A fault or not a fault, that is the questions.

[master]

What if the pole goes under the crossbar? I'm really getting confused here. In "the old days" if the pole went into the pit whether it knocked the crossbar off or not was a miss. I see so many vaulters now-a-days where the pole follows them into the pit UNDER the crossbar. Is that a make or a miss..........and in what classes is it either. Later..............Mike

This image is of Article 29 (NFHS) and paragraph d says it is OK for the pole and vaulter to touch the pad or ground beyond the vertical plane of the top of the stopboard PROVIDING the vaulter has cleared the crossbar.
-master

[master]

This brings up another issue I've noticed at high school meets - the athlete catching his or her own pole.

DON'T DO IT!

The way the rules are written, the only person who can't touch the pole is the vaulter. A meet official or helper can catch the pole, but only if it is falling back towards the runway. If the pole follows the vaulter towards the pit and knocks the bar off, the official at least has the leeway of judging whether the pole was pushed towards the runway and has the option of calling the attempt a make because of the wind. If you see the pole heading towards the crossbar and catch it, even if it is resting on the crossbar and the crossbar stays up, the official has no choice but to call it a miss.

And here is an image of Article 25 so we can see exactly what is written.