Many athletes around campus can agree that injuries are simply a part of the game, but only a handful can say that those injuries ended their incredibly successful season.
Robert Mesenburg, a pole-vaulter here at Stout, tore his ATFL and CFL, amongst other painful injuries. Basically, he had a severely sprained ankle.
Immediately after his injury, his ankle grew to the size of the tennis ball.
Mesenburg was able to reclaim his outdoor season, and plans to be a grey-shirt freshman in hopes of having a “breakout season.”
Mesenburg has a strict ritual on meet days. He says he visualizes his pole-vaults from beginning to end.
During meets, he goes over two aspects of his vault. Some of these things include jumping off the ground and planting the pole into the box.
After meets, Mesenburg enjoys going over the video that his mom took during the meet.
During the off-season, the athletes have sprinting workouts Monday through Thursday. They also have lifting on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Some advice that he has for other athletes looking to participate in track is to “stick it out. The experiences you have and the friends you make as the years go on are well worth it.”
He says his passion in life is to “become a better person than he was yesterday.” He tries to never make the same mistake twice.
Upon graduating, Mesenburg hopes to take over his family’s business. He enjoys living a healthy lifestyle and also sees himself coaching in the future.
Mesenburg is a business management major with an emphasis in marketing and sales.
Photo Credit: Emma Sapiro, Danielle Magnuson