8:43 PM
By: Robin De Wind | WHEC.com

Rochester can boast about a number of local Olympians. All eyes will be on Riga pole vaulter Jenn Suhr as she goes for gold in London.

Jenn Suhr and her husband and coach, Rick Suhr, leave for London in two weeks. Suhr enters the London games as the number one female pole vaulter in the world. She’s healthy, excited and ready to go for gold.

Suhr said, “I’m excited, when I was in the 2008 Olympics, I didn’t know what to expect. I know what’s out there and I’m going to be prepared for this one.”

Winning gold in London may not be a sure thing, but Jenn Suhr is certain of one thing. She is in the best place she can be heading into her second Olympic games, both physically and mentally.

Suhr said, “To be able to out and hit and execute the form that I needed under those conditions I was happy.”

Suhr, the top ranked female pole vaulter in the world, cleared 15 feet 1 inch to win the women’s pole vault in the U.S. Track Trials in June. Despite her world ranking, it was a high pressure must win to even be able to qualify for the Olympics. Suhr suffered a quadricep injury in the weeks leading up to the critical meet.

Suhr said, “This was probably the most stressed I’ve been for a meet. Even the Beijing Olympics, I think it was the injury. I wasn’t 100% and I was going there in less than ideal conditions.”

Rick Suhr said, “When she was hurt for the trial, four weeks before, she thought she was done. We talked about it for two days about how to tell everybody that she was done and not going to the Olympic games.”

The Suhrs have learned how to creatively compete injured.

Rick Suhr said, “We invented a thousand different ways to pole vault without pole vaulting.”

Suhr hold 12 titles, holds the U.S. record in pole vault and has a silver medal. Rick Suhr says forcing U.S. athletes to go through Olympic qualifiers is outdated.

Rick Suhr said, “It's a problem because the top five people we compete against don't go through a qualifier. They are selected. They get to rest through that time and train. They don't have to peak twice.”

But maybe that’s what makes Jenn Suhr so good. Her experience through adversity has only made her better. She’s healthy, confident and ready for whatever comes her way in London.

Suhr said, “Right when I got back from Eugene, I had a package on the step. It was my uniform. I tried it on to see the design of what the Americans are wearing, what team USA has for us, it's exciting. If we can stay injury free, I'm where I need to be. What ever the answer is, things are looking promising.”

Suhr will continue her training for the next two weeks before leaving for London. News10NBC will have more with the Suhrs leading up to the pole vault event in August.

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sully_on_s ... again.html


Jenn Jumps Again
July 9, 2012 - 1:31 PM | 1 comment
Evidently, Jenn Suhr is recovering nicely from the quad injury that hampered her at the Olympic Trials. Last weekend, Suhr cleared 15-10 at the Gill Field Fest in Champaign, Ill, giving her the best women's vault in the world this year. Two weeks earlier, while nursing a Grade 2 tear of her right quadriceps, Suhr had won the Trials and a return trip to the Olympics with a jump of 15 feet, 1 inch.

"I feel pretty good," Suhr said Monday by phone from her home near Rochester. "I took a full run in (Champaign). I wasn't used to running at that speed. I was healthy and running faster than normal. The box looked like a blur. It was nice to open up my legs and run."

Suhr had taken a shorter run on her vault at the Trials in Eugene, Ore., two weeks earlier. She passed to 14-11 in Eugene and cleared it on her second try. After making 15-1 on her first attempt, she didn't jump again. Suhr attempted to break her American record of 16-1 1-2 in Illinois, but didn't succeed.
Rick Suhr, her husband and coach, said Jenn is 95 percent healthy and will be ready for the Games in London. The women's pole vault qualifying will be held on Aug. 4 in London. The finals are Aug. 6.

"We're on target," Rick Suhr said. "She's almost healed. I don't know if we'll continue to get treatment. It was the first time she took a full run since she got hurt. We're happy with it."

I think most of us are hoping for gold!

http://www.observertoday.com/page/conte ... l?nav=5010


Suhr predicted to take home bronze
July 11, 2012
OBSERVER Staff Report , The OBSERVER

The Associated Press released its predictions for the 2012 Summer Olympics track and field events Tuesday.

In the women's pole vault, the AP predicted Fredonia native Jenn Suhr will take home the bronze medal. Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva is the favorite and Brazil's Fabiana Murer is predicted to take silver.

