Sorry so short, last week of grad school-super busy

Hey Everyone!

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for taking so long to update! Grad school has just consumed me lately. X_x. So I have had 2 meets one in at Ohio State Jesse Owens where I got a NH and this last weekend  at Grand Valley, where I jumped a NH… I know another NH…X_X!  Lately I have been working on a more aggressive take off and getting to my top end as well as moving up in poles. It has gotten so much better. I was really struggling all of indoor to have a good take off, finally it is getting back to being strong and consistent.  Unfortunately last week I suffered an ankle sprain which made it hard to run for awhile, but was still able to come back in time and jump. This weekend’s meet at Grand Valley felt soo good, I was running faster and being much more aggressive and felt absolutely wonderful! Unfortunately I was so aggressive I blew through 2 poles in my two attempts…

So overall I am making improvements- however the bars are not there yet. But I know they will come, as long as I have patients and continue to work hard and stay focused.  They will come and I look forward to that day when my hard work will start to pay off.  I will keep you posted. I am thinking about doing some video blogs, feel free to let me know what you think of it! Thanks guys! Hope you all are doing well! I am so blessed to have so many friends and family! Thank you!

-Sorry this is so short, last week of grad school- so much work- a lot of stress!

Jess

Jumping in to outdoor 2012

Hey Guys!

So Last week started my outdoor season. I got to jump at University of Toledo. Unfortunately I NH. As disappointed as I am about a not-so-good start, I still had a lot of fun competing there, all the other athletes were so much fun to be around.  This week(or tomorrow) I am competing at MSU, and have much higher hopes this week :) and am really looking forward to jumping there tomorrow.

Training is going well. I am getting much more consistent which makes me really happy! and I am Hoping to move back to a seven left shortly.

One thing I would like to mention is that my Wonderful parents who are soo amazing, took me out and got me some awesome clothes and new sneakers to train in! So a huge thanks to them for helping on my road to success!! I cant express such thanks!

Currently school is winding down, which means projects and papers are all due. This would be my reason for not keeping up with posting. I promise it will get better once all my papers are done and in! Promise!

Anyways! Hope you are all doing great! And I am still taking donations and sponsors! If you or you know someone who would like to take advantage of getting publicity or just getting that good feeling knowing your helping someone with their dream ( :D) , please contact me or check out my donate button! Thank you everyone for your amazing support! I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family!! And Have a Happy Easter this weekend! I will post my results of this weekends meet next week! :)

OH and PS- My Husband, GUS HEMINGWAY, is trying to become the an ambassador for FOUNDRY cycles, Hes an avid cyclist. And he needs peoples votes! we need YOUR vote!! Please take a moment and vote for him at the link below!! He is in the Midwest section! THANK YOU!!

http://foundrycycles.com/rideforfoundry

Jess :D

Updates well needed! - Back to a schedule

Hey everyone!

I know I have been really busy and slacking on my updates. So Here we are!
So lately I have been working on my plant and my step. (always a work in progress ;)  ) But apparently I have within the last year changed my pole carry from my right side to across my chest, without realizing it. And for the life Of me I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me or my jumps! Thankfully my coach realized what I was doing and recommend I change it back. And Instantly my jumps got better, I am not flying to the left side of the pit, I am more confident in my jumps/plants, Im not as far under, and my plant has gotten higher and earlier (not perfect but significantly better :)) ! Iam Astonished that such a seemingly small thing could have such a large Impact on my jumps. But overall thankful that we were able to figured out one of my problems.

Overall I am really looking forward to an awesome outdoor season. We have had awesome weather (as in 80's in Michigan in March!!---I know right!) lol.  I promise you all that I will get back to a regular posting schedule, recently has been very hectic, and I will hopefully be able to explain why soon. (other then school work of course!).  But otherwise I am so pumped, and absolutely loving this weather!   I hope you are all doing great! Feel free to contact me, I will do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion! Also I am still looking for help with traveling fees, if you know a company or anyone who wish to donate or sponsor please let me know, or check out my donate button!! Thanks Everyone!!  You guys rock!! :D

Jess :D


Also Kudos to Megz and Jen for some awesome PR's at MAC, and to Kate for being such a beast! EMU ladies track you guys are awesome! Keep up the good work!!

NH like a champ

Hi Everyone!

So last week I competed at U of M. And as you can figure out by my title I NH'd or No Heighted. Unfortunately I did not make a bar, However Normally I am usually very livid about doing so bad. But this time was much different. I was upset with the NH, however  my vault attempts were much better this time around. I was much more confident and was able to do a much better turn over. So because my jumps were much better this time and my step was much closer to being on, I am feeling significantly better about NH. (Id rather NH and feel/look good jumping, then make 1 height and feel/look awful doing it).

