PoleVaultPower.com

WTF? IMO an official with a level should be good enough unless it's for record setting purposes... and what is a "qualified panel of officials"? I'm looking into these things...

http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/Annual ... al2011.pdf

2. Performances made outside traditional athletics facilities (such as those held in town squares, other sporting facilities, beaches, etc.) shall only be valid and recognized for all purposes, if they are made subject to all of the following conditions:
(a) the appropriate governing body has issued a sanction for the event;
(b) a qualified panel of Officials are appointed to and officiate at the event;
(c) where applicable, equipment and implements in conformity with the Rules are used; and
(d) the event is conducted on an event site or facility in conformity with the Rules and in respect of which a
certificate under Rule 135 is issued by an Official Surveyor based on measurements taken on the day of the event.

Edited, apparently it's in the IAAF rule book now, that's what prompted the USATF change.

USATF want's to remain in lock step with changes the IAAF may make. They have been doing so every since they re-numbered all the rules to match the IAAF. Makes you wonder why we need a USATF book at all other than for Youth/Masters.

Another interesting change is the pole taping proposal/change in 183.8. While I've not seen this as being a problem here in recent times, it has got to have an impact on officating a meet since a pole inspection of every pole being used "may" be required.

Vaultref wrote:Another interesting change is the pole taping proposal/change in 183.8. While I've not seen this as being a problem here in recent times, it has got to have an impact on officating a meet since a pole inspection of every pole being used "may" be required.

I wouldn't worry too much about it as an official. It's very obvious when a vaulter has a pole taped like that, you'd be able to spot it from a distance.

Oh I have confirmed that you'll need the surveyor if you want USATF liability insurance for your event. So it won't just be affecting the elite beach vaults, it will affect all of them. Unless someone knows of a different company that offers insurance...

Dear Rules Committee,

I am writing on behalf of the pole vault community regarding rule proposal #33. This proposal is an attempt to bring the USATF rules in line with a new IAAF rule regarding competitions held outside of a traditional athletic facility.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with the wording of the rule, and some severe unintended consequences if this rule is passed.

There are currently about 30 pole vault competitions held each year in the US that take place in non-traditional venues, such as beaches, parks, street fairs, etc. These events annually expose hundreds of thousands of people to the pole vault who would never attend a track meet or watch one on TV. Some of these events are high performance meets with elite athletes and prize money, others are low-key events that are fun for the local community.

If this rule is passed, ALL of these events will be required to hire an official surveyor every year in order to obtain USATF liability insurance. I have confirmed this with Carmen Triplet.

Because the IAAF has passed this rule, the high performance meets will be doing this anyway. But for the low-key events, this is like to asking your local Turkey Trot or Fun Run 5k to undergo rigorous IAAF certification in order to get insurance. While a road race can get insurance through a variety of sources, I am not aware of any other organization that will insure a pole vaulting competition.

I am also concerned about the vague wording of the rule. The rule says "qualified panel of Officials." What qualifications do they need? How many officials makes up a panel? Just because the IAAF rule is poorly worded does not mean we should adopt similarly poorly worded language.

Please note that there is unlikely to be an issue with elite athletes qualifying for Nationals because they will choose to go to meets that are acceptable to the IAAF. Also, most of these meets are held after Nationals, and we generally don't see many athletes using marks from a street vault to qualify for the next year's meet.

There are also no issues with records. USATF rules currently do not allow records to be set on wooden runways, and every street/beach vault I've ever been to in the US uses a runway with at least some wood.

This is not a safety issue in any way.

Please do not approve this rule. Please either table it, or reject it. Let us propose a more reasonable solution for next year's rule changes. Rejecting this rule preserves the status quo and does not cause any harm. Passing this rule threatens the ability of many of these events to exist due to their inability to afford a surveyor, leaving them unable to get insurance.

Thank you,
Becca Gillespy Peter
Pole Vault Power
http://www.polevaultpower.com/

Not concerning ourselves with the national level, contact me about your two meets in WA. I will be willing to help you.

Quick update, had a great chat with Bob Hersh tonight. It is not the intention of the rules committee to make low-key beach vaults have to hire a surveyor. They are working to sort the issue out with national office staffers.