Isinbayeva will be going for a third straight gold medal. No woman in track and field has managed to win an individual Olympic title in each of three successive games.

"This is my goal," she told the Associated Press.

Since the 2008 Olympics, Isinbayeva has had mixed results, but seems to be finding her winning form just in time for the 2012 Olympics.

In 2009, she took first place in both the IAAF Golden League and World Athletics Final. However, in 2010, she placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships and in 2011, she took sixth at the World Championships. However, at the recent World Indoor Championships, she took first place.

Murer placed 10th at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. However, since 2009, she has been dominant. That year she took first place at the South American Championships. And in 2010, she placed first in the World Indoor Championships and first in the Ibero-American Championships. This past year, she won the South American Championships and the World Championships again.

Her personal best is 4.85 meters.

Since Suhr's silver medal performance in 2008, she has continued to be the most dominant vaulter in the United States.

In 2009, she broke her own American record twice. Once at the Boston Indoor Games and then again at the U.S. Indoor Nationals.

The only misstep for Suhr came in 2009 when she was forced to take some time away from vaulting to recover from an Achilles tendon injury. But in 2010, she regained her winning form, winning the USA Outdoor Gill Women's Pole Vault in Des Moines, Iowa for her fifth consecutive U.S. outdoor title.

In 2011, Suhr took first place at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and second place at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. With other big wins in 2011, Track & Field News named Suhr the world's No. 1 pole vaulter.

Suhr punched her ticket into the 2012 Olympics with a first-place finish at the Olympic Trials.

Hope she stays healthy and keeps getting stronger Go Jen, Go USA!

http://www.observertoday.com/page/conte ... l?nav=5010


Olympic fever
Community rooting for Fredonia’s Suhr

July 29, 2012
The OBSERVER

By STEFAN GESTWICKI

OBSERVER Sports Reporter

Fredonia native and two-time Olympian Jenn Suhr (nee Stuczynski) is officially in London, confident and prepared to chase the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Suhr's parents, Mark and Sue Stuczynski of Fredonia, were all smiles when talking about their daughter - who brought home the women's pole vault silver medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.

"We're extremely proud as parents," Mark said. "It's not a boasting kind of proud. Just as with any of your children, if they work hard you want to see them accomplish the goals they set before them."

"It is hard to believe," Sue continued. "But if you knew Jenny and knew her determination and her stubbornness to accomplish tasks, it's not that hard to believe."

Participating in the Olympics is often described as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but for Suhr, this will be her second attempt at pole vault gold. The second time, however, is no less special than the first.

"If anything it's more special," Mark explained. "She has her husband (Rick) with her this year and not just her coach.

He's a good husband and really watches out for her best interest, not just as an athlete but as a wife, too."

"It's definitely not less special," Sue reiterated. "I wouldn't say we're seasoned veterans either. It's funny how much things have changed in four years."

Four years ago, there was an explosion of community support. This time around, the region has once again been "phenomenal."

"People are coming into the business and wishing her well," Mark, owner of the Fredonia Food Mart & Deli, said. "I know the yard signs are going up for sale. Of course the proceeds of the signs will go to scholarships for students from Dunkirk and Fredonia."

Julie Essek is on the committee that oversees the sign sales and agreed that 'Suhr Fever' has once again caught on in Western New York.

"The community is continuing to support Jenn," Essek said. "The committee, her family and the community will be closely watching her events.

"We're not having the big events like we did last time, but we're still doing the yard signs," she continued. "We've given scholarships every year since the last Olympics."

As for Suhr herself, she is more calm and confident the second time around without the mystery of the unknown.

"She knows what to expect," Mark added. "She's already made enough accomplishments. She got ranked No. 1 in the world in 2011. She doesn't really jump against other athletes. She jumps against herself and tries to better herself."

"She is well prepared," Sue said. "She really feels it this time."

Having already won a silver medal in 2008, one might expect that anything less than a gold medal in 2012 would be a disappointment for Suhr. The Stuczynskis don't see that as the case at all.

"No, I don't think she'd be disappointed," Sue said. "For Jenn, she just wants to do well. If she does well, she's going to be pleased. She definitely wants the gold, but she won't be disappointed."

"Any athlete that stands a chance to medal wants the gold," Mark added. "She's very satisfied with the silver, but to rank No. 1 at the Olympics would be quite an accomplishment. Jenny wants to be No. 1 at whatever she does in the athletic world."

