Akron to Host Sixth Annual Pole Vault Convention

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AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron track and field program will host the Sixth-Annual Pole Vault Convention at Stile Athletics Field House from January 6th and 7th, 2018. The event is designed to be an all-inclusive pole vault experience for athletes, coaches and parents and will feature classroom sessions, learn-by-doing clinics, and competitions. Instructors will include world-class coaches and vaulters, in addition to top collegiate and club coaches from the region.

The open atmosphere of the convention will allow participants to choose to attend sessions that are most intriguing to their personal interests. The clinicians will offer their specialized perspective about how to get athletes to follow the ideal pole-vaulting model in addition to seminars about proper training and other ways to take performances to greater heights.

The Pole Vault Convention is the vision of Zips' head coach Dennis Mitchell, who had a pair of former standout student-athletes in Shawn Barber and Annika Roloff compete in the Summer Olympics in August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Barber, the 2015 IAAF World Champion, captured three NCAA titles as a Zip, while Roloff (outdoor) captured individual NCAA national championships in 2014.

This past June, Akron sophomore Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) captured the 2017 NCAA title at the Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore, while sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) placed fourth at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas.

Mitchell also coached All-American Alex McCune, the American and collegiate record holder in the heptathlon pole vault. In all, he has coached more than 100 All-American honors during his career, including All-Americans in the Pole Vault at the University of Texas, University of North Carolina and University of Akron.

During his 22 years at Akron, Mitchell has won 28 Mid-American Conference Team Championships and been named the MAC Coach of the year 26 times. Furthermore, Coach Mitchell's athletes have established the MAC All-Time Records in Indoor & Outdoor Men's & Women's Pole Vault.

Feedback from 2017 Pole Vault Convention Attendees:
"My vaulters and I felt this was an experience of a lifetime.

We had a blast, can't wait till next year!"

"Really enjoyed & appreciated everything! Parent sessions were nice. Appreciated all the Olympic vaulters...very inspiring to my daughter!"

"I enjoyed the guest speakers and the breakdown of jumps on video."

Read the recap of the 2017 Pole Vault Convention.

Registration Information (Opens November 6, 2017)
There are three parts to the registration process for athletes and competing coaches/parents:

**You must complete steps 1, 2, and 3 below to complete your registration for the Pole Vault Convention. You will pay during step 1 through the "Click Here" link. Direct athletics entries are solely for seeding purposes for the pole vault competitions that will take place over the weekend.

1) Register (click here) to pay with a credit card.

2) To be seeded in the pole vault competition you must enter the Pole Vault Convention competition on DirectAthletics (Note: You must register on DirectAthletics to be placed in a competition at The Pole Vault Convention)

Direct Athletics Registration: Open (High School, Middle School, Open, College, etc.)

Direct Athletics Registration: Invitational (Prior Invite/Permission must be granted)

3) Print out the waiver (PDF) and bring it to Convention Check-In

Cost
Register early for cost savings:

Registration Date	Before Dec. 1	Dec. 1-Jan. 1	After Jan. 1
Athlete	$80	$100	$150
Coach	$50	$75	$100
Parent*	$20/10	$30/10	$40/10

* (First parent/each additional parent)

All registration fees are non-refundable | Competition Admission $10
Travel Guide (PDF)

Schedule of Events (as of November 1)
Saturday, Jan. 6th, 2018
10am-5pm: Open Competition
7pm-9pm: Elite Competition
Sunday, Jan. 7th, 2018
9am-12pm: Clinics/Speakers
3pm-7pm: Collegiate meet

College athletes/coaches: Please contact Coach Dennis Mitchell (dwmitch@uakron.edu) for more information on the University/College entry process.

Hotel
Courtyard Marriott
41 Furnace Street
Akron, OH 44308
330-252-9228

Please call hotel and ask for pole vault convention rate, or click here to register online.

Shipping Information
If you are shipping poles, please send Becky Szabo (akrontfxcops@uakron.edu) the date the poles were shipped, date they are expected to arrive, tracking number, and shipping company.

Poles can be shipped to:
Stile Athletics Field House
Attn: Allan Hoon
289 South Union Street
Akron, OH 44325-6302

Vendors
Are you interested in promoting your business at the Pole Vault Convention? Download the Vendor Agreement Form (click here) and return it, via email, to Becky Szabo at akrontfxcops@uakron.edu.

Additional Information
Please contact Becky Szabo at akrontfxcops@uakron.edu with questions about the Pole Vault Convention.

The University of Akron Athletics

Akron to Host Sixth Annual Pole Vault Convention

Players Mentioned

Lucy Bryan

Matt Ludwig

Becky Szabo

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