Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 5 | May 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 43 Relocating, Without the Interruptions When relocating your company, interruptions cost you money. With experience in all types of commercial moving, we’ll keep your operation running, on schedule. Get started today by calling (800) 336-9626 or visit lawrencemoves.com! M O V I N G Before the game or after , Preston’s Restaurant is a delicious place for a new game-day tradition. Start with our fresh breakfast buffet. Order lunch or dinner from our mouth-watering a la carte menu of seasonal cuisine. And don’t forget the Valley’s best brunch, every Sunday at Preston’s. Make Preston’s Restaurant your game-day tradition. @PrestonsRestaurant @PrestonsIVTSCC 540.231.0120 | www.InnatVirginiaTech.com 901 Prices F rk Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (inside The Inn at Virginia Tech) Reservations recommended. A delicious game-day tradition. liked the coach, I liked the team, and I felt like I fit in well, so this is the place for me. I definitely have no regrets.” Volz basically went from one great coach (his father) to another (Phillips). The longtime Tech pole vault coach is well respected nationally and for obvious reasons. Seventeen different vaulters have earned All-America honors under Phillips, a former Virginia Tech All- American himself. Volz and Phillips have a tremendous relationship, though differ some in their approach. “He’s fairly conservative when it comes to pushing things,” Volz said. “If you’re feeling an injury or a soreness, he won’t push you too hard. He doesn’t want things to get worse. “I have zero complaints about him as a coach. He definitely knows what he’s doing as far as the vault is concerned, technique-wise and all that stuff.” Volz wraps up his career later this spring, graduating with a degree in human development and departing hopefully with an NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance, and better yet, All-America honors. He ultimately wants to become a pole vault coach, but not before making an attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Oregon in June of next year. His plan consists of staying in Blacksburg for another year and working with Phillips, both with his training and as a volunteer assistant coach. Qualifying for the Trials gives him a shot at his ultimate goal – a spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team. “I definitely feel there is more left in the tank,” Volz said. “I’m not quite done yet. I’m going to give it another year and see if I can make something out of it.” Something else drives him, too – being the best in his family. He holds the edge over his brothers, but he still has some work to do to catch his old man. Dave Volz recorded a personal best of 5.80 meters (19 feet, 0.25 inch) during his career. His youngest sits at 5.66 (18 feet, 7 inches). “I’ve got five more inches to go before I can, in good conscious, lay the pole down,” Deakin said, with a smile. Volz, for sure, lacks any semblance of fear for taking chances to aim a little higher. He never has. Risk, for him, is not a bad four-letter word. After all, in his family, the goal for all remains the same – the sky is always the limit. GETTING TO KNOW … DEAKIN VOLZ Q: What is your dream vacation? DV: Oddly enough, if I were to take a dream vacation somewhere, it would be somewhere to go skiing. I’ve always wanted to try out snowboarding and things like that, so anywhere with slopes that are not too dangerous, but also not too safe— just to keep it interesting. Q: What is your favorite place to eat? DV: My grandpa’s house, honestly. He makes great food. I always used to go to his house every day before school when I was in middle and high school. He’d make breakfast every morning. Biscuits and gravy were his specialty. That’s the good stuff. That’s what my body is made of at this point. That’s why I haven’t died from pole vaulting yet—I’ve got all that calcium in my bones. That’s what’s keeping me going. Q: What is your favorite form of social media? DV: I think my favorite is Instagram right now. It’s a good way to keep up with everybody, but I don’t post a lot. I can’t remember the last time that I posted something. Q: If you could play another sport, what would it be, and why? DV: Be good at pole vaulting [laughing]. I always kind of wished I was good at basketball. I had a lot of fun with basketball, but man, I was bad at it. Hand-eye coordination and getting the ball through the hoop … I don’t know. It’s tough. Q: What is your favorite thing about being a Virginia Tech athlete? DV: I think my favorite thing about this place is just how beautiful it is. I mean, look out the window. There is a great view—the stadium, all the athletic facilities, the campus. It’s all really, really pretty.