Posted: June 6, 2006

Athletics: Interview With Canadian Pole Vaulter Dana Ellis

Athletics Canada (AC): - At what point in your career did you realize you had what it took to be an elite athlete?
Dana Ellis (DE): - I began pole vaulting in my last year of high school. I never had ambitions of making it to the elite level. I just wanted to do it for fun. I had spent 14 years of my life training as an elite-level gymnast, and after retiring from that sport, all I wanted was the opportunity to try sports that my gymnastics schedule had never allowed me to have time to try. I picked up the event (pole vault) quite quickly because of my gymnastics background. I placed third at the 1999 Canadian National Championships after only a year of pole vaulting. I credit my coach Keith Heard of London, Ontario. Even after this success at Nationals, I still wasn’t eager to try and make it to the “Big League”. My major goal at that time was to finish my undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo, and go to Medical school immediately afterward. It wasn’t until the Francophone Games in 2001 that I realized that I might have something to offer the event and that the event might have something to offer me. It was my first major international-type competition as a pole vaulter. I jumped 4m and placed 4th (at that time my personal best was only 4.10m). More than the height, or ranking, I realized that I was as physically and mentally capable of jumping high as my international competitors. The night after the meet, I was driving home with my mom and I told her that I no longer wanted to go to medical school after I graduated from the University of Waterloo. I wanted to compete in the pole vault at the 2004 Olympic Games!

AC: What are your plans for the rest of 2006 season?
DE:I really don’t have any major goals for the rest of the 2006 season, other than to jump high!!! This year is a down year in terms of major championships, so I’m looking at it as an opportunity to get some things figured out for the next two years. I am making some major changes in my vaulting. Things that are going to allow me to jump the 4.80’s and 4.90’s that will give me a real chance for a medal at the 2007 World Championships and 2008 Olympic Games. The changes are coming together nicely in practice right now. I am able to clear 4.60m and 4.70m when I line things up right. It’s still very inconsistent though, so it will take some more practice and many more meets before I can consistently turn my 4.40m jumps into 4.60m and 4.70m jumps. Sometime you need to take a step back before you can move forward, but it will be worth it in 2007 and 2008.

AC: You’ve been competing and training as an elite athlete for a number of years. Has your training style and approach progressed over the years, or have you been sticking with what works?

I have changed coaches a few times over the years, so my training has changed a little bit. The more I mature as an athlete, and the more I learn about the event, the more I realize that what I need to work on most is technique on the runway and on the pole. I am already naturally fast, strong, and mentally tough, gymnastics helped a lot in the development of these things. Because of this, I have been able to get away with a lot of technical errors and still jump fairly high. The more I compete overseas, the more I realize that 4.40m and 4.50m jumps aren’t going to cut it anymore. The event is progressing so fast I need to be jumping higher to remain competitive, and to achieve this I need concentrate more on the technical aspects of my vault.

AC: At what point does an athlete decide to set their sights on the Olympics?
DE:I knew I wanted to compete at the Olympics at age four… but as a gymnast. My parents had just enrolled me in local gymnastics classes and as I watched the Olympics on TV that summer I thought, I want to do that!

AC: What is the toughest part about being a Pole Vaulter?
DE:The toughest part about being a pole vaulter is that there are many external factors that go along with the event, some of which are out of our control. It is a very mentally taxing event. I think this is why pole vaulters can sometimes be very inconsistent. You can pole vault 4.20m one day, and 4.60m the next. The wind plays a big role in a pole vaulter’s performance. If you have ever tried to carry a 4.5m pole into a 3m head wind, then you know what I’m talking about. There is the question of what pole to use (based on the weather conditions, how you are feeling physically, the depth of the box, etc.). Then there is the question of where to place your standards (based on the pole you are using, what height you are jumping at, how you are jumping technically, etc.). Pole vault is also so tough because it is such a technical event. One minor error in any part of the approach, plant, take-off, or jump, and things can be thrown off big time.

AC: How did you get started in Pole Vaulting?
DE:Prior to starting the sport, I was a gymnast on the National Team for 7 years. During the last two years of my gymnastics career I endured multiple serious injuries, two of which required surgical intervention. After tearing my Achilles Tendon in 1997, I decided it was time to give up the sport I loved and let my body rest! I actually joined my high school swim team that year, thinking that it would be good rehabilitation for my achilles tendon. I really took to swimming, and thought that it might be my next sporting endeavor. I also tried a little bit of rugby because all of my friends were on the team… not a good sport to play when you’re trying to let your body recover! Then came track season. My cousin, Jeff Ellis, who was a 400m hurdler on a track scholarship at the University of Kentucky at the time, told me about pole vault, and how former gymnasts tended to make good pole vaulters. I had never even heard of pole vaulting, but as it turned out it was offered at my high school. I loved it the first day I tried it… although I did choose going to my senior prom over pole vaulting at OFFSAA that year!

