What is the sporting value of pole vault festivals like Touch the Clouds? We asked Stefan Ritter, national women’s pole vault coach and Potsdam pole vault base coach.
Hey Stefan, how would you sum up the Touch the Clouds Festival 2024?
Stefan Ritter: We had a great pole vault weekend here in Gräfelfing. However, that was anything but a matter of course given the weather. It was great that we were able to move indoors on the first two competition days and then had perfect conditions outside on the Black Mamba with the top fields on Sunday – even with sunshine and blue skies. So all the hard work that goes into organizing the festival was rewarded after all.
And what do you take with you as national women’s coach?
I’m happy with our German athletes, even if from a sporting point of view you would always have liked to have reached the next height. Friedelinde Petershofen from SV Werder Bremen, who trains with me at the base in Potsdam, is coming back from a long injury and has to gradually get back to her best, which is 4.55 meters. So 4.21 meters was ok for her in Gräfelfing, even if she herself perhaps still sees that as too small a step. Ella Buchner from SC Potsdam is certainly not satisfied with 4.06 meters, but we tried out new poles here. We wanted to do this on a facility of this quality rather than at the German Championships. Anjuli Knäsche delivered a good competition with 4.41 meters and only just missed out on 4.51 meters. This is a good result that she can now take with her to the European Championships in Rome, where she will ideally be able to jump her best. Congratulations to Olivia McTaggert from New Zealand, who showed how high the standard is at Touch the Clouds with 4.64 meters.
How do you view the world’s top athletes and where do you see the women in Germany?
We don’t currently have the performance density in Germany to be at the forefront of international competition on a permanent basis, but that doesn’t mean that top placings aren’t possible in major competitions such as the European Championships, World Championships or Olympic Games. Pole vaulting is very popular with young athletes in Germany. The organizers are often surprised by the increasing number of entries. However, it starts to get difficult from the U20 level onwards. The girls struggle with stagnation, lose interest or are so busy with their training and studies that high-performance sport is out of the question for them. We have to counteract this and show the talents prospects.
But how can you bring the narrow top end closer to the top performance?
There is no patent remedy. Unfortunately. Pole vaulting is very individual. You can’t get anywhere with simple recipes: “Reach higher, use a different pole or a certain run-up” doesn’t work. We always have to work with the athletes to find the best solution for them. But of course it would be good if we had several women who could jump 4.70 meters and set the standard in training and at courses.
What role do events like Touch the Clouds play in mobilizing and motivating young talent?
Festivals and events like this, which bring together top athletes and young talent on a large scale, are hugely important for the development of our sport. When the next generation sees what the top athletes do and how they approach their competitions, it sets a great example. That should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many women who can jump 4.70 meters. It’s a completely different story for men at this level. It’s much easier to put together starting fields with athletes who can jump 5.80 meters and put on spectacular events. That’s why it’s all the more important to have broad-based events like the Touch the Clouds Festival in Gräfelfing to showcase the breadth of our sport and enrich it with top performances in an exciting and spectacular way. In Wasserburg, Potsdam, Zweibrücken, Leverkusen and Rottach-Egern, there are other outstanding events that are carried out with a great deal of passion. We need a few more of these.
What is the special fascination of such events for you as a coach and athlete?
Athletes and spectators come closer together in pole vaulting than in almost any other sport. You can feel this particularly intensely when pole vaulting in the cities or at the ttc festival, when the spectator benches are just three meters apart between the inrun track and the facility. The spark is quickly ignited.
Doesn’t such close proximity quickly become too much for the athletes to concentrate on?
On the contrary. A good atmosphere spreads quickly. The athletes like it when people clap rhythmically and the basses thump with loud music. Friedelinde just said that she could feel the tartan track vibrating beneath her. Atmosphere generates performance. Everyone benefits from that in the end. Gräfelfing has once again done a great job this weekend. Another good impulse has been set. This is advertising for our sport. Now it depends on what we make of it in the women’s pole vault. For the reasons mentioned, this is not an easy path and still requires a lot of effort. But as ttc has shown, it’s worth it. Photo: DLV