Scott holds the D3 collegiate record in the pole vault along with
being one of the top vaulters in the country (Allegheny sports info) |
1. Your clearance of 18'04.50" at the Doug Raymond Invitational this season added four inches to your previous Division III indoor record. The mark also lead all collegians at the time as well. What have you worked on the most in order to clear such a height?
My main focus coming into this season was to just get faster and stronger. There are other little technical things that I have tried to work on as well, but I think that the problems that I am having technically will be more easily corrected with better base strength.
View
his record setting height - Quicktime video clip
2. As the first-ever Division III vaulter to clear 18-feet, you were also named the United States Track Coaches Association Division III Indoor Athlete of the Year for 2002. What are some of the honors that you will never forget so far in your career?
The biggest honor that I have had was to put on the Team USA uniform at the NACAC (North America, Central America, and Caribbean) Championships. On top of just being able to represent the United States at a track meet I was able to do it well. I vaulted 5.55 m which was a PR and it also set the meet record. To be able to be on an awards stand wearing the USA uniform and hearing the National Anthem because of something I did is something that I will never forget.
3. You are also ranked 14th in the US and 19th in the world in the pole vault. Have you thought much about the U.S. Outdoor Championships and Olympic trials which are both coming up soon?
I would be a liar if I said that I was not thinking about them a little bit. They are a big deal, but I have been trying to just take things one day at a time. Even as we are approaching them ever more rapidly, both meets are so far away, and there are lots of things that I am still looking to do and need to accomplish before then, both as an athlete and as a student.
4. As a Norfolk, Nebraska native, what was the deciding factor for you to attend Allegheny College coming out of high school?
Believe it or not the biggest deciding factor was Coach Blair Hrovat, the football coach. My plans for college were to play football and I had no intention of vaulting after high school. Coach Hrovat was originally at the University of South Dakota when I had first met him and when he began recruiting me there. It was not long after that when he accepted the head coaching position at Allegheny. I really liked what he had to offer as a coach and as a person so I decided to take a look at Allegheny and it happened to be a great school academically and provided me with a great opportunity to pursue my goal of being a doctor. I guess you could say that it was a shot in the dark, but I think that it is obvious that God had his hand in the whole thing and I ended up exactly where I needed to be.
5. What are some of the other strength and conditioning activities you work that help you the most in the vault?
Almost every activity that I do is explosive. The pole vault is an extremely explosive event. I work a LOT on speed and a lot on explosive lifting. I also do a day with some plyo work. Ab strength is also very important so I do lots of ab strengthening exercises. For me being as tall as I am, ab strength becomes twice as important because it gets harder to hold all those long body parts in place.
6. Although you have excelled many times in your event, what are some of the failures you have learned from to make you a better vaulter?
Probably one of my biggest "failures" that really probably turned out a a positive was when I finished second at the NCAA outdoor meet my sophomore year. I went into the meet really thinking I could win. I did have the chance to win at the end but did not take advantage of it. It was one of the worst feelings I have ever experienced in athletics but it lit a fire to never let it happen again. Every body knows that second stinks, but it was the fact that I had opportunities that I just didn't grasp that was really the frustrating thing.
7. Now that you have cleared 18-feet several times, are you looking forward to cracking the 19-foot barrier?
Of course! It is always your goal to keep improving. The good thing is that I don't think that 19 ft is out of the question. I really believe that it is a goal obtainable yet this season.
8. Does it matter to you at all that you are heads and shoulders above your competition at the Division III level when you could be competing against better athletes on a regular basis at the Division I level?
No, because I am still competing primarily against D1 athletes. Coach Ross has been great in allowing me to go to other bigger meets with better competition. This year for instance, I have competed at Penn State, Kent State, and I have competed at West Virginia etc. In addition, I competed with the Elite vaulters on the stage in Reno. So the competition that I face is all of D1 caliber. The only exception is the D3 National meet but a majority of those vaulters would be competitive in division 1 as well. In the past I had looked into possibly transferring, but I just feel that Allegheny is the place for me to be not because of track and field, but because of the other things that I want to accomplish in my life.
9. Who have been some of the most influential people in your life so far and what have you learned from them?
I think the main person has been my dad. He is the hardest working person I have ever known and I can't see anybody working harder than he does. The most amazing thing is how much he sacrifices for my whole family. Even with how hard he works he never missed a game of mine or of my sisters' throughout high school - he always finds time for us. I think a lot of who I am today is because of my dad. He has shown me what it means to work hard and how to set goals and then go achieve them. He taught me so much about how to live and how to live right. Most people are afraid to turn into their parents but I think that would be one of the best things that I could ask for. I thank God everyday for the wonderful people He gave me as parents.
As far as pole vaulting is concerned, I think the whole crew at Bell Athletics has been nothing but positive for me. I spend a lot of time with the group in Jonesboro and they have done nothing but help me develop as a pole vaulter. When someone like Earl shows as much confidence in your ability as he did, it's amazing to see what that will do for your own confidence and the way you look at the sport. It has also been great to get to know the rest of crew. I have made some great friends and learned some valuable lessons. Every time I make the 13 hour trip I come back charged up and ready to go.
10. Do you ever see the day when helmets will be mandatory for vaulters to wear during competition?
I hope not. For me personally, I think they are a bad idea. I know people who wear them and love them, but I hope that I never have to wear one. If you do things right during the vault you aren't going to get hurt. If you know what you are doing there is always a way out to prevent major injury.
11. Are you a regular visitor to the web by checking out some of the other vaulters and reviewing their results?
Normally I don't check that much. I do, however, get weekly updates from my parents.
12. If you could give any kind of advice to anyone in the pole vault, what would it be?
The best advice that I could give anyone is to be patient. The pole vault, especially, requires a great deal of patience because it takes so long to develop strength, technique, and an understanding of the event. Along the way it does get frustrating but when things start coming together it is definitely worth it.