LIFE IS LIKE A POLE-VAULTER

This is a talk that I gave on Sunday the 13th of February

Pondering about the things that I should write, a friend suggested that I should share a certain story in my life. He told me that my story was not meant to be kept to myself, but shared to others.

It all started out with a dream to attend BYU. In my eyes I though BYU would be a great accomplishment in my life and if lucky participate in a competitive sport. Unfortunately for me I am not a perfect 4.0 student(never been good at taking tests). My chances of reaching my goal were very slim until I stumbled upon an opportunity that would change my life. My sophomore year in High School was when I was first introduced into pole-vaulting. The coach noticed my athletic ability in a wide range of events from 100 meter dash to long jump and even javelin. He told me I had great potential to be a pole-vaulter and asked whether or not I would accept. From a spectator standpoint that sport looked like a death trap,(go into detail about pole-vault) but when the coach lead me to the runway and put a pole in my hand I knew right away that I would thoroughly enjoy this sport.

 

So with only a few weeks of training I was unable to attend King co, but was given the chance to compete in Jr. King co. I was all fired up to compete even though I knew I wasn't any good. But something happened that day that gave me the ability to fly higher then I have ever done before. I ended up winning 1st place in Jr. King co and set a new record, in fact if I would have gone to King co I would have beaten 2 people. This victory sparked a hope that if I continued to practice I would maybe get a athletic scholarship for BYU.

And so I continued to work hard and train to become the best. I spent a lot of blood sweat and tears to better myself, I paid lots of money for special pole-vaulting camps at various locations. My hands bleed less, calluses started to form and my intensity for this sport increased every day. My Junior year under the influence of my new coach and best friend Henry Park lead me on my way to State. I couldn't believe that in less than a year I would be able to qualify for state. Although I didn't place it gave me a drive to become better than ever before. I doubled my efforts and trained harder in the off season. After a long and painful off season my senior year of pole-vaulting was about to begin.

So my senior year I kind of put everything else on hold and solely focused on pole-vaulting. My coach Henry Park worked me out hard every day and we would watch videos of the great Sir Gay Bubka the record holder for pole-vault and compare them to videos of my own vaults. Out of all my years of schooling my senior year was defiantly the hardest for me mentally, physically, and spiritually. I was going through some tough times trying to juggle seminary, school, pole-vaulting and working at the theater. At the end of the day I would try to get at least 30 minutes of homework in before I completely collapsed in my bed. Amidst all this stress I found a cure to calm my mind every day and it was pole-vaulting. The average time for a successful vault is between 4 and 5 seconds, but to me it was my way to escape. When I step on that runway all my other thoughts and cares melted away as I focused on one goal. I wanted to get over that bar and I would let nothing distract me. I would be practicing from 3 30 to sometimes 7 because I loved it so much and didn't want to go back to my daily worries. As long as the sun was up I was out there with my coach pole-vaulting. Now not only was pole-vaulting my passion, but it was also my getaway.

My senior season of pole-vaulting can be summed up in one word...domination. I won every meet except for one time my teammate and I tied which was so fun to see him super happy. The thing that I loved the most was my event usually came last which gave me time to cheer on my other teammates in their events, but also gave my entire team the chance to cheer me on. Sometimes the other team would come over and cheer me on as well. It was the best time of my life, I felt like I was inspiring others and I was feeling good about my own accomplishments. Then towards the end of my season BYU contacted me and told me if I could make a certain height I would be accepted into BYU and even receive a scholarship. I was so pumped I couldn't believe that my dream could actually come true! With this in mind it fueled my fire and I would practice longer and dedicate all my spare time to watching videos. I cannot tell you how many nights I spent laying in bed trying to go to sleep but unable to because my thoughts of pole-vaulting would get me to excited and keep me up.

I was doing well in practice and soaring to new heights until 2 weeks before State qualification something in me changed that altered the rest of my life. I developed something I like to call a mental block. This mental block was so powerful that every time I ran down the runway I would hit a mental barrier that told me I couldn't do it. Halfway down the runway I would let go of my pole and run past the pit. It was so frustrating knowing I can do this because I have done it a million times and for 2 and a half years have spent perfecting myself. Every day It got harder and harder to get off the ground and now I developed a habit of slowing down half way through. So with less than 2 weeks until state qualification I was no wear near ready to compete. I spent all night lying in bed thinking how can this happen to me, how can all my hard work be destroyed like this. The next two weeks were the hardest weeks of my life, the enjoyment I once had was now a burden in my mind. I couldn't focus in school, I had no energy because I had a hard time sleeping, I skipped seminary almost every day it seem like. My life at that time was slowly spinning out of control. I prayed every night demanding to know why this was happening to me. My faith was a little shaken at this time and wondered if prayers really do get answered.

