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This happened at the Missouri State Meet and other meets during the year. A vaulter clears the bar, lands on the mat, gets up and catches his own pole to prevent it from hitting the crossbar. The rules state that nobody other that a designated pole catcher can catch the pole but many coaches and officials have assumed that you could catch your own pole. It has been called both ways (miss and make) during the last few years. Just curious how others feel about this rule.

The rule (Rule 7-5 Article 25) states: "No person shall be allowed to touch the vaulting pole unless it is falling back and away from the crossbar. If there is a tail wind that might cause a properly released pole to fall forward, the referee should appoint an official and authorize him/her to catch the pole after it has been properly released." ---- the prescribed penality for the above senario in the rule book is: "an unsuccessful trial is charged but not measured"

I know what the rule states but I'm asking for interpretation. Does "nobody or no person" include the vaulter? Let's put a twist on it and say that the vaulter clears the bar, pushes the pole back and the wind blows it into the crossbar WITHOUT knocking it off. Who can legally remove the pole? (Assuming their isn't a dedicated pole catcher which there isn't at most meets) If nobody can touch the pole I would assume this would be a miss as well. My .02

As I understand the rule no person means no person. When I have my meeting with the athletes and coaches I try to remember to go over this rule and remind the athlete not to catch their own pole. I also try to cover the pole coming to rest against the crossbar without knocking the bar off. I tell the athletes as soon as all is "still" I will call "the vault is good" and then anyone can get the pole and if it knocks the bar off the jump is still good. OK my .02

Dan

I agree with you Dan. I think some additional verbage would prevent the debate. No person, except the vaulter or No person, including the vaulter... How many years before attorneys start showing up at track meets to clarify rule violations? Seems like more coaches are carrying rule books than stopwatches!

There isn't anything to interpret here.. No person can touch (i.e. catch) a pole unless as stated it is falling back and away from the cross bar. That rule site is what becomes the definition of a "properly released pole" also stated in the actual rule site.

If coaches don't know this. it's because they don't study the rule book. if athletes don't know this its because the coaches don't explain it to them. I have a real problem when officials don't know this. That also means they don't read the rules nor consult with other experienced officials nor attend clinics.

Your situation occurs all the time and officials, volunteer or certified, have to know what to do when they see it. You added twist later that happens at about every meet I've been too. Someone has to be appointed if you will to make the call when wind is involved and judge the "properly released" aspect of rule. I rarely ask for a pole catcher when wind is involved. They tend to cause more grief than benefit.

A major collegiate conference championship meet this past May, we had to hold the bar on nearly every jump. That "pit" official who had to judge whether the bar was coming off by wind or the action of the athlete had his work cut out for him. BTW, that official was me and I had to make that call over a dozen times. Some favorable, some not. It's not that hard.

Should a pole come to rest against the bar due to the action of the athlete... DON'T touch until the official rules the jump as GOOD.. Anything after that better not be counted against the vaulter.

One more thing, does you state have a high school athletic office with some appointed as the "rules" interpreter for the sport of Track and Field. if so, that person should be contacted for official interpretations and mechanics of what to do. I know my state has such a person.. He pumps out nearly weekly emails with answers to questions from officials and coaches from situations that might or did occur. We're expected to read these and act accordingly if it should happen again at your meet.

When is the time to actually bring it up? For example at a major meet this year a girl cleared a bar on her first try and her pole came back and she kicked it away from the cross bar. The official called it a make, and most people knew it should be a miss, but the official said it should be make. Is there any point to protest it? Because if the pit official says make and you protest it after and it turns out you are right what will happen?

If the vaulter makes bar on first try because of this and gets to go on and she clears the next bar too. But official looks back and says it should have been a miss, is there anything they can really do? Because had it been a miss the vaulter would still get two more attempts at the bar, so it is not like they can go back and say they never cleared the bar when they were not given two more attempts.

"Your situation occurs all the time and officials, volunteer or certified, have to know what to do when they see it. You added twist later that happens at about every meet I've been too. Someone has to be appointed if you will to make the call when wind is involved and judge the "properly released" aspect of rule. I rarely ask for a pole catcher when wind is involved. They tend to cause more grief than benefit."

So as long as you "properly release" the pole and the wind knocks it off (because you don't designate a pole catcher) - you count the jump as a make? I would agree with this call. Assuming the official knows the rules nobody should ever have to touch the pole.

What I still disagree with is the inconsistent interpretation of this rule. If it happens all the time and officials, coaches and athletes all have different opinions on how to handle it then change the verbage to something that doesn't leave anything to debate. Again my .02

Just curious...if the vaulter cannot touch the pole until after it has fallen back away from the cross bar and the vault has been declared good, then the vault in this video is a scratch??? Wouldn't that add insult to injury?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGldY-0f0mY

I think the guy in this video is more concerned about having anything left to scratch!

vault-official wrote:Just curious...if the vaulter cannot touch the pole until after it has fallen back away from the cross bar and the vault has been declared good, then the vault in this video is a scratch??? Wouldn't that add insult to injury?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGldY-0f0mY

The other of the rule codes say to prevent it from dislodging the bar (NCAA), or without the vaulters intervention the bar would have been knocked off (USATF), however for NFHS, the pole is certainly not falling back away from the crossbar.. but the pole is falling toward the pit UNDER the crossbar. So by interpretation (from your state rep), this has no chance to knock the bar off and is not a failed attempt.

Considering this video example, I can agree with those that would like to see the NFHS rule updated.. Maybe next year?
regards