Welcome to Rise Pole Vault
Pole Vault Memberships
Shop
Rise Pole Vault Blog
Event Schedule
Pole Vault Resources
Pole Rental
It all started with a coffee can…
Yes, a coffee can. In 1973, RISE coach Tim Winder walked home from school through the small town of Woodlawn, IL not knowing that the direction of his life was about to take a hard turn. When he arrived home, his dad, Harold Winder, had made him a pole vaulting set up, if you want to call it that. He had mowed a path in the grass for a runway, buried half of a coffee can in the ground for a planting box, tilled up some dirt for a landing pit, and gave Tim a bamboo pole from a roll of carpet to vault with. They both had no idea the spark that had been ignited that afternoon. That day the foundation for RISE had started to be laid…
Tim’s school, Woodlawn High, did not have a track team, but there was nothing that was going to stop him from pursuing his new passion for pole vaulting. With no coach to help him, he began to absorb as much knowledge as he could followed by a ton of practice on his meager backyard set up. All of that practice eventually culminated in an Illinois State Championship and state record for Tim his senior year in 1979, but that was just the start…
Need some fresh perspective and content??? Check out the One More Jump Podcast!!!
Rise Online Store
RISE Pole Vault Blog
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at RISE? Like, what do the coaches group chat or talk about after-hours? Well, here is a sneak peak into the RISE coaches group chat. The coaches at RISE are on a constant quest to improve our methods in order to give each and every athlete the best instruction and…
My dad, Tim Winder, had a rule at his pole vaulting camp that he ran at North Central College for 25 years. It was actually the number one rule, and to him the most important rule of them all. That rule was “No Talking on the Pit”. It was developed after an unruly teenager, that later became my high school…
The 1⁄2 drill is the first pole vaulting drills that we teach at RISE that is 100% an “off the ground” drill. The main point is to teach an athlete, through this drill, how to drop the head and shoulders simultaneously when having the top hand in the proper position at the time of the head and shoulder drop. This…
What People Are Saying About Us
Emily S.
Josh K.
Kim K.
Jonah K.
Andrew U.
Carmen T
Jack O.
Victor R.
Kelly C.
Accomplishments
USATF NATIONAL MEDALISTS
USATF NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
COLLEGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
STATE CHAMPIONS
STATE MEDALISTS