So qualification for State came and I was so worried about my performance and whether or not I was going to make this height for BYU. I struggled to make my first height, my coach continued to cheer me on and help me through the next few heights. As soon as it got a little higher my mental block completely destroyed me. I was losing attempts to go over the bar because I would take too much time in between each failed attempted to run down the runway and plant the pole in the box. After I failed my last attempted my pole-vaulting career was completely and suddenly over. No State and no BYU. Now with nothing to look forward to and only sending out two applications for college I knew I was in big trouble. I struggled to finish my senior year with a 3.2 GPA and rejected from BYU, my only hope was that I would be accepted into BYU Idaho or BYUI for short. For some reason in my mind I thought lesser of BYUI because of their lack of competitive sports and the fact that there was no pole-vaulting. So I bitterly accepted into BYUI and tried to hid my anger and disappointment. I felt with all my hard work I deserved something better. I continued to pray while at BYUI why exactly I was accepted there and not BYU. What was my purpose of being there and what am I suppose to learn. Luckily my attitude and life would change thanks to my mission prep teacher brother Clark. He challenged me to read, study, and ponder the scriptures everyday for many hours. Through all my bitterness I accepted his challenge and proceeded to read the entire Book of Mormon from cover to cover in only 12 days. It was an enjoyable experience much like pole-vaulting that gave me an opportunity to lose myself and read. Now with a better attitude I studied the scriptures and looked up all the references for prayer to see how to receive an answer. After an hour of study I came across a verse in Doctrine and Covenants that changed everything. it reads

Be though humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by thy hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

That was it, I was not humbling myself to receive the answer I needed. I prayed for forgiveness and began to humble myself and open my mind for the Holy Ghost to guide my thoughts. My eyes were opened and I realized the reason why I came to that school was to become a better missionary. If I would have gone to BYU my thoughts would remain solely on pole-vaulting and not becoming a missionary. Not only would it affect my pre-mission, but also while I am on my mission because I would continue to worry about staying in shape and my mind would wonder off to pole-vaulting and not the people I am suppose to be teaching. At BYUI I was rooming with 3 return missionaries who were a big impact in my pre-mission. They would tell me stories, teach me lessons, and get me pumped to be a missionary. I am so thankful for our apartment and for BYUI helping me better myself to be a better missionary. And especially brother Clark who gave me the challenge. I thought I knew the big picture, but our Father in Heaven knows what's best for us and helps us to find true joy in our lives and that prayers do get answered.

Now that my eyes were opened I saw that there are 3 things to learn from my 3 years of pole-vaulting. The first is to never lose sight of your goal. Sometimes we find ourselves focused on other distractions that seem appealing at first, but are used to distract us from what matters most which is to achieve our goal. Just as I would run down the runway I would not let anything else distract my eyes and thoughts away from getting over that bar. The feeling of success overpowers the feeling of those distractions we may have. Brothers and sisters our main goal that we all should focus on is returning home to our heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom. For a pole-vaulter to get over the bar he must focus on the steps that takes him there. (go into detail of the steps). So must we focus on the steps it takes to achieve eternal salvation which is to be baptized, sealed in the temple, and endure to the end.

The second is a very important rule in pole-vaulting that you may hear coaches scream which is to never let go of the pole. The best way to avoid injury and pain is to never let go of the pole. Which at times can seem absolutely ridiculous to hang on, but for those who advise it are very wise and have seen the outcome of hanging on and letting go. To the people who let go of the pole find themselves falling out of control falling into situations they never thought they would be in before. To those who hang on to the pole they are more in control, they use it as a tool to safely guide them to the pad. So are we commanded to hold fast to the pole or the iron rod. For the iron rod is the word of God and it will safely guide us through.

The third I noticed as I was pole-vaulting more and more is that there is a time during the vault where you kind of black out and are unable to recall what happened, but remember the run up and the plant and then all of a sudden you are flying over the bar. But how is your body able to perform a task that seems to require no thought on your part. You are able to do it without hesitance because of a thing I like to call muscle memory. For that part of the vault I used repetition to train my body to perform that part of the vault without me thinking, my body begins to naturally do it. So as we who all strive to be good missionaries study the scriptures with repetition and treasure it up in our minds as it says in Mathew you will know exactly what to say in the moment you need it. Almost without even thinking about it as if it were muscle memory.

Almost every day I can see how pole-vaulting can be related to life and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me those three years of pole-vaulting to better myself and to set goals for my life and give me that chance to get away. Our Heavenly Father sees the big picture and knows what is best for us and all we must do is trust in him, humble ourselves and keep his commandments. So to recap never lose sight of your goals in life and turn away from harmful distractions and to focus on the steps it takes to get you there. Always hold fast to the pole or Iron Rod for it shall safely guide you through. And develop that muscle memory for when the time comes you may know exactly what to do.

Brothers and sisters I know the church is true, I know the Book of Mormon is true, I have read it and have seen firsthand how it can impact someone's life like myself. I know Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God who helped restore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and did not create it, but brought the Priesthood properly upon the Earth once more to perform the saving ordinances of our church. I am grateful for our current prophet Thomas S. Monson who receives modern day revelation to help and encourage the saints of these latter days. The church is true and I cannot emphasize any more how much our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us just look around and see the great blessings that surrounds us. I hope my story has brought new light into your hearts and minds. I am so excited to be able to serve a mission and to serve in Brazil. From pole-vaulting I know what it takes to work hard and achieve goals. Nothing worth rewarding comes easy and I will use this to encourage myself to work hard learning the language and to teach as many people as possible. I love all of you and thank you for your love and encouragement and contributing to who I am today. I say these thinks in the name of Jesus Christ amen.