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2 weeks ago at a track meet, I saw a kid using a old Fibersport pole. It was the heaviest pole I had ever seen. After the meet, I let him try one of our new poles. He jumped about a foot higher than he did in the meet. Next week we will be at a meet in his town. He will surely ask to borrow a pole from us. Do I let him use our pole and perhaps beat one of our kids? Or, do I tell him no, not during the competition? I don't want to be a poor sport but it's not my fault his school won't invest in poles and what if he broke our pole?

being a pole vaulter is being a part of a community. The community likes to see others succeed, and are usually very encouraging to other teams (or at least where I'm from). At one meet in high school, I let someone borrow my pole and he ended up PRing by 2 feet and beating me. Was I upset? Of corse not! I helped someone else and was very happy for his huge PR.

But after that my coach yelled at me because he didnt want our poles to be used by everyone, and he doesn't let us loan poles anymore. Personally i think you should for purely out of sportsmanship and for the sport of pole vauting.

There is an un spoken rule "you break it you buy it".............

I agree!
First, I want to help any vaulter in anyway possible! Second, Notify the coach and suggest that he could purchase a pole for the jumper! Finally, BJ is right, but the rule you break it, you buy it doesn't always pan out???

I would be more caucious that the pole doesn't get picked up by another school "just walk off" and that you get your poles back... I doubt the kid will break the pole, if he were any better he would most likley have his own. This is more common in JH and that is where it starts!

As a former vaulter myself, I too want to see all the kids do well. I worked with this kid for a hour after the meet. The poles are mine so I can loan them to whomever I please. However, if we lost a meet by 2 points because of the loaned pole, the head coach may stop speaking to me.

well, I guess because track is a team sport, you should always have the best interest of the team first. If you know that you'll beat that team, then you should definatly loan them the pole.

bjvando wrote:There is an un spoken rule "you break it you buy it".............

And there is no reason you can't make it a spoken rule...

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

bjvando wrote:There is an un spoken rule "you break it you buy it".............

And there is no reason you can't make it a spoken rule...

Yeah, you need to make it a spoken rule...with his parents...before he lays his hands on it. If not, good luck trying to wring $300+ out of a 16 year old. Ain't gonna happen.

pvdad81 wrote:As a former vaulter myself, I too want to see all the kids do well. I worked with this kid for a hour after the meet. The poles are mine so I can loan them to whomever I please. However, if we lost a meet by 2 points because of the loaned pole, the head coach may stop speaking to me.

Personally I would and I have lent a pole in a similar situation. To me its not about who has the most money and equipment, its who's the most athletic and trained the hardest.

My vaulter borrowed a pole in Reno and PR'd and beat the kid he borrowed from. My guy got 2nd to a kid that my vaulter loaned a pole to who also PR'd. Good stuff.

I know that in some areas, your dual meet record is pretty important. Just try to look at the bigger picture. The odds of your team losing by exactly 2 points or whatever are slim. In the long term, your vaulter should do better if he has better competition to push him.

The concern about the kid breaking the pole are definitely of a more serious nature. I agree talking to his parents first would be a wise course of action. Also, if he looks like he is in danger of breaking it while using it (sitting at takeoff, pulling with the top arm, or otherwise overbending it), take it away!

rainbowgirl28 wrote:
The concern about the kid breaking the pole are definitely of a more serious nature. I agree talking to his parents first would be a wise course of action. Also, if he looks like he is in danger of breaking it while using it (sitting at takeoff, pulling with the top arm, or otherwise overbending it), take it away!

I've definatly refused to let someone borrow a pole because their form was bad. It's a safety thing. But if someone has decent form and genuinly needs a bigger or smaller pole, I'd help him out.

in high school we used to loan out poles all the time

in college we did for a while, until every school on the east coast kept asking to borrow them, and then a kid from Navy spiked the crap out of one and said it was still fine and he wasn't gonna pay for it. now our inventory is just ours.

although i did loan some of my personal poles out at taiwan.. the european pacer rep was there anyway if something happened, and one of themw as one of his vaulters.

i think loaning it out is almost always a case by case basis.