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What are some funny/weird habits that you have observed vaulters taking part in, or that you take part in?
Like pre-run stuff, or superstition, that kind of stuff, or even in-air antics...
I've had alot of coaches joke about how vaulters are weird and I would really like to prove them completely correct...

Whoops. Meant to post this in College/Elite. Oh well...

There you go I moved it.

Pre-Run: Steve Deming's tipping the pole backwards overtop of his helmet
-High schoolers stepping back and forth and back and forth and back and forth over and over again before taking their first step - People who yell their lungs out before going down the runway (yeah, I'm one of them)

Superstition: I've heard h.s. guys say you have to "warm the pole up" by flexing it repeatedly in the box before jumping, or don't leave your poles out in the sun or they'll get too soft

In-Air Antics: Front flips, Gainers, Huffman Rolls, Volzing

Mark Buse used to literally all of his time wiping his hands on his shorts and shirt. He was red flagged a few times baecause he'd take to long. We could never figure out why he would always do it, like he had OCD or something.

I always liked Doug Sharp's pre-vault routine of screaming at the top of his lungs. The best one I ever heard was "GIVE IT TO ME B*TCH!"

Ya I have heard my share of vulgar expressions before a jump and after a miss. We had a guy who would punch the track as hard as he could if he screwed up.

Juleen Bailey, a highschool girl last year, now at BYU, has a special towel next to the runway that she picks up and rubs her hands and face with about 10 times before each jump.

We had a guy a few years ago who would chalk up, clap his hands together, chalk up again, then clap his hands together and chalk up again, then clap then chalk then clap then chalk. This could go on and on . His brother also jumped for us and would rub his top hand on his shorts over and over and over before jumps, after a few jumps it would finally start bleeding, but he kept on doing it, and his shorts would just have all kinds of blood stains on them.

Another one of Steve D's is that if he is not getting in on a pole, he will ask himself out loud "who's the boss!" then take off down the runway.

Actually, from an engineering standpoint, temperature will affect the flex on poles. I am actually in the middle of doing some research on the subject right now. But, for basics, temperature affects everything. I dont care what you think or what youve heard, TEMPERATURE AFFECTS EVERYTHING. ask any engineer out there and they will tell you the same. I have already proved through experiment that a colder (36 F) pole will not flex as much as a room temperature pole (assuming a 72 F room temperature), im workin on warmer poles, but we have no warm weather here. But i got tired of people defying basic fundamental laws. sorry for the geek post. when i finish up my data, ill post it if anyone else is interested. but itll be a little while seeing as im in class and all.

as far as weird @ss rituals, this girl at our Big East Championships would stand at the end of the runway with her plant hand up (pole in hand) and spin beneath the pole.

When I hear or see kid warming up thier poles they are flexing them in the box/against a wall etc.. Not trying to incease the teperature of the pole above the ambient temp.

Steve rocking the pole back on his head was so funny. I love the shot they have in the NeoVault video of him doing it. I will miss seeing him do that.

Julene Bailey with the towel was really funny to see as well. I counted her dropping her towel and picking it back up 14 times before she jumped once at the Simplot Games last year.

I once saw this guy that would chalk up and then scratch himself before every jump leaving a huge white mark on his shorts by his package.

yeah there are some funny traits people do out there, like the highschool step
when the kids take like 6-7 steps back and forth , i sometimes slap my face, and when i slap my face on when im wearing chalk i do indeed get chalk all over my face but i dont actually realize it, some give the little yell, but you know what whatever you need to do to get ready

yeah yo as a fellow high school vaulter i hate it when kids take nineteen steps back and forth. your not friggin longjumpin! just go! before i jump i usually just wanna fight my teammates especially when i foul and they give me advice just lookin at their face i just wanna knock them out lol but im cool outside the competition haha