Until today I had not been to a track meet since about 1980. And today I watched pole vaulting for the first time. Yeah, I've seen it on TV of course, but I never had seen it in person. It is an impressive sport. So many things have to work just right.
I am uninitiated in the sport, but here are some of the variables that have to land just right: running speed, angle of the pole during run, placement of the pole, angle of the body through the whole jump, pushing the pole away from the bar, clearing the bar with all bodily appendages.
Furthermore, pole vaulting is not one of those things you do half way. You have to put your whole body into it, with full force, or you will fail miserably.
On the other hand, you get more than one try, so it's okay to fail a lot. And you almost always push yourself until you fail.
I'm sure there are some life lessons in all of this. It's okay to fail. Put your whole self into what you do. Keep trying to get everything lined up just right. Follow through until you land. Give yourself enough momentum to succeed.
Pole vaulting looks fun, but I don't think I could do it now. Life is fun and I am doing it now.
