PoleVaultPower.com

I have officiated several high school meets this year where kids were vaulting who had obviously never before set foot on a pole vault runway. In most cases, the coach just wanted points for the team and figured he had a chance to get them in a small field of competitors. In all cases, these kids were trying to jump on inappropriately-sized poles and, in one case, one of the vaulters for another schools was tryingto show them how to not get killed.

At our regional meet last weekend, there were three vaulters who had been passed through their district meets at lower-than-required heights, simply to get representatives into the regional. One made the opening height; the other two almost got hurt.

I want to approach my state high school activities association with a rule recommendation to limit these events to those who have actually pole vaulted. Do any of you have rules in place that will help to prevent this sort of thing? If so, could you please share this with me or tell me where I might be able to get more information?

Thank you.

Current rules only address the weight rating for the pole versus vaulter's weight.

Jan Johnson had proposed a new rule that would have given the official the ability to foul out a vaulter if they did not land in a designated landing zone.

I thought Jan's rule was workable for official's as long as it was clearcut whether the vaulter landed in the zone or not. If not clearcut, the fouling out of the athlete by the official for landing outside the zone would be subject to protest.

I cannot think of another way other than Jan's to deal with the example you gave.

My state has a rule requiring each school to have a certified coach (we do certification clinics before the season all over the state). Not a perfect solution, but a step in the right direction.