Innsbruck

Well its been a little while since my last post but the last week has been just crazy traveling around western europe.  After Hengelo we traveled straight to Cologne or Kolne Germany, spent the night with a German vaulter named Michel Fraun who traveled with us to Vienna for our next meet.
The meet in Vienna was the first street vault they have had there and the meet director George is a great guy and really took good care of us.  The day started off fairly nice just a bit cloudy and temps around 60.  We got to the meet around 3:00 and ended up riding this "Big Wheel" which was a huge ferris wheel that once was the biggest in the world.  After that there was a junior competition and we were couple with some up and comers from Austria, we helped to coach them and they helped to catch our mids and takeoffs which was kind of cool.  I know that when i was in high school if Tim Mack or Jeff Hartwig had helped me out and coached me a bit that would have been huge. 
After the Junior comp, we started warming up and wouldnt you know it just as we did the rain started to come down.  Nothing too heavy but consistent  enough that i had to tape my poles probably 3 times each.  The runway was about 15 ft too short for my long run and so i had to come from 8 steps.  I havent run from 8 in about 2 years, but a little suprisingly it was an easy transition.  I had a great warmup, got on the 13.6 and bombed about  16'6".  Since the rain was still coming down i decided to take it easy and come in at 5.15m or 16'11".  I came down and made the bar by probably a foot and a half or so. Next the bar went to 5.30m 17'5", i think it took me two jumps to make the bar after a few adustments, but by then i was on and feeling a pretty good day coming.  Bar went up to 5.40 and it was just Jeremy and myself in the comp.  I came down the runway first time and had a great jump, just hit the bar off on the way up.  I knew i had the bigger pole, but decided to stay on the smaller one and push the standards back, had another great jump, took off around 14ft and made the bar.  Jeremy had made it on his first so he was in the lead going to 5.50 18ft. 
At 5.50m i dont know if the weather was getting to me or what, but as soon as i went up to the bigger pole i was under on my takeoff and just couldnt put a good jump together.  So Jeremy and I tied at 5.40m but because he made it on his first he won the comp. 
I was def dissapointed because the way I was feeling 18ft was no problem that day even with the weather. 

Well here I am in Innsbruck Austria after a day of travel, we left Vienna this morning at 9 and got to Innsbruck by train at around 2.  All the vaulters were taken to an outdoor adventure park called Area 47, check it out http://www.area47.at/en/home We got to do the zip line which was over 300m long, which was pretty cool but nothing compared to the flying fox,  we climbed up to the underside of this bridge and climbed along some log bridges, dont worry i have pictures to upload.  They we got to the end and were attached to 2 ropes, so now Im about 130ft up, and you jump off, freefall for about 25ft and then you swing out over the parking lot, it was a lot like bungee jumping, i also have some video that i will upload some time. 

Tomorrow is the meet here in Innsbruck, and its looking like were gonna have some great weather!  Finally!!!  Weather.com says 75degrees and sunny, holy cow it would be nice to have one meet here with decent weather.  I have been feeling good and know i just need one good day and 19ft is gonna happen.  And why not tomorrow?  Thats my attitude going into the meet, im going to just trust my vault and have some fun, and i know the heights will happen.  Well i dont come home until Sunday so i will have plenty of time to update on Saturday, as far as I know right now at least. 
Thanks to everyone for your comments on Facebook, they really do help!  Seeya on the other side.

Always Pursuing -Mark-