Unfinished Business: Armand Woodley is Confident and Relaxed for 2019
Armand Woodley broke through as a sophomore in 2017 to reach the NCAA Championships in the pole vault. He endured an injury-plagued junior season last year, and while he earned bronze at the SEC Outdoors with a new personal record of 5.30 meters, he wasn’t able to advance out of the NCAA East Regional. As he prepares for his senior season, Woodley’s positive attitude keeps him calm as he pursues the unfinished business of getting back to the NCAA Championships.
“I’m very optimistic,” Woodley said. “I always have hope that regardless of any issues I’m facing right now, things will always work out the way they are supposed to. If that means I make it all the way, or if I get stopped short, then I’ll accept the results and do my best to make it better the next time. When the season ended last year, I kept jumping in the summer. Not making nationals made me even more optimistic about the season to come.
“The goals never change. First and foremost, I want to give my best, because at the end of the day, that’s all I can do. (Assistant) Coach (Kevin) Brown will always tell me that we train for months on end in the fall for weekends in the spring. I want to use my God-given talent and give my best. Wherever that ends up, I’ll be thankful. That being said, I’m always going to go for the gold.”
You could understand if Woodley was frustrated by not making it to nationals after a great season the year before, but his ability to handle adversity makes him stronger.
“It was a strange feeling, to say the least,” Woodley said. “If I was younger, I might have been devastated about not making it back. Don’t get me wrong, I was upset, but I realized I had given my best for that season. I had been plagued by confidence issues and injuries, and it really stagnated my progress.
“My sophomore year I set a new personal record six times in a row and made it to nationals. I was super-healthy then. When I’m healthy, I’m unstoppable. Nobody can beat me at my own game, because I don’t have any fear or lack confidence that I won’t do what I’m supposed to do.”
“When I leave the ground, it’s as if all my troubles are gone.”
– Armand Woodley
Patella tendonitis in both knees made him feel that he was at 75-percent of his power and potential last year, but he still managed to compete well, evidenced by his being on the podium for five outdoor meets and five indoor meets, including the bronze medal at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
“It was disappointing in that I wasn’t able to get back to where I was the previous year, even though I had actually jumped higher during the season,” Woodley said. “Coach Brown told me I went down swinging, though.
“When I didn’t make it out of regionals, I realized it’s never the end of the world in pole vault. If you don’t make it, there is always another competition. Coach Brown always says, ‘one jump doesn’t take you away from the next jump.'”
But now it’s Woodley’s last year in the Garnet and Black. He trusts his ability and is thankful to his coaches for helping him develop.
“The first couple of years I was here, I had underdog status,” Woodley said. “After my sophomore year, I told myself that I’m good enough to make things happen. I know if I give my best and the results don’t go the way I want, it will be okay, because I know I will have given it all I had.”
Woodley admits that when he first started pole vaulting, he didn’t really know what he was doing and treated it more like a hobby. Now that he has seen his potential, Woodley’s time in the air is a sanctuary.
“When I got here, it was a whole different world and it became less of a hobby,” Woodley said with a joyous grin. “It became more of a lifestyle. When I’m out there and get in sync; when everything feels good, it’s almost like everything else doesn’t matter. When you take off, for those brief couple of seconds, you’re not bound to anything. You’re free. That feeling is the best. As soon as I leave the ground, I know I’m in love with this.
“When I leave the ground, it’s as if all my troubles are gone. That feeling of flying is spectacular.”
As he trains to get back to the NCAA Championships, Woodley sees his success as something more than an individual achievement.
“It would mean a lot to me, but not just for selfish reasons,” Woodley said. “All four of my years here, I’ve received more support than I could have asked for; from family, friends, and coaches. To be on the podium would show how much work I put in, and it would be a thank you to everyone who supported me. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. The amount of people that helped me in my journey is substantial. To make that podium would be a way for me to thank them for that.”
