PoleVaultPower.com

I was just wondering how high do you think you would have to jump to get a good amount (60% +) of scholarship money. In my 2nd year of vaulting (sophmore year) I've cleared 13. I am just wondering how far I have to go.

17'+ im guessing. It helps if you can do other events well.

i think it depends on what school and what they need. 17' sounds a little high for a minimun, but we had a vaulter last year that got a scholarship to a smaller d1 school and he jumped 15'.

I would say 15 is a minimum to start getting some offers from smaller schools. 16 feet should get you over 60% at many schools. 17 feet you can get a full ride without much trouble. Also, if you do other events as well you will be more valuable to the teams.

theflyingkorean wrote:17'+ im guessing. It helps if you can do other events well.

17 feet is a very rare high school jump. hell the big tens were won with 16-8!. 15'6 - 16' sounds more realistic 2 me.

If you can get more than 60% as a freshman pole vaulter at all you are getting a hell of a deal. I have known several 17 footers in high school that have gotten much less than that. If you want a full ride you pretty much better jump 17+ and run a 47 flat 400 or a 10.5 100, either that or jump 18 feet in high school. Not to be discouraging, but pole vaulters are usually not that great of an investment for most D1 programs. So if any of you guys jumped less than that and got 60% then good job. You cant do it for the money!

i agree, why spend money on a vaulter to win in 1 event, when a good runner can score points in alot of events for ex. 100, 200, 4 x 1 , etc

How high you jump is only a small factor in the amount of scholarship you can get. The school, strength of conference, scholarships available, etc., all play a role. For example, the high school national record holder only got 80% at a major program but I've seen 16'0" guys on a full ride at smaller schools. There isn't a magic height that will get you a scholarship. Being flexible about where you are willing to go to school while carrying a good PR and good grades will get you a lot farther than just a good PR.

Also, it helps to be good in more than one event. Whether you jump 10' or 19', all you can score for your team is 10 points. And since a lot of coaching jobs ride on how they perform as a team at conference, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend a lot of money on someone who can only score a maximum of 10 points when they can spent the same amount on a multi-eventer who can score in the 3-4 events and bring in 30+ points.

Anyway, if you really need the money, apply for academic scholarships and grants. That's a lot more stable source of money than an athletic scholarship which is only for one year anyway.

So there is no chance for us dumb, lazy students who go to school just because they have to, to vault, and have 2.5 gpa's? and 1010 SAT's?

OAKPV2004 wrote:So there is no chance for us dumb, lazy students who go to school just because they have to, to vault, and have 2.5 gpa's? and 1010 SAT's?

Just means you have to jump a lot higher Make sure you meet the NCAA minimums!

Yes - an it is not just GPA - but - GPA in certain core courses - to much basket weaving can get you in trouble

What about UNDERWATER basket weaving?