Overcoming Challenges with Unwavering Resolve
Touch The Clouds Festival 2024: A Retrospective on an Outstanding Event
ESSX Europe is proud to have partnered again this year with the Touch The Clouds Festival, which has grown into one of the largest pole vaulting youth festivals in Germany and Europe. Under the leadership of Matthias Schimmelpfennig and in collaboration with TSV Gräfelfing e.V., the event has become increasingly professional and attracts more top athletes each year. This year, the festival achieved IAAF Challenger Meeting status, allowing athletes to earn official world ranking points.
Held from May 31 to June 2, 2024, in Gräfelfing, the festival featured numerous highlights. Despite chaotic weather conditions, the team led by Matthias Schimmelpfennig ensured smooth proceedings, impressive competitions, and an extensive supporting program for athletes, sponsors, and helpers. One of the highlights was the Friday evening reception, which included a discussion on “High-Performance in Sports and Business” with Mike Krack (Team Manager of Aston Martin Formula 1 and father of a pole vault participant) and Werner Schmidbauer (CEO of Schmidbauer GmbH & Co KG, former athlete, and gold sponsor of the event), moderated by sports commentator Florian Weber.
We are particularly impressed by the team’s flexibility in relocating all competitions of the first two days indoors due to heavy rain and official weather warnings for much of Bavaria, ensuring optimal conditions for the athletes. The success of the event was a testament to the team spirit of all involved—from helpers to athletes and officials. Matthias Schimmelpfennig praised the collective effort: “Everyone pitched in, everyone was ready for the competition.”
Your ESSX Europe team was on-site with cameras, capturing photos of all participants. To view and download your photos, please sign up for our newsletter below this article, where we share monthly updates about ESSX Europe and the pole-vaulting community.
ESSX Europe congratulates the organizers and participants on a successful event and looks forward to continued collaboration in the coming years.
