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Olympic champion Jenn Suhr will pole vault at golf course

May 28, 2013 11:23 AM | 1 Comment

Written by
Steve Bradley

Olympic pole vaulting champion Jenn Suhr is going green. Or at least fairway.

Suhr, who won a gold medal at the London Olympics in August, will participate in the New York Invite Series, a sanctioned pole vault event, on Friday at White Birch Golf Course, 1515 North Lyndonville Rd., Lyndonville, Orleans County.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. will take place on the second fairway and features six pole vaulters, including Suhr, Janice Kepler of Medina, the fourth-ranked women’s pole vaulter in the United States, and Heather Hamilton, a top Canadian pole vaulter.

White Birch is owned by Harold Suhr, the brother of Jenn Suhr’s husband and coach Rick Suhr. Rick Suhr said admission is free and 2,000 posters of his wife will be given to those in attendance.

Rick Suhr said one of the most frequently asked questions his wife hears from area fans is “Where can I see you jump?” This event, located about 50 miles from both Rochester and Buffalo, will give people from western New York’s two largest cities that opportunity. Jenn Suhr was born and raised in Fredonia, south of Buffalo, and now lives in Riga. She was a standout basketball player at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili before taking up pole vaulting in 2004. She won the first of her 13 national titles 10 months later and the Olympic silver medal in Beijing in 2008.

Jenn Suhr, 31, coming off a victory at the adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet on Randall’s Island in New York City this weekend. Suhr was the only vaulter to clear 15 feet in conditions her husband described as “brutal” with a wind-chill in the 30s.

“I’ve never seen a field of great pole vaulters just get buzz-sawed like that,” he said.

He also expects good competition this weekend for his wife, who is ranked No. 1 in the world.

“She’s not going there to jump low,” Rick Suhr said. “She’s in great shape, she’s healthy and she’s jumping well.”

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Suhr set to vault on Lyndonville golf course


Posted: Thursday, May 30, 2013 1:42 am
By Bill Bruton Jr. bbruton@batavianews.com | 0 comments

LYNDONVILLE — Olympic champion Jenn Suhr has pole vaulted all over the globe.

But on Friday, the Fredonia native will participate in a pole vaulting event at a totally different site — a golf course.

This will be a sanctioned event — the New York Invite Series — on White Birch Golf Course.

“This is a unique thing,” said Rick Suhr, her husband and coach. “It’s literally right down the middle of the second fairway.”

The competition is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday with a rain date of Sunday. There is no admission fee. Refreshments will be available.

“This is a great atmosphere. People can come out and bring a lawn chair,” said Rick Suhr, whose brother, Harold Suhr, is the owner of White Birch.

Janice Keppler of Medina, currently ranked No. 4 in the United States, is also in the field.

“She’s(Keppler) red hot right now. She’ll be a big draw in that area,” said Rick Suhr, a Lyndonville native.

Heather Hamilton, the top-ranked Canadian female pole vaulter, is also in the field.

Free posters of Jenn Suhr will be given out to all those who attend.

“People are amazed to see this up close,” Rick Suhr said.

There will be another competition at the site the following Friday, according to Rick Suhr.

“We have only commited to this Friday. We may be in Europe the following Friday,” he said.

Jenn Suhr was a star basketball player at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili before taking up pole vaulting in 2004, under the tutelage of Rick Suhr.

Just 10 months later she won the first of her 13 national titles.

She earned a silver medal in the sport at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and then hit the pinnacle of her career with a gold medal in 2012 at the Summer Olympics in London.

Jenn Suhr, the top-ranked female pole vaulter in the world, is coming off a win over the weekend at the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet on Randall’s Island in New York City.

The Suhrs have a home in Kendall.

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Suhr sets bar high, does not disappoint in local pole vault competition

Nick Serrata/For Daily News


Posted: Saturday, June 1, 2013 12:00 am

By Paul Mrozek pmrozek@batavianews.com | 0 comments

LYNDONVILLE — There’s an old cliche about setting the bar high when establishing one’s goals but when that saying is applied to pole vaulter Jenn Suhr, it’s meaning is both figurative and literal.

