Exclusive interview with Los Gatos HS senior Pole Vaulter, Greta Wagner

1)  How did you get involved in Track and Field?  What different events have you done and when and how did you get started with the pole vault?

Before I did track, I did gymnastics for ten years but it got to be too much. My older brother did distance running so at the end of 8th grade I decided to quit gymnastics and become a distance runner. I did varsity cross country from my freshman year to my junior year in high school. Over the summer going into my sophomore year, my parents heard about a pole vault camp going on at my high school so I went down and tried it out. The coaches were so encouraging and positive that after the first day I knew I didn't want to stop.  In track freshman year I ran the mile, 800m and sometimes the 4x4. Once I started vaulting my sophomore year I did the 4x100, 100, 200, pole vault, and an occasional 4x400.

2)  Tell us a little about your training in the off-season.  What have you done to prepare for the outdoor track and field season? 

My off season training normally consists of me vaulting 2 days a week and running and doing different workouts about five days a week. On the days when I vault, I'll normally do a hard running workout after(150s, pyramids, sled pulls, ect..). The other days I will do running workouts and bar work such as pull ups and Bubkas. The day before I vault it will usually be an easy rest day. In preparation for this season I've just been training hard and enjoying my time in the sport.

3)  What meets have you participated in during the off-season and how did you do in each meet?

So far this year, I have competed in the Reno Pole Vault Summit and the Milrose Games in New York. At the Summit, I matched my personal record (PR) of 13'2" on my first attempt and tied for first. At the Milrose Games, I jumped 13'1.5" and got second place. Both meets definitely got me looking forward to this upcoming outdoor season.

4)  From your perspective, what are the keys to being a good pole vaulter?  During the season, how many days are you vaulting?  What kind of work are you doing in the weight room?  

Speed, commitment and attitude are what I believe to be the most important aspects of a good vaulter. You could have the most amazing form in the world but you will still be very limited to how high you can jump if you don't work on improving your speed. For this reason, I think it's very crucial to always push myself in workouts to help me both in my sprinting races and on the pole vault runway. Commitment and attitude are also very important aspects to becoming a good vaulter. If you're not committed to the sport or don't care too much for it, then you shouldn't be doing it. I think that you have to love the sport you are doing in order to become successful at it. I explained this more in question 2 but two days a week. I really don't do much in the weight room. Core and arm work are normally my go-to exercises.

5)  Looking ahead to the outdoor Track and Field season, what are the invitationals you are most looking forward to racing?  How well do you follow the top vaulters in the state?  What are your current PRs in pole vault as well as other track and field events?

The meet I always look forward to is Arcadia. It is such a fun meet and I get to travel with my team which I love doing. This year I will be able to redeem myself in the vault competition because I won't be doing as many other events. I'm also looking forward to Stanford and of course the CA state meet.  I'm not sure if when you say follow the vaulters you mean how my marks compare or if I follow their markings, so I guess I'll just say that there are definitely some good vaulters in the state but I'm hoping to be closely competing with them this season. My pole vault PR is 13'2, 100m is 12.32 and 200 meter is 25.5

6)  Tell us a little about your coach and how he has helped you get to where you are today.  

My coach has been so crucial in my success and I honestly can't say enough good things about him. Bob Slover has helped me accomplish more than I thought possible and always does what is in my best interest. He's so much more then a coach to me. He's someone I admire and aspire to be like. I truly could not have been blessed with a better coach.