Steve Hooker came to the sport of track and field later than most, but this past year has risen to the elite of the pole vault. Entering the 2006 season Hooker had a best of 19'3-1/4", but by seasons end he would up his best to 19'6-3/4" and claim victories at the Commonwealth Games and World Cup. Over the last few seasons there have been few new faces in the pole vault wars, the Australian is now shaking the event up and leading the new wave of athletes in the event.

Steve Hooker File
Age : 24 (born July 16, 1982)
Height 6' 1-1/2" Weight 181 lbs
Hometown : Melbourne, Australia
Favorite food : "I love food, I'll eat and enjoy anything that is done well. "
Favorite music : Strokes, Arctic Monkeys,
Status: "Single and plan on staying that way for a while"
Siblings 2 brothers 1 sister. "I'm number 2 "
Personal Bests
100m 10.79
200m 21.1
Pole Vault 19' 6-3/4"

American Track & Field (ATF): Both your parents were very talented track athletes - how much did they influence you to start track & field?
Steve Hooker: "My parents have always been a steadying factor in relation to my athletics, they didn't let me start doing athletics until I was in high school. This at the time annoyed me but now it's something I'm grateful that they did. Now days they are quite hands off when it comes to my athletics, they are very supportive but only offer advice when I ask for it. "

ATF: Your first real impact on the world scene was a 4th at the World Jr's - can you talk about how you found your way to the pole vault - what is your athletic background?
SH: "When I was young I played a lot of sport but only really competitively in Athletics and Aussie Rules Football. When I was 17, I was forced to make a decision between the two and World Juniors and the possibility of going to the Olympics steered me towards Pole Vault. "

ATF: You made a big jump in performance in 2004 going from a best of 17'6-3/4" up to 18'6-1/2" - what do you account for this?
SH: "For the two years following World Juniors I really struggled with the mental side of vaulting. I was running through a lot, not able to grip high or jump on big poles when I did take off. At the start of 2004 something just clicked and I regained some of my old confidence and it has been building ever since."

ATF: 2006 started for you with a win at the Commonwealth Games and ended with a win at World Cup - which of the two was a bigger win?
SH: "Melbourne is my home town and that is where the Commonwealth Games were held, I jumped in front of 80,000 people and put together a flawless competition. It was a really special day and to do it in front of all of my family and friends made it even more special. It is going to be hard for anything to top that. "

ATF: How difficult was it to keep jumping at such a high level over such a long period of time?
SH: "Straight after Commonwealth Games I started a heavy training block that went for about three months, I didn't have my next competition until I jumped in Rome in July so it was pretty much like two separate season."

ATF: It must be difficult traveling with poles - any wild stories of getting them from 1 place to another?
SH: "To many to mention and they are just too traumatic to even recall. "

ATF: What is the best part and the worst part of the travel on the circuit?
SH: "The best part of traveling on the circuit is hanging out with all the vault guys. It seems like it doesn't matter where your from if you pole vault you have an automatic connection and we all get along really well, have a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. Definitely the worst part of traveling is dealing with poles and airports. "

ATF: What happened with you 19'8-1/4" (6 meter) jump - at first you were given credit for it then the result was changed?
SH: "Paul (Burgess) and I both jumped 19'4-3/4" and passed to 19'8-3/4"(6.01 meters), Brad(Walker) missed but didn't want to do consecutive jumps so he also passed to 19'8-3/4" as well. I was first in the order and made a first up clearance at what I thought was 6.01. Went over to my coach and discussed what I would do at the next height and when I looked around I saw Paul taking a second attempt at 19' 6-3/4" at that point I realized that the officials mustn't have passed us all as we had asked."

ATF: In many of your competitions you seemed to come in, get a height, then pass many heights almost to the point of waiting 'till there were just going to be a few jumpers left. Was this your strategy and will you keep doing this even in major championships like the upcoming World Champs?
SH: "Most competitions throughout the year I opened between 18'4-1/2" and 18'6-1/2" then had my next jump at about 19' _" this was tactical is I felt that 19' _" was a height that would place top three at most meets. If I'm in form I believe this is something I will continue to do."

ATF: Back home in Australia are you a full time vaulter or do you have a regular job as well?
SH: "I work three days a week for a property development firm in Perth, I find that it is a good distraction from Pole Vault and it helps me to stay grounded and keep my Pole Vault in perspective. Also, I think it is very important to set up life after athletics which is something I think a lot of athletes neglect."

ATF: If you do have a job - now that you have risen to such an elite level - will you still work or just train full-time?
SH: "I hope to continue working on a part-time basis throughout my career."

ATF: Any plans on coming to the U.S. to jump at all?
SH: "I'd really like to come and do some comps in the States, it seems like there are some great meets over there like Modesto and Prefontaine and I'd also like to do the Reebok Indoor meets sometime."

ATF: In 2002 and 2003 you had some injuries - what happened?
SH: "I had patella tendonopathy for nine months and a lot of back issues as well, these injuries did nothing to help my mental state at the time."

ATF: Australia has a pretty good group of vaulters right now - do you guys train as a group or are you alone?
SH: "I moved this year from Melbourne to Perth to train with Paul and Kym Howe. Vicky Parnov (3rd at WJ's ) also trains here."

ATF: What does a normal week of training look like?
SH: "Three weight sessions, two vault session, two to three running session, one gymnastics session and extra session like yoga, pool sessions."

ATF: What things do you think you need to improve to make you even a better vaulter?
SH: "Consistency. I put together three or four jumps this year that were pretty close to the technical model that I am working towards. If I can jump like that all the time I will jump higher more often. Having said that the most important thing is staying injury free, if I can stay injury free in the lead up to World champs and Olympics, I will be stronger faster and my technique should also progress to where I want it to be."

ATF: What is your biggest asset as a vaulter?
SH: "My coach says my best asset is the fact that I'm a bit crazy. I think my best assets are my highly competitive nature, my work ethic and good genetics."

Steve Hooker Athletic File
Personal Bests
100m 10.79
200m 21.1
Pole Vault 19' 6-3/4"

Progression:
1999 16' 5" (5.00m)
2000 17' _" (5.20m)
2001 17' 4-3/4" (5.30m)
2002 17' 2-3/4" (5.25m)
2003 17' 10-3/4" (5.45m)
2004 18' 6-1/2" (5.65m)
2005 19' 3-1/4" (5.87m)
2006 19' 6-3/4" (5.96m)

International Championships/Titles
2000 World Jr Championships 4th
2003 World University Games 11th
2004 Olympic Games did not make the final(28th overall)
2005 World Championships did not make the final
2006 Commonwealth Games 1st - New Games Record
World Cup 1st
World Athletics Final

Australian Championships
2000 Olympic Trials 6th
2001 Under 20 Championships 1st
Senior Championships 4th
2002 & 2003 Did not compete due to injuries
2004 Senior Championships 2nd
2005 Senior Championships 2nd
2006 Senior Championships 2nd