 I also think I am learning patience. This last few weeks have been very frustrating that I am not competing at the same level as I think I should be. And trying to get my self out of this self-doubt and confusion has only created a more frustrating situation- which we all know gets us no where. So this last weekend I just focused on Jumping and letting the training from practice take over, Rather then stress out on the things Ive been trying to change. It was a reminder that I can't be so absorbed in changing certain things during a meet specifically (cause I will forget the rest of the jump) but rather focus on it during practices. And what you practice will translate to the meets :)

So currently since I am not jumping at the level I was planning on We are pulling out of indoor competitions and focusing on practicing for awhile. This week is a recovery week for me and sort of a step away mental recovery. So I am doing some light cross training, involving some biking and swimming. And then getting back in to some good solid jumping and training shortly after with a clear mind :) (I will not be competing for a couple weeks in order to get things back in order for my jumping.)

Otherwise I am traveling out to Akron with the EMU Womens Track and Field team for their defending of their MAC Championship Title this weekend! I am so Excited to watch them compete :) 

So in overall not competing for a bit to get my jumping back in order, and to chill out my stress and mental craziness. And I have learned If your gonna NH, NH like a champ! lol. (but hopefully don't NH)  : D

Thanks EVERYONE for all the support! Please if you, or you know anyone or business that would like to donate it would be GREATLY appreciated! It will allow me to travel to some bigger meets as well as afford some new training equipment.  Thanks so much guys!!

Jess

GOOD LUCK EMU EAGLES WOMEN'S AND MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM THIS WEEKEND AT MACS!

KUDOS Megz on your PR and some great looking jumps!!

A step in the right direction- keep pushing forward

Howdy Everyone!

So Update Time:
I had another meet, this time at Grand Valley....and well... at least Im consistent. Needless to say I am not happy about my performance, but I did make some progress. We have gotten my step to be more consistent at 10 feet, which is much better then where its been. I have gotten better at my turn over (still needs work).  I only jumped 12'8.  But on a good note my run felt soo much better and the runway was awesome! Its just frustrating when you feel so good, but don't jump as well as you feel.  My last attempt was my worst attempt, I ended up stopping before going up, and ran back to start over. And then jumped, but unfortunately I knew I was tired from the run up, and tried to push harder in the run the second time. This caused me to run myself under or bring my step several feet under causing me to get stood up. with this I know that I got to nervous my last attempt and caused me to question my run.

So what I am/need to work on making the 14'7 162 pole my small pole from now on, continue to get my step out with good turn over, and work on 'not caring as much' during competition.  I know that last one sounds weird, but I have noticed when I am more concerned on just jumping and having fun I do much better, then when I get worried and try to make the height.

And this week I am planning on competing at U of M at the Silverston Invite. My Goals are at this moment for this meet, to get over more then just 12'8 X_x lol, but also working on hitting those big poles and being consistent with my step and swing.

  SO I know this is a short update but Got some homework I have to jump on... (wow no pun intended).... lol Also HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! I hope everyone had a great day whether single or matched!   Ill keep you posted! And please I am still looking for companies or individuals who wish to Donate or sponsor! Feel free to email me or click the Donate button :)  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me too! Love to hear from you!

Jess

heming.j.way@gmail.com

Moving Along.....

Hello Everyone!

First of all I would like to inform everyone that I have just created a new Donate Button on the right side of my blog! So If you, your friends, or Businesses wish to help by donating to our funds for my journey to the Olympic Trails and becoming a Professional Pole vaulter, it will strictly be placed in to an account used only for traveling and supplies for training. And this can be accomplished by clicking on the donate button and following the process through PayPal (don't worry it is safe and you don't need an account).
And in doing so any kind of help we can get is GREATLY APPRECIATED ! Unfortunately it isn't an easy process trying to afford traveling and supplies while living in 2 places (Husband in Hillsdale working and Me at EMU, Ypsi, for classes and training) and going to college. It gets EXPENSIVE FAST, leaving little to nothing to work with. So feel free to donate if you can :) and if you can't don't worry! I am still very grateful for your support!

Moving on... With Updates:
So Again I had some good and bad outcomes from this last meet. First of all I would like to thank the Coaching staff from Notre Dame for allowing me to compete there this weekend and free of charge! I have always loved their facility! Unfortunately I did not jump great there. BUT we did accomplish bringing my step out a whole foot, which is a big improvement for me. :) This is something coach has been drilling in to me this last week of training. So it is translating in to competition.  I was only able to jump 12'8 this weekend, and disappointed I didn't jump higher. But it is the smaller things that I have to fix in order to get things fixed up top in my vault.

