Kris Allison, Director and Head Pole Vault Coach
18 years of experience in the pole vault
2-time NCAA Conference Champion
Has coached numerous District, Regional, State, Conference, and National Champions at the Jr. High, High
School, College, and Elite Levels
Studied directly under world class mentors including Vitaly Petrov, coach of World Record Holders Sergey Bubka
and Yelena Isinbayeva, Earl Bell, Don Hood, Bubba Sparks, David Butler, and Dr. Peter McGinnis.
USA Track and Field Certified Coach
Selected by United States Olympic Committee in 2004 to be the Head Clinician at the highly-acclaimed Women's
Junior Elite Track and Field camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Kris M. Allison is the owner and head coach of the Lone Star Pole Vaulting Club in New Braunfels, TX. He earned a BA in Secondary Education from the State University of New York College at Cortland in 1998. Since then, Allison has had an active role in the pole vault in the United States as an athlete, coach, consultant, and official.
Having taken up the event of pole vaulting as a pre-teen, Kris Allison regularly competed all through the Jr. High, High School, College, Post-Collegiate, and now Masters levels. After joining and competing for the Austin, TX-based Lone Star Pole Vaulting Club from 1999-2000, Allison was encouraged by his coach Brian Elmore to branch off of the club and provide coaching and training opportunities for South Central Texas youth wanting to learn to pole vault. In 2001 Kris made it official and departed his high school teaching career to head up Lone Star Pole Vaulting as a full-time venture.
In his six years running the club from his backyard facility, Allison has coached thirteen Texas high school state champions in the pole vault and had one of his female vaulters set the girls' state record seven times en route to becoming the first high school girl in the state of Texas to clear both 12 feet and 13 feet, winning the Texas 5A State Meet twice in the process. Allison has had one high school male jump 17 feet, with two other males over 16', while one female jumped over 13 feet and seven other females over 12'. He has had several of his youth club vaulters compete in the Nike Indoor and Outdoor Championships, USATF Junior Nationals, the USATF and AAU National Junior Olympics, and the Great Southwest Championships, with his athlete's earning 3 National Championship gold medals. Several of Allison's masters-level vaulters regularly compete and medal at the National Senior Games and USATF Masters National Championships.
In addition to his club athletes, Kris has done extensive coaching at the collegiate level. Trinity University enjoyed Allison's coaching from 2001-2004 with Trinity pole vaulters winning three SCAC Conference Championship titles during that time. In 2003, Allison was also at Southwest Texas State (SWT) where his vaulters scored among the top 3 finishers in both the Indoor and Outdoor Southland Conference Championships, and all 3 of his vaulters qualified for the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional Championship, with his best vaulter advancing to the NCAA National Championship as an 18'+ vaulter. In 2004 Allison took a hiatus from SWT to work with the vaulters at Texas Lutheran University where both of his vaulters scored in the American Southwest Conference Championships, and he has had a vaulter score in or win that conference each year since. From 2005-2007 Allison coached at Texas State University-San Marcos (formerly SWT) and had numerous athletes score at the Southland Conference Championships with three qualifying for the NCAA Midwest Regionals.
From 2002-2003, Allison coached former Olympic Trials finalist and NAIA national champion Lesa Kubishta, whose personal record was 14'4. He continues to work with some of the nation's promising up-and-coming Emerging Elite post-collegiate vaulters.
Kris is a USATF Level 1 and Pole Vault Safety Certification Board (PVSCB) certified coach as well as a USATF certified official. In July 2004, he served as the head pole vault clinician at the prestigious USATF/USOC Women's Junior Elite Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
As a Division III student-athlete himself, Allison was a two-time SUNYAC Champion in the pole vault at the State University of New York at Cortland, and graduated in 1998.
Allison currently resides at the Lone Star Pole Vault Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas with his wife, Kristalyn, and their newborn future pole vaulter/tennis player, Austin Allison. He continues to consult with local universities on training pole vaulters.
Assistant Coach Blake Luther
- 10 years experience in the pole vault.
- Assisted in coaching several district, regional and state champions at the high school level.
- Interim pole vault coach at Texas State University during the fall of 2007.
M. Blake Luther is from Granbury, TX, where he attended all levels of education. During the eighth grade, Blake endeavored into the world of pole vault, following in the footsteps of his father who pole vaulted at Duncanville high school in the 1970s. After completing his sophomore year of high school, Blake began working with junior high students at the two middle schools in Granbury ISD. By his senior year in high school he had achieved a personal best jump of 13 while coaching two other male varsity vaulters to 126 and 12. He also worked with several varsity and junior varsity girls with a 106 vault at the top of the list. After high school, Luther chose to attend Texas State University San Marcos and pursue a degree in Public Administration, while walking onto the track program.
After improving over one foot in three short months, Kris Allison took him under his wing as an assistant volunteer coach for the Lone Star Pole Vault Club. While improving his PR to 146, and sustaining a season ending foot injury, Luther turned his focus to coaching young athletes. Luther personally saw to several PRs throughout the 2005 track season. During the 2006 season, Luther turned his focus to his own career where he saw yet another foot increase to his PR with a jump of 157 at a Rice University track meet, after which he again struggled with injuries in the form of a quad strain and hamstring pull. He remained as a volunteer coach for Lone Star, mainly working with athletes during afternoon practice sessions. During his final season with Texas State University,
Luther increased his practice PR to 16 after suffering a severe ankle sprain which he battle with all season. After his junior year, Luther turned his attention to school and assisted with the coaching at Texas State University when Kris Allison departed after the 2007 season. Luther is currently in his last semester of study at Texas State and, after a full year of rest and recovery, has returned to the world of pole vault role as Assistant Coach to the Lone Star Pole Vault Club.
Britni (Lawrence) Holland
Assistant Director of Lone Star Athletic & Training. A 2-time 5A State Champion, 9-time Texas State Record Holder, Nike All-American, and the first Texas High School Girl to Clear 12'0 and 13'0, ni has coached alongside Kris for over 5 years. She played a major role in the development of Jessica Doyle, 2-time State Champion and 4-time medalist. Britni has personal best of 13'2" or 4.02m.
Coach Marty Davenport
Specialty: Throwing Events: Shot Put, Discus, Javelin, Hammer, Weight
*NJCAA Discus Champion- Odessa JC All American 1982
*Member: Jr. Pan Am Team- 2nd place Jr. Pan Am Games 1982
*NJCAA indoor 3rd place All American Shot Put 1983
*NJCAA outdoor 2nd place Discus 1983
3rd place All American Shot Put 1983
*SWC Discus Champion U of Texas 1984
*NJCAA Discus 2nd place All American 1985
*US Nationals 5th place 1985
*U of Texas Strength Staff 1986 - 1987
*South qualifier for US Olympic Sports Festival 1987
*Coach- St. Michaels Academy 1999 - 2005 produced state
qualifiers every year.
*Coach- Austin Striders Track Club 1999 - 2005 I had the honor
of Coaching 45 AAU All Americans, 15 AAU National
Champions and had the priveledge of helping 15
of these athletes earn college track scholarships.
*2007 to present - TLU womens throws Coach
*Level I Track Certification
*Personal Best - Shot Put - 16 lbs. 60'
Discus - 2 kg. 205'5"
Rates: First Session - 3 hrs. - $100
Following Sessions $50 2hr min.
Contact Info. e-mail: dr.discus@sbcglobal.net
(subject: throwing lessons)
text message: (512) 698-8481
Phone: (830) 372-3790 (leave a message)
