2010 NFHS Rules You Should Know for Pole Vault

[rainbowgirl28]

Vaultref, here is a question for you... let's say a high school vaulter passes 3+ heights, gets a run through, comes in at 11'0, clears it, then passes three heights to 13' (and there were other athletes jumping at all those heights). Do they get a run-through at 13' as well?

[MattM]

Vaultref, here is a question for you... let's say a high school vaulter passes 3+ heights, gets a run through, comes in at 11'0, clears it, then passes three heights to 13' (and there were other athletes jumping at all those heights). Do they get a run-through at 13' as well?

I was at a clinic and a games committee official came for Q&A and I asked him that, his answer was that it was up to the official running the vault. Some officials would allow it, others wouldn't.

[Vaultref]

Vaultref, here is a question for you... let's say a high school vaulter passes 3+ heights, gets a run through, comes in at 11'0, clears it, then passes three heights to 13' (and there were other athletes jumping at all those heights). Do they get a run-through at 13' as well?

The the way the rule is crafted, this is something that while a somewhat unusal, is not prohibited. The jumper has passed three consecutive heights. Whether or not the person running the event allows this warm-up jump is going to vary from meet to meet. It's all in the wording "may be permitted".

While I have no specific time in mind nor is there any NFHS guideline at all, if the event passed from 11' to 13' in a rather short period of time, I may deny this jumpers request.

[bayouvaulter]

Rule 7-5-16 States that the competitor must enter the competition after his run through.
So if he has already enter the cometition at 11' then seems to me the a run through at 13' should not be allowed by rule.
Just my interpretation.
Kevin

[drcurran]

Just my .02 here. If 3 bars for HS or 1 hour for NCAA have passed I try always to remember to ask the vaulter if she / he would like their 1 run through or 2 min. of warm up. While I have never seen or heard of it, I guess if it occurred twice with the same athlete in the same competition he / she would be allowed the warm up jump or jumps. I know the warm up is listed as "may be allowed". In my "thinking" it reads "will be given". It takes so little time and I have never seen it slow down or restrict the competition. OK there is my .02

Dan

[master]

Rule 7-5-16 States that the competitor must enter the competition after his run through. So if he has already enter the cometition at 11' then seems to me the a run through at 13' should not be allowed by rule.

This is exactly my thought process and the way I officiate.

I know the warm up is listed as "may be allowed". In my "thinking" it reads "will be given". It takes so little time and I have never seen it slow down or restrict the competition.

I follow this also, but only once per vaulter per meet.

[Robert schmitt]

When I read Becca's senerio I couldn't think why anyone would ever do that then today I just realized I my have a vaulter in this situation next week. Last year she NH at sub districts at her opening hieght which was a foot above the eigth place it took to advance to districts. So, she is worried about it this year. Looking at the marks for the meet it is probably going to be 7'6" 8' that will advance and she usually opens up at 9'6" So I could legitamatly see this coming into play. I usually would not change an opening hieght like this but she has always been a top 5-10 ranked girl since her freshman year but has never made it to state. I'm trying to decide if I should do it with her teammate who also opens up at 9'6".

[Vaultref]

Rule 7-5-16 States that the competitor must enter the competition after his run through. So if he has already enter the cometition at 11' then seems to me the a run through at 13' should not be allowed by rule.

This is exactly my thought process and the way I officiate.

While it maybe your thought process, and of course you are entitled to it.. there is absolutely nothing in the way the rule is written that says the jumper cannot pull out the competition by passing "X" number of heights and then come back in requesting a warm-up jump.
While passing you are still a competitor in the event, but you are not actively competing at the current height. You are re-entering the competition when you decide to continue jumping.
I am sure this is what the NFHS intent was when the rule was written who knows how long ago.

As previously mentioned, any such warm-up jump does not have to be permitted. It's up to the flight coordinator to make the decision based on factors such as how long as it been since the competition started and this height change where the jumper is about to make his/her first attempt. I'm very aware of the time, I write it down at every height change. Twenty minutes versas say an hour or more weights heavily on my mind should jumper request a warm-up. Another factor to consider is where is he/she in the jumping order. Near the top weighs less to me than being near the bottom of an active flight of say 20 or more jumpers. That could take quite a while to reach that initial attempt.

None of those factors are written in any rule.. they are just mechanics of conducting an event and we all can do it as we see fit as long as it does so without penalizing the athlete.

[master]

While it maybe your thought process, and of course you are entitled to it.. there is absolutely nothing in the way the rule is written that says the jumper cannot pull out the competition by passing "X" number of heights and then come back in requesting a warm-up jump.
While passing you are still a competitor in the event, but you are not actively competing at the current height. You are re-entering the competition when you decide to continue jumping.
I am sure this is what the NFHS intent was when the rule was written who knows how long ago.

You may be correct about this however I have never read anything in a NFHS rule or case book that describes beginning to jump after passing one or more heights as "re-entering" the competition (with the implied same privileges as "entering" the competition for the first time).

Although this may not directly apply, I refer to the following from the 2009 NFHS case book under the heading WARM-UP AFTER COMPETITION HAS BEGUN:

7.4.9 SITUATION: B1, who has been passed at three consecutive heights in the high jump while participating in another event, asks the judge for a warm-up. RULING: The competitor is granted one warm-up jump without the bar in place and must enter the competition immediately. COMMENT: Competitors who have not had a warm-up jump during competition and have passed three consecutive heights shall be granted one warm-up without the bar in place.

(red font emphasis added by me) To me, this would imply you get your warm-up jump once and only once.

[master]

Anyone ever heard of other wierd situations that don't have a specific "exception to the rule" such as acts of nature (rain, lightning, high winds, insects, etc...)?

I don't have an example, but there is a reference to this sort of thing in the 2009 NFHS case book under the heading of COMPETITION INTERRUPTED. The example they use is a meet being temporarily suspended because of adverse weather conditions. The RULING was that the referee or games committee shall use its discretion in deciding whether competitors will get any practice jumps.

[master]

Reader please note, I am not a certified official. All the comments I make regarding rules are simply my interpretations of what I have read in the NFHS rules book and case book. I do make an attempt to reference what I base my opinions or interpretations on. It is up to the reader to evaluate whether these make any sense to them. You may also note that I refer to a 2009 rule and case book. That is because I am too cheap to pay the $30 each year to NFHS. I feel they should post the rules in pdf form on the web like is done with USATF, IAAF and NCAA rules. There have been a few posts indicating there is no excuse for not knowing the rules because every team is sent a copy or copies of the rules. Unfortunately whenever I have asked the head coaches for rules books they have said they are in short supply.

[tsorenson]

Here's one for you rulebook gurus,
At Hayward on Friday our vaulter was told he could only grip 13'6 on a 14' Pacer (new) pole. The manufacturer's label on this pole is at 13'9, but they insisted that you had to be 6" below the top of the pole to be within the rules. In Becca's post the NFHS rulebook says the max grip height is to be determined by the manufacturer...maybe Oregon has their own rule stating that 6" below the top is the max? I have a hard time agreeing with this one, especially considering the weight rule. Half the reason I support Pacer poles for HS kids is the fact that you don't have to "waste" six inches of fiberglass.

I wasn't there to be able to argue the case but this is what my vaulter told me happened.
Anybody know for sure about the Oregon rule?
Tom