pole vault

[jim in paris]

salut la compagnie !

I wanted to share this news :  a young athlete , champion of France pole vault under 18 last year (5.40m) has just succeeded at the Baccalaureat (final exam before higher studies)
phew! with all the training ,the odds were low..
I have been his teacher for 2 years and yesterday we had a little celebration
he invited us to watch a few jumps indoors... between 4.10 and 4.50m
I was standing just underneath the bar and could suddenly feel the violence of the pole getting into the "hole" , before literally "throwing" the body of the athlete in the air
his name is Pierre Cottin (check for more in google)
he is a good kid, from rural background, with me and another teacher he discovered how to have a critical judgement on things and how to use dialectics
(...)he once told me " avec vous monsieur , on se sent plus intelligent"

may be he will reach 6m in the future 

signing off
jim

[the Earl of Whirl]

5.40 is near 17-7 and is a very good vault for someone under 18.

I wish I could have been with you watching him vault at 4.10 (about 13-6) and 4.50 (about 14-6).

Good work on helping him to Baccalaureat.  I, too, hope he will get to 6.0 meters.  I will be watching for Pierre Cottin!!!

[the Earl of Whirl]

I also see where Pierre is a good high hurdler.......like near 14 flat!!!

[the Earl of Whirl]

Hey Jim, here is a related item.  A pole vaulter I have been working with just won the nationals.  He is 84 years old!!!  He went down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and came back with a big medal for winning his age group.  He said he did not expect much press from any of it as there was a 95 year old man there who set a world record!  Amazing stuff.