The Apex Vaulting Podcast

This episode we have the great pleasure of talking with Nicole Pompei, a New Jersey High School state champ and high school All-American. SHe discusses her pole vault experiences, why she had to stop, and how she got started power lifting. We discuss how she feels power lifting could have been useful during her pole vault career.

Branko has his first phone podcast with Mike Lawryk the founder of Vertical Assault and coach of sevral national champs and national records across the high school and collegiate levels. They discuss how to create a system when coaching to guide the development of athletes. Enjoy!

Branko sits down with long time Apex club member Gabby Mercurio, the Gabby of Gabby's line, and they discuss training and the importance of tracking data to prevent plateaus. The technical and physical aspects of training require record keeping in order to keep a handle of whether or not you are getting better or worse.

On this Episode I sit down with Mark Cortazzo the founder of USPVA. We discuss Mark's inspiration for starting USPVA, it's goals, and pole vault in general. The energy and passion Mark displays is amazing.

Branko Miric sits down with Joe Oliveri and recaps the thrilling USA's Championship weekend. They go over Katie Nageotte's amazing day and victory as well as Scott Houston's win as well. There is also a coaching tip covered at the end of the episode as well.

Our second episode from the 2018 Akron Pole Vault Convention, we sit down with Tim Winder and his athlete and son Luke Winder to discuss the family dynamic involved in their pole vault as well as the progression that the Winder family uses to coach everyone in their system.

From Akron, Ohio, our second episode with Katie Nageotte, ranked 6th in the world last year with a PR of 15'6" and won the Akron Elite Competition this year. We discussed her training with American Record holder Brad Walker among other topics.

Branko sits down with Harvard senior and pole vault school record holder Marlee Sabatino to talk about how pole consistency affects athletes and coaches, midmarks, and the importance of easing off the throttle to work on technical aspects of the vault.

Branko and Joe sit down to discuss the concept of an "industry standard" that applies to the pole vault as far as technique, training, and the sport as a whole.

With a little over a year between Episode 0 and now, Branko sits down with Craig Van Leeuwen and Billy Frederick to review the beginnings of the podcast and where its brought us today. They also discuss some topical aspects of our sport today such as tapping and lifting.

A meeting of the minds straight from Sin City itself. In this guest packed episode Branko talks with Shawn Francis, Michael Cyphers, April Steiner Bennett, and Sandi Morris about the where the pole vault community is and where it should be going.

Episode 17 brings us back to Andrew Flores to talk about persistence in the face of difficulty and the importance of guidance to progress. From coach to coach it's full of wisdom for coaches and athletes alike to further their understanding of their sport.

Part 2 to the two-part episode 16 with Samford vaulter Tray Oates. This episode goes deep into nutrition, eating clean on a budget, and training. It's an absolute must-listen!

From Birmingham, Alabama, the first part of a two part episode Branko recorded with Samford pole vaulter and USATF Championships 8th place finisher Tray Oates. They talk about how pole vaulting is presented on social media, how Tray got to where he is today, lifting vs. not, and much more.

If you missed anything on the Instagram live stream with Branko and JoeBro the whole companion is right here. Was there a part you wish you could go back to and listen to again? All three hours of it is available for listening.

This episode Branko sits down with Joe Oliveri, JoeBro391 on Instagram, and the announcer of the upcoming Pole Vault Club Championship. They discuss using the Internet as a resource for coaching, the line with critiquing elite athletes, the way track and field is marketed, and much more. Definitely a must listen!

In this highly informative episode Branko sits down with physical therapist and distance runner Linda Van Leeuwen to get into what is happening with the most common injuries that plague vaulters and track athletes in general and what to do about them. To ice, or not to ice, that is the question...

From NCAA D3 Nationals Branko sits down with Katerina Stefanidi 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Women's Pole Vault. They discuss the nature of progress as an athlete at difference experience levels, the importance of a technical approach to all aspects of the vault, fostering competitiveness in track and field, and much more!

In this episode Branko sits down with Apex Saturday Session coach Andrew Flores and go deep into the technical aspects of coaching. Everything from the run to the relationship between grip and mid-mark (what?!?!) is all explained and more in this spiritual successor to Episode 3.

The second episode from Mall Vault! Branko sits down with Shawn Francis to discuss training and his journey in the pole vault and where that has led him.

From the Mall Vault in Scranton, PA, Branko talks to Scott, Jill, and Mike about the pros and cons of collegiate pole vault as well as the level of competition at vault-exclusive meets.

In this episode Branko sits down with RIT pole vaulter Steven Yeung and Ramapo vaulter Calvin Hartman for a recap after Nationals. They also discuss motivation, passion, and achieving happiness and success in sports and in life.

From Division III Indoor Nationals Branko sits down with SUNY Brockport coaches Ed Jaskulski and Andy Fetzner. Ed is the throws coach as well as the strength and conditioning coach, and Andy coaches the pole vault at Brockport.

From Akron, Ohio, Branko discusses the difficulties of training as a post-collegiate athlete with Katie Nageotte. Katie is a professional pole vaulter who ranked at 16th in the world for the 2016 indoor season and tied for fifth at the 2016 US Olympic Trials.

In this episode Branko discusses the importance of building strength, keeping track of data, and tailoring training to the season with Apex Vaulting and Ramapo College pole vaulter Calvin Hartman.