And lately I have been getting really nervous and frustrated by my lack of performance in competition. But after some talks with my coach, I am now confident that I may not be jumping well right now because of the changes I am making currently, once these changes are in place they will only help me to jump higher. Because I am 'freshly' changing them, my timing up top and my swing is off. So a little elbow grease in fixing the problems,  and getting my timing down, I should be jumping Much higher in no time :)

Anyways that's All I got this time, but if you have any questions feel free to contact me via email :)
Or Donate! :) 
I will continue to keep you posted. This weekend I am planning on jumping at Grand Valley State University at their 'Big Meet'.

Thanks so much!
 
Jess

Jess

Moving forward...

Hey Everyone!

So update time: This weekend  was really frustrating for me. I was only able to get 12'9  (opening). There are a lot of things that went wrong during my competition and I just did not bring it together. And all weekend I was wracking my brain, on how I managed to fall apart. So with this, I am going to do, in  my terms, a type of  overhaul on my mindset and training.

This Weekend I have also realized that as I am getting older (don't yell at me for bring the age thing in to this) I am finding my self having to take longer to warm up, to focus on rehab/injury prevention, Longer cool down, good stretching, and yes, I will admit.... Eating healthier. Talking with a fellow aspiring athlete, It is the little things that will make or break an athlete. It will determine the caliber of an athlete. And I Will admit that I have been able to skate through my college and high school career of pole vaulting with minimal effort in these areas. So with this and my Overhaul, I am buckling down on these efforts (and Yes I will be trying to eat healthier too lol). Therefore I can Honestly look back and know that I have put forth every effort possible.


Today during practice I was doing wickets, which some of you may know are specifically spaced mini hurdles set up so that you can work on stride lengths and turnover (the set up just before the jump). And during this coach had an Epiphany on my run. And made me move my step up 5 1/2 feet lol.  Which was quite uncomfortable at first, but after several pole runs, we noticed that I was able to get a much better turn over, remove the 'pulling' myself to the box with my run, and not stride out. And with all of this I am able to get a much earlier plant, which will be a huge fix in my vaults, and will allow for a much more efficient transition. So with this I will try to incorporate this newer run tomorrow during practice. I know that it will be very uncomfortable at first and that it will take time to get used to, but "you wont succeed until you go outside your comfort zone."

So with that, It was great to see some good friends this weekend at the IU meet, it was awesome to watch The EMU Lady Eagles compete! And currently I am Looking forward to Hopefully competing at the Meyo invite this weekend! Ill Keep you posted! Thanks for all of your support!!

Jess :)

Patience, Determination, Desire

Hey Everyone!

So this last week was full of ups and downs. And those downs are more like frustrations. lol. So I felt that all last week I had some pretty good vault practices, and I felt pretty confident going in to my next meet at University of Michigan. Last week I was able to transition to a longer run or a 6 left. And it felt really good to be back on my 6 left. However my coach has told over and over and over again that I tend to swing out in to the pit rather then up. This being a combination of my step being inside as well as me swinging outwards in a attempt to get in to the mats.

So with this I thought I was changing my swing more upwards. But after the meet my cousin had taken a picture and posted to facebook, which I was tagged in. When I looked at it, it totally hit me! What coach was explaining and what I was feeling and doing.  That none of what I was doing was what I thought I was doing! Frustrating....absolutely! So seeing this made me very annoyed with my self and vaults and now I can't wait to fix this. I need to fix it in practice and make sure I am actively aware of fixing it during competition.

Any polevaulter can explain how frustrating this sport can be and how someone can explain to you how to change something in your vault, but for some reason you can't seem to get it. And it needs for something internally (either mental and/or physically) to 'click'. And by 'click'- the ability to fully understand/ability to replicate said something. And for each person they need something different for them to have that 'click'. And with this I feel that I fully understand now what my coach has been telling me and I feel that I have a better idea of how to fix said problem.

Soap box moment:
 
 One thing I really strive to do after each meet is to walk away from every competition knowing something that I need to change or work on. Something that I failed at doing while competing and strive to change it so that I can compete better next meet. I truly feel that if you want to fully succeed in something, then you have to always take away something negative from your event and work diligently on changing it. And to be honest about that; I really think this is what drives me the most, knowing that I am always doing something wrong in the vault and there is always something to change! lol. And because the polevault isn't an exact science, and it is always changing, pole vaulters are always changing their vaults, So my vault will never be perfect.... I will be at it for a really long time LOL.