Suhr, of Kendall, 2012 Olympic gold medalist and world indoor record holder in women’s pole vault, attempted to clear the best outdoor height in the world this year, 16 feet, 1 inch, on Friday night, but was unsuccessful.

Suhr won the event when she vaulted successfully at 15 feet, 7 inches on her first attempt at that height Friday.

Suhr landed on her back on the cushions, sat there for a moment, then looked up at the bar as if to check if it was still in place. It was the same height at which she won her gold medal last year in London.

She failed three times Friday to clear 16 feet, 1 inch. Suhr and five other women vaulters competed on apparatus set up at White Birch Country Club.

Suhr’s husband and coach, Rick Suhr, organized the free event, which also featured Medina native Janice Keppler.

Keppler, 26, is sponsored by Team Pacer and has the fourth-highest outdoor vault in the country this year.

Keppler cleared the bar on her third attempt at 14 feet, 7 inches, and finished second to Suhr. Linda Hadfield came in third when she failed three times at 14 feet, the minimum height required to compete in the Olympic qualifiers.

Suhr passed on all the attempts until the bar was placed at 15 feet. She cleared that easily on her first try and then was successful at 15 feet, 7 inches.

Others in Friday’s contest were Claire Dishong of Brockport, three time all Ivy League competing for Cornell University; Erin Champion of the University of Tennessee, top freshman in the Southeastern Athletic Conference and Hadfield of New York Mills, two-time All American and teammate of Champion’s at the University of Tennessee.

Suhr, a Fredonia native, and Heather Hamilton, the top-rated women’s pole vaulter in Canada, rounded out the field.
Hamilton is sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada.

Suhr, a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College where she was a star basketball player, is sponsored by adidas. She did not take up pole vaulting until she graduated from college.

Suhr, 31, said afterward she was confident of reaching 16 feet 1 inch but competed on tired legs.

“The height was there all day. It was the (lack of) timing of it,” she said.

Suhr said she started her intense training sessions in April and will continue it into August.

“A long season to stay in shape, and not eat dessert,” Suhr said.

She usually scales back her workouts as she readies herself for major competitions but didn’t do so prior to Friday’s event.

“This is something that’s fun to do,” she said.

Keppler said it was fun to compete in front of family and friends.

“It just kind of made it special. I was just so excited there was so many people here,” she said.

“There’s nothing like jumping on a golf course,” Keppler joked.

Keppler, who is Suhr’s training partner, was asked why so many top-level pole vaulters are from Western New York.

“I think it has a lot to do with what Rick and Jenn have done,” she said.

Suhr said success helps generate interest.

“I think when people see it, they are inspired by it,” she said.

Friday’s sanctioned competition took place on the fairway of White Birch’s second hole. An elevated runway was set up for the women to make their approach to the vault pit.

Several hundred people watched. The biggest rounds of applause were for Suhr and Keppler.

One of the spectators was Wes Bradley, retired Lyndonville High School track coach.

“Awesome, amazing for Lyndonville,” he said.

Richard Frank of Rochester was at White Birch with his wife, Lynn.

“This is terrific, to have the gold medalist,” he said.

Frank said he’s watched pole vaulting in the past but not at an elite level.

“That was exciting,” he said, as Suhr cleared 15 feet, 7 inches.

Suhr holds 11 national records and earned 13 titles. She also won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

The Franks have a cottage on Lake Ontario and were invited to Friday’s competition by their neighbors, Tom and Sue Weber of Lyndonville.

“Awesome, can’t beat it,” Mr. Weber said of the competition.

“Small town, world class event, unbelievable. I’ve always been a fan of pole vaulting,” he said.

Another pole vault competition is slated for June 7 at White Birch Country Club. The rain date is June 9.

This may be a silly question, but did they shut down the entire 9 holes of the golf course?

I know it's only 9-hole course, so how did they allow golfers to golf "through" the second hole? Did they direct the golfers to play another hole twice to make up the full 9 holes?

It just seems to be rather expensive for a course to shut down their business entirely for a couple hours while they host a free PV event.

Also, maybe a better question (but maybe not): Was it on a raised (board) runway, or was it a grass runway? Or maybe they rolled out a rubberized runway directly onto the grass?

Kirk

It was a raised runway.

Does anyone have meet results or competitor's lists?