What do traditional track & field and the X Games have in common? At first glance, not much at all. But dig a little deeper, and you will find the X Games event "Step Up Moto X." Added to the X Games in 2000, the event involves motocross riders launching themselves up a dirt ramp to see who can clear a bar raised progressively higher and higher overhead. While the propulsion system involved in soaring over the bar differs from that of track and field's pole vaulting, the two sports share a similar philosophy - to go as high as you possibly can.
In preparing to defend his 2009 X Games Gold medal in the Step Up competition, Ronnie Renner turned to a seemingly unlikely training partner - UCLA graduate and Pac-10 pole vault champion Chelsea Johnson. Johnson, who won a silver medal at the 2009 World Athletic Championships in Berlin, took Renner through the physical and mental preparation she uses to perform at the top level of her track and field event. Can this type of unconventional "cross-training" give Renner an added advantage and help him capture Gold this Friday at X Games?
Check out the web clip here: