Leading into the 2015 Outdoor season, Texas Milesplit will be starting a new series: Q&A Wednesday. Each Wednesday evening, a different Texas Track & Field top returner will earn the spotlight.
We kickoff with Paulo Benavides, who finished 2nd, but in a tied for best mark at 17'3" with Brandon Bray at the Pole Vault Explosion VI. Benavides comes off an extended 2014 season where he gained valuable experience at major meets. He is the reigning 5A Texas State Champion at 16' 6". Benavides has big goals on his mind this season, and will push himself to the limit seeking the 18' barrier.
| Pole Vault (Graph) | 17-3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-3 | 2nd | 2015-01-03 | Pole Vault Explosion VI | » | |
| 17-2.75 | 4th | 2014-07-05 | USATF Junior National Outdoor T&F Championships | » | |
| 16-8 | 3rd | 2014-06-13 | New Balance Outdoor Nationals | » | |
| 17-0.75 | 1st | 2014-06-08 | Sam Clemmons Invitational | » | |
| 17-1 | 1st | 2014-06-05 | Great Southwest Classic | » | |
| 16-6 | 1st | 2014-05-09 | UIL Track and Field Championship | ||
| 1. What was it about pole vault that appealed to you more than the other track & field events? |
| There is no other event that compares to the pole vault. The adrenaline rush is a big reason why most of us are attracted to the sport.
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| 2. Do you prefer vaulting indoors or outdoors, and why? |
| I prefer jumping outdoors mainly because of all the meets but indoor is fun and it is nice not having to not worry about handling bad conditions.
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| 3. When you're vaulting, are you thinking about previous misses, or is the focus solely on one vault at a time? |
| I think about why I missed that jump and what I can learn from it then forget about the miss and apply what I learned on my next jump.
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| 4. Describe the atmosphere at the Pole Vault Explosion. A meet where there are no other distractions or events. Is it difficult to have the added pressure of knowing every person there is focused on you? Or do you thrive in that environment? |
| The atmosphere at the Pole Vault Explosion was awesome! It's fun competing at an event where everybody is watching only the pole vault. Knowing everybody is watching you is a situation I love jumping in. To me it makes it even more fun and exciting.
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| 5. How does having another outstanding athlete like Brandon at the same meet push you to be a better competitor? |
| Competing with other vaulters like Brandon is so much fun. It makes for an extremely competitive atmosphere because we both want to win and jump at new heights.
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| 6. When the bar was getting up towards 17ft, how did you stay calm and focused? |
| I believed in my training and the things I have worked on all fall and just kept having fun.
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| 7. For those of us who prefer to keep two feet on the ground, describe what it feels like to clear the bar 17+ feet in the air. |
| It is like no other feeling. There is so much involved in the sport and to clear big bars my technique has to be good and I have to be running fast so it is really exciting because I know my training is working.
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| 8. Who has been an inspiring figure you look up to and gives you motivation to push yourself to the limits? |
| It is hard to pick just one person. I look up to my dad a lot for all his knowledge and experience in the pole vault and with him also being my coach. He has taught so much and I will always continue to learn from him. My mom has always been there for me and supported from the start and I'm always trying to make her proud. And also my grandfather. He accomplished great things as a runner so I look up to his successes and they motivate me to do great things.
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| 9. Up to this point, what victory or moment in your vaulting career has meant the most to you? |
| Definitely getting to represent the U.S. at the World Youth Championships in Ukraine. It was a great experience and I learned so much from it.
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| 10. Looking ahead, after clearing 17'3" this early in the year, how high can you go? |
| Its tough to say exactly how high I can go but I know I have a great chance to jump 18' indoors and even higher later in the outdoor season. We will just have to wait and see! |