photos and essay by Omari Stephens
Next up, the swing. The swing is challenging because it’s another foundational move. Like the run,you can kind of feel whether you’re swinging well or not, but the real proof will be in how much energy you maintain once you’re upside down. Think of it like building a house — the foundation might look fine, but you won’t know for sure until you try to build something on top of it. The swing is a major aspect of the transition from moving horizontally to moving vertically, and a poor swing can easily cut a lot of height off your jump.
The swing (and, incidentally, everything else once I’m in the air) are also dream-like parts of the vault for me. I can react to things in the moment, but I rarely remember what happened after the jump is over.
(Jeff Coover)
