IHSA State Track Meet Biggest F*** Up EVER!!!

[Mitch]

not to mention they were college pegs, people were calling local high schools to get some high school ones.... All and all tho Josh won with the conditions that were presented

[ROCK]

Picture of Josh Winder clearing "16-0" (really 15'-0")

http://www.illinoispreptoptimes.com/IMG_7619.JPG

[/img]

[Vaultref]

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All good stuff to do..

If "we" can only convince schools to put down a zero-line, the process of
positioning standards will go from 30 minutes to 30 milliseconds and
probably at some places be correct for the first time ever.

[Vaultref]

not to mention they were college pegs, people were calling local high schools to get some high school ones.... All and all tho Josh won with the conditions that were presented

There are two pegs sizes, one for NFHS and one for *all* the rest of the rule codes (NCAA,USATF and IAAF).

Just asking, but isn't it time to get NF to switch to that peg length as well?
Same goes with the xbar ends.. square vs rounded top.

What do you as high school vaulters think? Would it make that much
difference to you over your high school career? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

Personally, I'm for one size peg and one type of bar end, but remember I only do what the rule code asks me to do.

[OH-IOvaulter]

As a coach I can honestly say that I believe there should be a great deal of uniformity from the top down. I have no problem with shortening the pegs and having the same cross bar ends. If you don't touch the cross bar at all, which I thought was the point of the vault, the pegs could be a mm longer than the cross bar and it would still stay on. AAU, USATF, etc. rules it legal to hold at the top of a pole, but apparently that extra three to six inches is unsafe for those 18 years of age and under. I think we should require that coaches should have more event education and understand the philosophy behind the sport. I say one set of rules from the top down, and make it the coaches responsibility to know them. Per the original thread, sorry for your unfortunate experience, we have to measure every single height at our state meet, from opening till closing. I hope more states do the same.

[1yeldud1]

At high school meets this year I've found the zero point off as much as 6 inches - found standards that would not raise - found missing pegs - vault boxes completely full of water - Had one met where a local coach told me that the standards had just been bolted down the day before by a maint. man and they were perfect - I checked them anyway and found them to be off almost 4 inches !!!!!!! The truth is that a correct pole vault setup does take a considerable amount of time to setup and maintain through out the year - We have several volunteer parents at our school that are a great help maintaining our setup. I have a back pack that I carry that contains tools, spray lube, wire ties, tape measure, plumb bob, majic markers, etc. just to be sure we can get the pole vault in shape at any meets that we attend.

[Vaultref]

I wish people like you (1yeldud1) could work meets with me as I know it takes a lot of work before the event even starts.
Too many take the "it is was it is" attitude and don't check anything. I too
carry a lot of the stuff you mention with me.
I know many who are just as detail oriented but unfortunately know
just as many or more who are not. Sad

I to have seen the zero points off.. the point of reference was from the bottom of the box rather than the back top back edge. How they
determined that from the picture is too much for me to comprehend.

[rainbowgirl28]

not to mention they were college pegs, people were calling local high schools to get some high school ones.... All and all tho Josh won with the conditions that were presented

There are two pegs sizes, one for NFHS and one for *all* the rest of the rule codes (NCAA,USATF and IAAF).

Just asking, but isn't it time to get NF to switch to that peg length as well?
Same goes with the xbar ends.. square vs rounded top.

What do you as high school vaulters think? Would it make that much
difference to you over your high school career? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

Personally, I'm for one size peg and one type of bar end, but remember I only do what the rule code asks me to do.

Well I (and most pole vaulters) were dead opposed to those rule changes from Day 1. They made a mistake, why should we make the high schoolers suffer for the mistakes and agendas of others at completely different levels of the sport?

[1yeldud1]

One thing to remember is the meet is over - the order of champions stands - Winder won the meet fair and square and Mitch came in second. The thing Illinois officials need to do is to learn from this and go forward and see that this doesn't happen in the future. Time to cancle this topic and congratulate ALL the vaulters that had a GREAT day at the state meet - after all this is what High School sports are for - THE KIDS !!!!!!! GREAT JOB VAULTERS !!! :yes:

[OH-IOvaulter]

One thing to remember is the meet is over - the order of champions stands - Winder won the meet fair and square and Mitch came in second. The thing Illinois officials need to do is to learn from this and go forward and see that this doesn't happen in the future. Time to cancle this topic and congratulate ALL the vaulters that had a GREAT day at the state meet - after all this is what High School sports are for - THE KIDS !!!!!!! GREAT JOB VAULTERS !!! :yes:

I agree great job vaulters, but no reason to cancel the thread if we can continue to exchange beneficial information about how to properly run meets.

Well I (and most pole vaulters) were dead opposed to those rule changes from Day 1. They made a mistake, why should we make the high schoolers suffer for the mistakes and agendas of others at completely different levels of the sport?

But why then are high jumpers forced to suffer so bad with their standards system?? If we as vaulters brush a bar on the way down just slightly its movement is resisted by the standards, if high jumpers do the same then they push the bar off with only the slightest brush. I thought that the theory was to strive for perfection and not even touch the bar. If that is done then the peg length doesn't really matter. I may come under attack for this comment but peg length shortening forces us as vaulters to clear the crossbar with greater clearance and technique. Bubka never touched the bar on his WR clearances and he could have had high jump standards and the bar would have stayed on.

[rainbowgirl28]

It's a valid discussion to have. I'm not deleting this thread and I don't feel it even necessary to lock it at this point.

I do agree that regardless of the heights, champions are champions. I am sure it is frustrating to realize you wasted jumps at a height that was lower than you thought, but it's not fair to blame that for a poor performance placing-wise.

None of us know for sure exactly how much the standards were off. It is easy for there to be misinformation and confusion about what is going on. None of the officials from that meet have commented on this thread, so all we are hearing is hearsay.

This is a good discussion to have. Officials fail to measure properly all the time. Remember when that girl from Texas thought she went 14' a few years ago, but it turned out to be nearly a foot off?

But at the end of the day, at the State Meet, places matter a lot more than height. Congratulations to Jake Winder for an outstanding performance and State Championship.

[rainbowgirl28]

But why then are high jumpers forced to suffer so bad with their standards system?? If we as vaulters brush a bar on the way down just slightly its movement is resisted by the standards, if high jumpers do the same then they push the bar off with only the slightest brush. I thought that the theory was to strive for perfection and not even touch the bar. If that is done then the peg length doesn't really matter. I may come under attack for this comment but peg length shortening forces us as vaulters to clear the crossbar with greater clearance and technique. Bubka never touched the bar on his WR clearances and he could have had high jump standards and the bar would have stayed on.

Start a new thread if you guys want to discuss peg length for high schoolers, it is completely irrelevant to this one.