Athletes of all ages and skill levels are lining up this Wednesday afternoon at the Northshore Academy of Gymnastics in Cedarburg. They've got one thing in common: a love of flying through the air.
GetVertical Pole Vault (GVPV) is a track and field club created to help athletes improve their skills during the track & field off-season. "We get kids who never touched a pole vaulting pole and just saw it on t.v. after the Olympics," says Jason Shimko, founder of the club. "We also have kids that are '60' and used to jump and want to get back into it."
GVPV is open 9 months of the year which allows high school and college athletes year round training, in addition to the regular 3 month track season. Shimko says since the sport can be a challenge on the pocketbook, but that's another benefit of the club. "We have all the equipment you need. You just show up with a pair of tennis shoes."
This summer, GVPV brings a new athletic competition to the city. Vaultfest Milwaukee will be held on July 11th 2015 at the Gun Club Rugby Field down on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Click the player above to hear more from Shimko and a few of the athletes at today's practice. Find out what they have in common and why they love pole vaulting.
