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what do you guys use to protect the bottom of the poles from hitting the back of the box. one of our poles snapped because of this and i want to protect all my poles. some track equipment websites sell some for 5 dollars each but i was wondering if there was an alternative. and i dont think taping it alot helps too much.

My coach tapes a cut piece of what looks like some really flexible pvc pipe around where it would hit the back of the box. After seeing the wear and tear through several layers of tape and the tubing, you are always really glad that they are on there. If you wanted to ask him exactly what he puts on, he is LPVG on here.

A few wooden tongue depressors do the trick quite nicely too

Another idea is to cut up a Mt Dew 2 LT bottle (bright neon green is easy to see on beginning vaulters poles, any 2 LT will do). The piece you want is after you cut off 2-3 inches from the bottom and the cone top off. You are left with a piece of plastic about 10 inches by 7 inches. You can then cut it into 3 pieces for three poles. Wrap the plastic around the pole holding it in place as you wrap tape around the pole (the less tape the better, think weight) to hold it in place. Much lighter than the wood and less likely to interfere with the sweep of the pole. Much cheaper to replace worn out green plastic than poles. If you are rubbing the box a lot you might have to replace the plastic after each meet. Small sacrifice for pole maintenance. It is amazing what a 1-ounce weight at the end of a pole will feel like. Take 4 quarters, tape them together and tape to the butt end of a pole that the athlete is holding. As you are holding the pole in the air, tape the quarters to the pole see what a 1-ounce difference is.

Desperation and a limited budget make for cheap solutions. I have seen the wood tongue depressors before, but they are thick and interfere with the sweep of the pole. After taping the wood to the pole there is about a 1/4 inch of thickness that when magnified over 12-16 feet will really change the angle of the pole and its intended action.

Yes, I know that the box is angled, but if it does not interfere with the wood, then what is rubbing your pole? Just something to think about. The same can be said of the white plastic pole protectors. The thickness is not that much (1/8 - 1/4 inch) until you think about the physics of the vault. With so much time analyzing flex numbers, you need to think further about penetration angles and pole speed. If you have 3 poles .2 -.3 flex apart for vaulting, what do you think the angle of the pole is doing to your vault.

If you're not crushing poles and you're not driving the bottom, your pole shouldn't be making that much contact with the back of the box.

I agree with achtungpv.... if your not crushing it the pole won't be grinding hard enough, and in that case just two or three layers of tape does the job... you have to replace it as it wears out but does the job, and your school should give you pleanty of tape.

I've tried several things. First was popsicle sticks or tongue depressors with tape over them. Tape has two problems for me, it tears after a few jumps and it resists the pole sliding along the back side of the box top edge. I have felt this during jumps as a "stutter" when it gives way and slides to the corner. I tried cutting plastic bottles but they weren't quite thick enough. Regular PVC pipe was too thick. Then I found a piece of plastic in the plumbing section that is called a "sink tailpiece" The size I bought was 1.5" in diameter by 12" long. After you cut off a very small lip on one end, you then slit it lengthwise to allow it to be stretched over the pole. A piece of tape on each end easily holds it in place, and the tape is beyond where it might contact the back of the box. A 12" long piece is more than is needed, but cutting it in half creates two pieces that are a tiny bit too short in my opinion. That is, the tape then does come in contact with the box edges. Now if you can find a 14" or longer sink tailpiece, then you have it made. By the way, this item costs about $2, and is very durable and the weight is about 1.5 to 2 ounces for 12" length.

How many elites do you see with tape or pole protectors on the end of their poles? Do they bend the pole any less than the average vaulter?

That's an interesting question? Do most elite vaulters buy their own poles or are they sponsored by one of the pole companies or other athletic companies?

master wrote:That's an interesting question? Do most elite vaulters buy their own poles or are they sponsored by one of the pole companies or other athletic companies?

Either way, I've yet to see an elite break a pole 8" from the bottom, and have seen 2 of 1000's of poles in 16 years in the sport break there, one being planted under the front of the pit, and the other one already had substantial damage.

Are you suggesting we shouldn't worry about the abrasion that happens at the position on the pole? This is a serious question. When I was in HS and college we didn't do anything like this and the box walls were not slanted either. When I started vaulting again about 3 years ago, the poles I saw had this protection on them and so when I bought my poles I did likewise.