The State of the Art in the LA Unified School District

[vaultmd]

The school district that brought you vaultmd, and more evidence that the LA Times actually researches its articles, unlike the NY Times:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-son ... nes-sports
From the Los Angeles Times
ERIC SONDHEIMER
Palisades' Greenberg practices a lost art in high school track
Eric Sondheimer

May 22, 2007

Motivated by watching the History Channel, Bryan Greenberg became a teenage anthropologist for a day, searching Palisades High for artifacts and evidence that it once had an ancient pole vault civilization.

"We dug through spider webs," he said.

The moment of discovery came when Greenberg peered inside a deserted shed on campus and found a pole from the 1990s.

Welcome to the state of pole vaulting in the City Section, where it's on the endangered list, bordering on extinction. Only 16 of the 55 comprehensive high schools held pole vault competitions during track and field meets this spring.

Greenberg, a 5-foot-11 senior, won the City title last season and figures to win it again Thursday afternoon at the City championships at Lake Balboa Birmingham primarily because he hired a private coach and trained on his own.

He's a pole vault orphan, representing Palisades in name only because the school and the Western League don't compete in the event. Neither did the schools from the Valley Mission and Coliseum leagues. Even Woodland Hills Taft, the defending City boys' champion, has dropped the event.

A lack of certified pole vault coaches, liability concerns and costs of more than $10,000 for equipment have left one of the most exciting, exhilarating events in track and field in serious need of help.

"Pole vaulting was on the way out, then bringing girls in actually saved the sport," Birmingham Coach Scott King said. "It had a revival for a while, then a number of rule changes for safety reasons meant bigger pits, different types of padding and requirements that cost money. Spending $7,000 to $10,000 to upgrade your pole vault pit can be used elsewhere, and that's what has happened."

Dean Balzarett, who is retiring after 41 years of coaching track at North Hills Monroe, used to coach the pole vault but dropped it from his program in 2003 out of a concern that if he wasn't watching his vaulters every second and someone were injured, he'd be held responsible.

"You can't live in fear," he said.

Athletes whose schools don't have a pole vault program must learn and train on their own. That's what Greenberg did as a sophomore. A family friend told him about a pole vault clinic run by former state record-holder Anthony Curran on weeknights at Santa Monica High.

Greenberg, a free spirit who loved jumping on a trampoline, became immediately enthralled with the sport.

"I wouldn't say I'm your run-of-the-mill kind of guy," he said. "I'm a little kooky. I guess that's what drove me to the sport â€â€