2010 was a good year for the group with some outstanding performance by some in the group, Pole Vaulting is not the most popular event but it looks spectacular. This year we started our season with the surrey Indoor championships; although exams diminished the group we still got some good Pole Vault sessions in, Angharad Seaton got a good silver medal with our other Hearn Hill girls, Rosa Williams taking gold for her age group.
After the Indoors training was going well with the best performances coinciding with the most attendance at training during the year.
Pablo Sisca was our Alan Wicker man, jetting off to exotic places like Portugal, Cuba, New York and Argentina, every month and still found time to come back and Vault, competing in British league, Rosenheim League, and Vet League, and still manage 3.40m his PB. Lily Whitlam did the training; although didn’t compete much during the season still improved her personal best by 15cm on her one competition clearing 2.50m.Young Frasier Hay U16 likes the social grouping, vaulted a PB of 2.40m with again little match competition behind him. Our newest member William McLesh came to the Pole Vault Group at the end of the 2009 season as a total novice at Athletics and especially to Pole Vaulting, but found some wings to maintain a good standard competing for the southern league given vital points for the team, he will be a vital asset to the Club in years to come.
My Golden award for the Group goes to Angharad Seaton who trained well during the winter and came out competed in a few club matches to get her into the season with pb’s, then Exploded for the South of England Championships with a 3.10m vault taking a Bronze Medal having been previously ranked around seventh in the field, along with our very good Rosa Williams taking the silver medal with 3.20m. This sealed Angharad’s entry into the English Schools Championships at Birmingham, again Angharad under pressure from the best in the country came 5th again just behind fellow club mate Rosa Williams 4th place, Angharad has made the biggest improvement in the group of 50cm from her 2009 season in the vault which gives her my vaulter of the year award.
The group is nothing without its diversity and Didier Soral spends most of his time Hurdling, occasionally finds time to join in as does our best conditioned vaulter in Herne Hill Jennifer Honeyball which shows in her 3.35m vault this year. Steven Paston, Jennifer Honeyball, Kate Phillips, Josie Rampley, Eveline Russell, Lauren James, all had session time with the group.
A sudden summer influx from James McDonald’s middle distance youngsters, most taking to the vault very well, with only a few mounts vault practice performed better than I thought they would; giving valuable points to their league, Maisie Hilliare vaulted 2.10m, Billie Barbour, Francesca Meade, Tamsim Cornelius, Georgie Hay, Clemmy Hilaire, Aaron Clark, Merham Yemane, excelled. John Tayleur best of the U17 boys becoming the U17 club champion with a PB of 2.50m.
Eustace Northey.