So to step down off my soap box and to summarize, I did not compete as well as I would have liked, and have quite a bit to fix, and more then ever am I more motivated to fix my pole vault. And I really wanted to take the time to state that I am incredibly Grateful and extremely blessed to be where I am at in my life, and to have such amazing support and love from my friends and family! And to have such amazing support from my coaches, and trainers from Eastern Michigan University, and my wonderful Sponsor (Essx Pole vault poles!!). And I would like say good luck to the women Eagles as they (and I) head out to University of Indiana For the Indiana relays this weekend! I am really excited to compete this weekend at IU!

Jess :)

- Oh this past weekend I jumped 13'3 at U of M on a 6 lefts.
Also Kudos to Kiley for a new school record , PR, and taking down my facility record.
As well as Jen For a New PR. Keep it up ladies! Also to Jacob for a PR!

Please keep me posted on Great Performances! Good Luck! :)

Some Improvements this week :)

Hey all!
I am sorry for a later post, this was the first week of classes and was trying to figure out my schedule. My plan is to put up new posts once to twice a week to keep you updated! So my last post talked about some things that I needed to work on, and this week was just the week to do so.

I am currently learning to initiate my top end of the pole vault more actively. By doing this I hope to remove a pause or hesitation in my vault that some of you may have seen. I am working on shortening my grip as well as being more active with my arms after the cord of the pole (which is very shortly after take off). I was able to be more active with my arms several times this week, and because of that I now know what it feels like to do it correctly. :) and once you figure out the feeling, it is much easier to replicate that action. So my goal now is to continue to replicate it and work on creating a habit of it so that it will become second nature.

Another thing I am working on is pulling out my step. Where a pole vaulter takes off the ground is what is known as their step. And mine is unfortunately too close to the box, which some of you know is significantly painful for your back lol but it also reduces the energy conversion significantly, which basically means you wont jump as high or efficiently. My current step for my five left is supposed to be at around 11ish feet, I am unfortunately consistent at 9'6-10 feet(ouchy!).

I also want to do a Shout out to my sponsor Bruce Caldwell from Essx Pole vault poles for sending me a fantastic new pole bag for my poles! It is bright and amazing!  Thank you soo much Bruce for this great pole bag! It will definitely be used well :)

Also my wonderful husband and I are currently working on writing letters to companies for sponsorships or donations. If you know anyone or companies who may be interested in helping us out we would truly appreciate it and will do all that we can to put advertise their company name. Feel free to contact me through email, facebook, or posts bellow. And again I really appreciate all of the support and help from everyone! It means a lot to me to have so many friends and family!

My Email: heming.j.way@gmail.com
Talk to you guys soon!

Jess :)

Starting out

MY NEW BLOG :)
Hey everyone, So this is my new Blog, I have been working on setting up. This new Blog will help you keep tabs on where I am at and what I have been up to in my Journey to reaching the Olympic trails and in becoming an elite pole vaulter. I am also setting this blog up in helping with raising financial assistance with my traveling to meets, I am Looking for sponsorships and or donations that will assist me in reaching my goals to travel to some spectacular meets such as the Olympic trails, championships, and many more fun meets!


To Bring everyone up to date:
I have been training 5 days a week now since September with the Eastern Michigan Track and Field team along with be a volunteer assistant coach. I am being coached by a great and very knowledgeable coach named Jerel Langley (who thankfully has a lot of patients lol). I am currently being sponsored by an amazing company! ESSX POLE VAULT POLES, who has so graciously supplied me with some great equipment! And I cannot stress how amazing their poles are to jump on! They have gotten me to some awesome new heights and will continue to help me shatter the 14 foot barrier and hopefully power through to the 15's :)


 FIRST MEET OF 2012:
January 7th was my first meet, which was held at University of Michigan. It was a small meet but I love jumping there because they have been very efficient with running the pole vault. I was on a shorter approach of 5 lefts and was able to clear 12'9.5. this was a PR (personal record) for my short approach. My main goals for this particular meet was to incorporate a much faster and consistent run for my jump. Which I felt that I successfully accomplish, however with some minor tweaks. I would have liked to have jumped into the 13's, however I did not accomplish an adequate swing and extension as I would have liked. Knowing this I now know what to work on for the next meet :).

 I will post a schedule of my events soon, and will keep you further updated on my thoughts and my accomplishments through out my journey! Thank you to all of my followers/supporters, and most of all my sponsor!

Jess :)