The Stuczynskis know how their daughter feels, not from talking to her, but from talking to her husband and coach, Rick Suhr.

"When we talk to Jenny, we don't talk about the Olympics," Sue explained. "We talk about her dog. She'll ask about her grandparents or neighbors."

"She talks pole vault 24/7 to everyone else," Mark added. "When she calls us, it's like a little vacation. We try to keep it like that because every time she calls we don't want her to think that all we're interested in is the pole vaulting. We're interested in her well being."

Knowing she has her family in her corner gives Suhr that much more confidence headed into the 2012 Olympics, where many family members will be present.

While Suhr's parents are unable to attend this year for a variety of reasons, her brother Matthew will be in London supporting his sister. Her husband will also have a number of family members in attendance.

"Matt wasn't able to go to China," Sue said. "So he's excited."

Suhr arrived in London on Wednesday, but chose not to participate in the opening ceremonies on Friday.

"It's something like nine hours on your feet," Mark said. "Between the procession and the time getting ready beforehand, it really wears your athletes down."

The women's pole vault qualifiers are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4, when the field of around 50 athletes will be narrowed down to the top 15 or so.

From there, the finals will be Monday, Aug. 6. and will be televised on NBC from 8 p.m. to midnight.

"The stress to qualify is always there," Mark noted. "On any given day you can have your A-game or your less than A-game."

If Suhr is at her best, it might only be a matter of time before she brings an Olympic gold medal back to Fredonia.

Great article! Hope Jenn does awesome.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/olympics ... t=Olympics

Suhr vaulting to popularity with Kobe, Team USA
By MARK CANNIZZARO
Last Updated: 10:09 AM, July 31, 2012
Posted: 12:40 AM, July 31, 2012


LONDON — U.S. Olympic pole vaulter Jenn Suhr was minding her own business, working out in the weight room the other day, when she had a chance encounter with Kobe Bryant.

Suhr, an upstate New York native who won silver in Beijing as Jenn Stuczynski before she married her trainer, said members of the U.S. basketball team were in the weight room while she was working out and Bryant took notice of her difficult exercise on a high bar above the weights.

At one point, the basketball players were cheering on Suhr, who played college basketball at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester and is the school’s all-time leading scorer, in her workout, and then Bryant chatted with her for almost a half-hour.

“He just asked a lot about the event and he found out about her basketball background,’’ Suhr’s husband and coach Rick said. “Once he found out about that, he was really interested in women and women in sports. He talked about his daughters being athletes, starting to be athletes, and how he likes to influence them with role models. Then he asked for a picture with Jenn, which I thought was really cool.’’

Jenn said, “It was exciting. He was talking a lot about individual events, how it is to compete individually versus a team. So we talked a little bit about that, too. There’s a huge dollar-sign difference, you know? But really, we’re both here for the same kind of goal. The Olympics brings people, communities and countries together. That’s what it’s about.”

Asked if she told Bryant about her college hoop records, she joked, “I tried not to bring that up. No resumés.”

Suhr, a native of Fredonia, N.Y., a town 50 miles south of Buffalo, holds the U.S. women’s record at 4.92 meters (16-2) in the pole vault, and has 11 national titles indoor and outdoor.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/olympics ... z22JdlaxkR

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/art ... /307290087


For pole-vaulting star Jenn Suhr, competing is big leap of faith
She has bounced back from injury to take another run at gold in London
6:25 PM, Aug 1, 2012 | Comments


Written by
Jim Mandelaro
Staff writer

Jenn Suhr was done. Toast. Outta here.

Her dreams of Olympic gold weren’t just tarnished, they were finished.

“We sat there for three days wondering how we were going to tell everyone we’re done,” said her coach and husband, Rick Suhr.

The world’s top-ranked pole vaulter tore her right quadriceps during a workout at her home in Riga in late May. The Olympic Trials were 4 ½ weeks away, and she had to finish in the top three to qualify for the London Games.

And now she could barely walk, let alone soar 15 feet over a bar.

“It was just a terrible feeling,” said Suhr, a Fredonia native and Roberts Wesleyan graduate who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

“We were in shock,” Rick said. “Jenn stayed upstairs for two days. We didn’t even talk about it. I’m about to cry just talking about it now.”

Jenn nursed her injured quad and stayed away from the pole, skipping the Prefontaine Classic and adidas Grand Prix.

