Words of Wisdom - Sam Kendricks

Published by SPIKES on July 2, 2015

USA pole vault champion and qualified US Army officer Sam Kendricks gives his profound words of wisdom.

1. Stand your ground

“A great coach from the UK, Allan Williams, once told me: 'when you go to a championship and everyone is out of their element, if you can only stand up, most others will fall down around you and you'll be on top’.

“What he is saying is that as long as you don't fall below your usual standard – not sprint or jump, just stand up – then you will do well on the biggest stage. It is what I hope to do in future to be a consistent athlete.

“There have been occasions when I have fallen short of expectations. At the SEC Championships in 2013 I was underprepared working with longer poles and I did not jump my best and finished seventh. On that occasion I did not stand up.