Elbert Pratt's pits destroyed by vandals

[rainbowgirl28]

Elbert Pratt moved to Utah last spring and started a pole vault vault club there. Vandals recently burned his pits to the ground!

I started a pole vault center in American Fork Utah, and have been enjoying it
and slowly building my group of vaulters. We moved here the end of January and
I brought my mats from Texas in March. I have been able to get several
vaulters to improve over 3 feet this season, with one high school junior
improving 4'4" in a 3 month stretch. Expectations of great results have been
growing until this week when everything suddenly came to a screeching halt.
Vandals burned my pole vault mats to the ground on Sunday. I had a beautiful
set of large mats which I made a deal with a local high school to let their
vaulters use, in exchange for letting me give lessons to the vaulters of PRATT
POLE VAULT CLUB.

The police have learned that 2 young men set the blaze, but got away. The fire
department tells me that they used an accelerant, to get the blaze started.
Everything burned up completely in less than 10 minutes. The high school tells
me their insurance policy only covers their equipment, and since this was mine,
it isn't covered by their insurance policy. Between the mats, base protector
pads and weather cover, we can replace mats of that size for $22,000, but I
simply don't have that amount.

One way or another I want to keep this pole vault school going. Can you put the
word out on pole vault power to see if there is anyone that knows of some used
mats that would be for sale.

If there are some coaches or athletes that know of a school that recently
bought new mats, and the old ones aren't completely trashed, that would be ok.
I can refurbish them.

High school sized mats would be ok, since I am not nearly as likely to find
collegiate sized mats, and most of my students are Jr High and High School
students, and not yet jumping high enough to need very large mats.


Hopefully I can find some in the Western US, or Midwest, so that
shipping costs will not be prohibitive. If you can post this info with my email
andnumber in Pole Vaut Power, anyone with a possible prospect can contact me at
elbertpratt@sbcglobal.net or my phone number is 915-526-8723.