And she prayed. Unsure of how her leg would respond, the pair traveled to Eugene, Ore., in late June for the Trials.

“I just told Jenn, ‘I think you can jump high enough to qualify,’ “ Rick said.

He was right. Jenn only jumped twice but cleared 15 feet, 1 inch to win the Trials, beating runner-up Becky Holliday (14-11) and Lacy Janson (14-9).

Next stop: The London Olympics, and another chance at gold. The qualifiers are Saturday at 10:20 a.m. London time (5:20 a.m. here). The finals are Monday at 7 p.m. (2 p.m. here).

“I can’t wait,” Suhr said. “I’m super excited.”

As always, standing in her way is Russian legend Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic gold medalist. After taking 2011 off, Isinbayeva set a world record (for the 28th time) in the indoor vault this past February and seems primed for another gold rush. At 30, she’s four months younger than Suhr.

Suhr’s own coach and husband openly calls Isinbayeva “the greatest women’s pole vaulter in history.” But in the next breath, he adds that no 2012 Olympic athlete in any sport has been more victorious than Jenn.

“She’s won 12 U.S. titles,” he said. “Yelena doesn’t have 12 Russian titles. Can you imagine someone winning 12 U.S. Open (golf) championships?”

Sports Illustrated is not impressed. The magazine did not even list Suhr when predicting the medalists: Isinbayeva was first, followed by Brazil’s Fabiana Murer and Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg.

“Oh well,” Jenn said with a smile.

“We don’t care about predictions,” Rick added.

Rick said he believes the women’s pole vault could be the “marquee” event of these Games.

“The Brazilian (Murer) is a world champ and one of the five all-time highest vaulters. There’s Isinbayeva, the best pole vaulter ever, and Jenn. And England has a vaulter, Holly Bleasdale, who could medal. So the place will absolutely erupt.

“The women’s pole vault is going to be amped up.”

Jenn had never even touched a pole until Rick — a former state wrestling champion and standout pole vaulter at Spencerport — saw her playing basketball at Roberts Wesleyan in the spring of 2004. She graduated from Roberts that year with a degree in psychology — and as the Raiders’ all-time scoring leader (1,733 points).

Rick Suhr noticed Jenn had height, speed and athleticism and asked her to try the pole vault. She reluctantly agreed, and was an instant success. After training for only six weeks, she jumped 11 feet, 4 1/2 inches to finish sixth at the NAIA Championships. The next winter, she entered the U.S. Indoor Championships unseeded and emerged as the champion, beating 2004 Olympian Kellie Suttle and 2002 national champ Mary Sauer.

Her career, like her vaults, has only skyrocketed since.

The 2011 season was one of injuries and fatigue for Suhr, who was diagnosed with Celiac disease — a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing certain foods when gluten is consumed. Jenn is now on a gluten-free diet and eats plenty of steak, salmon, fruits, vegetables and gluten-free bread.

“Rick’s pretty much gone gluten-free too,” she said with a laugh. “That’s all I buy.”


Suhr pronounced herself 100 percent healthy. She proved it on July 7, setting a world season-high with a vault of 15-10 at the Gill Field Fest in Champaign, Ill., her final tuneup before London.

“It was a great way to go into the Olympics,” said Suhr, who has continued to work out at the Riga home she shares with Rick.

Suhr’s silver medal in Beijing was overshadowed by controversy over how Rick talked with his star athlete. He was miked by NBC, and many felt he berated her after a second-place finish.

Rick said among things: “It’s the same old, same old. You’re losing takeoff at the big heights. . . . Hey, it’s a silver medal.”

Jenn defended him then and continues to now, saying she had asked him to analyze what she had done wrong. The Suhrs, who were married in 2010, had kept their personal relationship private before the 2008 Olympics.

Four years later, Rick says it’s water under the London bridge. He already has been miked by NBC for another big event and would again if asked for these Olympic Games.

“I think in the end, people that pursued that story looked kind of foolish,” Rick said. “They tried to look for something that wasn’t there. But I think NBC and us are OK.”

In fact, NBC taped the Suhrs leaving for London.

“They think it’s neat what you have to go through with the poles at the airport,” Rick said. “We have a good relationship with NBC.”

Jenn offers no predictions and says she’d be fine with a silver medal to match the one she earned in 2008. But there’s no mistaking her favorite color these days.

“Gold,” she says, “would be the ultimate.”

Defenitely rooting for gold. Go usa