AC: What are some of your goals away from the track?
DE:I would like to become a pediatric orthopedic surgeon one day (I have to get into medical school first though). I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love children, and I have always aspired to become a doctor. I definitely want to have children of my own too. My husband Russ wants 4, but that’s still under discussion… One thing I know I definitely want is to live close to my family. I have been away from them for so long because of sport. I would like my children to grow up close to their grandparents as well. I think that’s important.

AC: Do you have any superstitions?
DE:I used to be VERY superstitious as a gymnast! I would have to cough twice and pull my pony tail once before every routine, and I had a little stuffed dog named Champ that had to be in my bag at every competition or I was “doomed for failure”! I am anything but superstitious now. The only thing that I feel I have to do the night before every meet is visualization. I have had good performances after doing completely random and different things. I broke the National Record two years ago after having a hamburger, french fries, and ice cream for dinner… I don’t advise doing this on a regular basis though!

AC: Do you have a specific pre-event routine?
DE:My pre-event routine often varies. I generally get to the track about 1.5 - 2 hours before my event starts. If it’s cold outside I usually get there 2 hours prior so that I have more time to warm up. Sometimes I like to listen to my ipod, and sometimes I don’t feel like music at all. My warm-up routine varies according to how I am feeling and what the call room procedures are. If I need to “wake up” a little, I will add a lot more explosive, nervous system activating exercises to my warm-up routine, if I feel pretty “good to go” I will cut down on my warm-up volume all together. If I’m tight, I’ll stretch a little more, etc. I am not the kind of person who feels like I have to go through the same routine every time I compete to achieve good results. Every meet situation is going to be different, so why not try and adapt to it and go with the flow? Even my pre-meet meals will vary. Sometimes in Europe, you don’t have a choice… you have to make due with what you have, but I always try to eat as healthy as possible, well except for when I ate that hamburger, fries and ice cream!

AC: What is your most memorable moment from competition?
DE:When I cleared 4.41m (the Olympic A Standard at the time) at a meet in Houston, Texas in May of 2004. Prior to that, I had been jumping great in practice, but struggling to clear anything close to 4.40m in a meet. I felt like people were probably starting to doubt my abilities as a pole vaulter and potential Olympic Team member. My husband (and coach at that time) believed in me and kept reassuring me that I would jump high soon. When I cleared 4.41m that day in Houston I thought, wow, I am going to the Olympic Games. Things can turn around at the drop of a hat. Anything is possible.

AC: What are some of your interests and hobbies away from the track?
DE:Away from the track I like to surf, swim, read and watch Grey’s Anatomy. I’m addicted to that show!

AC: What are your thoughts on the stereotype that follows some women in sports; the better you look, the less you are acknowledged for your accomplishments, and more for your appearance. If these types of attitudes help grow the awareness and popularity of woman’s athletics, is it necessarily a bad thing?
DE:I think any publicity is good publicity. If it takes an Anna Kournicova, Danika Patrick, or Tatiana Gregorieva to open peoples’ eyes to women’s athletics, then so be it. It really can’t do any harm can it? In the end it helps us all out.

AC: You are the Canadian Pole Vault record holder with a jump of 4.51m. How satisfying is it knowing you have vaulted higher than any other Canadian women in history? Is there a new Canadian Record in the future for Dana Ellis?
DE:It is definitely an honour to be the Canadian National Record Holder, especially with all the talent we have in the field. There are a few Canadian pole vault gals who are quite capable of jumping super high. Although I am happy with the record, in no way am I satisfied with the height. I am hoping to better the record by a lot this year, and in years to come. Hopefully the Canadian record will be closer to 5m someday soon, and hopefully I’ll be the one to do it.

Rapid Fire Questions

AC: What do you have jamming in your ipod right now?
DE:I have a bunch of 90’s hits in my ipod. I love 90’s music.

AC: What is your Favorite movie?
DE:A toss up between Anchorman and… well anything with Will Farrell makes me laugh!

AC: What is your favorite food?
DE:SUSHI

AC: What is your favorite city/event to compete in?
DE:Anywhere close to home. It’s not often that I get to compete at home. I am so excited that the Canadian Championships are in Ottawa this year!

AC: If you weren’t an elite athlete, what else would you be doing?
DE:In my 4th year of medical school (maybe… it’s so hard to get in).

This article was posted with the permission of Athletics Canada.To read more from The Gold Standard, Athletics Canada's monthly newsletter please visit: Athletics Canada.

Subscribe to the Gold Standard at: Athletics Canada.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest