Over the weekend, Geraghty cleared 16'6 ¾” at the Musco Invitational at the University of Iowa.  The mark puts him third in the national rankings for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Get to Know Peter Geraghty

Q: What are some of your goals this season?

A: Obviously most of my goals for pole vaulting include jumping higher, but that is more of a long-term goal. Right now, I just want to be consistent. Another goal of mine is to take away something from every practice. I try to get a little bit of knowledge from everyone around the track whether it's from Coach Carius or from Coach Winder. 

Q: Have you ever participated in sports other than track and field?

A: No. I've always been a track and field guy. In high school, I was a shrimpy kid and was never really fond of team sports. Although track and field is a team sport, I liked it better because of the individual effort involved. Through pole vaulting, I learned everything to make myself a better athlete and a better person.  

Q: As a physical education major, how do you plan on keeping kids in your gym class motivated?

A: Part of motivating kids involves making sure they have fun first, no matter what physical activity they're doing. It's like Coach Al Carius says, “run for fun and personal bests.” As a freshman in high school, I was motivated in track by documenting my improvement, so I could better view my performances. I think kids need to be motivated to improve themselves, and having fun and seeing improvement helps. 

Q: Did you ever imagine being so successful at the collegiate level, especially after placing second at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships?

A: I did not really have expectations for myself going into college athletics. My main motivator was to improve as much as possible. Finishing second in the pole vault surprised me, but it was an amazing experience. There was great competition at indoor nationals and I really enjoyed that. 

Q: What is it like to live in a house full of pole vaulters?

A: Honestly, it's 100% of the reason why I jumped as high as I did at nationals. When you have athletes around you 24/7, you learn more about physical things, outside the track, that help you improve as a vaulter. My roommates and I talk about diets, exercises, and stretching routines that can help us improve. I've benefited from the knowledge that my teammates and roommates Thomas Stacey, John Wood, and Josh Winder have shared with me. 

Q: Is it weird how week to week, you and your teammates switch off as the number one vaulter? 

A: It's not weird because we're not really competitive with each other. We all know what we need to accomplish in order to become better. Focusing on improvement and beating each other is counterproductive because we need to look at our own process rather than what's going on with each other. 

Q:  What kind of characteristics does it take to become a pole vaulter?

A: While there are physical components to being a pole vaulter, there are also important mental and emotional components. You have to pay attention to everything that is going on. If you pay attention to the wrong thing at the wrong time, you can really end up hurting yourself. Part of pole vault involves being motivated to improve. You have to want it. 

Q: What's the best advice you've ever received regarding your sport?

A: That's a really tough question. I guess generally the best advice I have received is to be relaxed.  I see many athletes get over-stimulated at competitions or big events. I was one of them not too long ago, but you have to let yourself be at a relaxed state so you don't tire yourself out. I think that advice has made a huge impact on my performance.

Q: Is there anything you adjust in your training when moving from indoors to outdoors?

A: In indoor season, the temperature and the runway are always the same. Outdoor though, requires a lot of adjustments based on the temperature and the wind. If it's too cold, it is challenging to stay warm and perform at your optimal level. Wind plays around with your run whether it's a tailwind, a headwind, or a crosswind. If you cannot have a consistent run, you cannot have a consistent vault. 

Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete?

A: I'm not sure if I have a favorite, but I've heard speeches from Michael Johnson, and I think he is a good role model for anyone trying to pursue athletic improvement. He has always talked about having a competitive attitude, and being realistic, calm, and focused throughout a race. I don't know if I can include Coach Carius as a professional athlete, but I definitely like to listen to that guy a lot. He's taught me about having that competitive response, being able to kick it into gear, despite conditions or distractions. 

Q: Currently, where are your All-American trophies located?

A: They're in my closet right now. I'm just kind of stockpiling them. I think that eventually they will move to my home with my family.

Q: In such a technical event, how are you able to fix those little things that get in the way of a big jump?

A: By having consistent practices, I've fixed 90% of my problems vaulting. I have to make sure that every practice counts because I will improve by having successful approaches and jumps. The summer gives me the opportunity to work on technical aspects I want to change. When the season starts rolling around, though, I just work on completing vaults and having consistent runs. 

Q: What is a Bubka?

A:  A Bubka is just an exercise that stimulates the upside down extension of pole vaulting. Basically you lift your feet above your head on a horizontal bar, lower your toes down to the bar, and then shoot your heels back into the air in kind of a static motion.

Q: How has Coach Winder helped you become a better vaulter?

A: He's helped me become a better pole vaulter in a lot of ways. First, athletically, he's taught me how to train the right way. I was always a hard worker, but I was never really a smart worker until I came here. Second, Coach Winder has really helped transform the way I walk into meets and into practices. He taught me a better way of mentally preparing myself for meets and practices. Finally, he has taught me to be totally relaxed and efficient with all of my energy, so that everything I do goes 100% towards clearing the bar.