Test your pole vault IQ with this quiz

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/ind ... ur_po.html

The Pole Vault Stumpers

1. According to USA Today, the only things harder in sports than pole vaulting 15 feet or higher are:

a) Driving a race car at 200 mph and hitting a major league fastball;

b) Listening to Chris Berman and Dick Vitale for the entire broadcast of a game; or

c) Staying awake during the Pro Bowl and NFL Draft.

2. This legendary pole vaulter, known as "The Birdman" in Europe, is the only man to clear 6.10 meters (20 feet). The Birdman is:

a) Mark Fidrych;

b) Robert Stroud; or

c) Sergey Bubka.

3. What is the greatest danger in pole vaulting?

a) Broken poles;

b) Missing the landing pit; or

c) Vertigo.

4. On a per capita basis, what is the most dangerous high school sport in America, in terms of fatal or paralyzing injuries?

a) Football;

b) Gymnastics; or

c) Pole vaulting.

5. After Bob Seagren failed to defend his gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, finishing second, he protested an official's decision on the eve of the competition to outlaw the new poles he and bronze medalist Jan Johnson were using by:

a) Throwing the substitute pole at the official and hitting him in the stomach, in a gesture captured in a famous photograph that recalled a man harpooning an officious walrus;

b) Giving an obscene salute to the fans; or

c) Quitting amateur track and field in disgust and joined a jump-for-pay professional circuit.

6. After his athletic career, Seagren played a gay NFL quarterback in the TV series:

a) Soap;

b) Charlie's Angels; or

c) Stunt Seven.

7. After he became the last steel-pole vaulter to win an Olympic gold medal, free-spirited Don Bragg stood on the victory podium in Rome and:

a) Sang "That's Amore";

b) Gave a Tarzan yell; or

c) Told the crowd, "Toga party at the Coliseum as soon as I change."

8. Mack:

a) Won the state championship while at St. Ignatius;

b) Did not place in the state meet; or

c) Never made the state meet.

9. Before going to the University of Tennessee for his last two years, Mack jumped for the only school that gave him a scholarship. It was:

a) Toledo;

b) Malone College in Canton; or

c) Vanderbilt.

10. After graduation from Tennessee, before he won any big meets, Mack worked at a number of odd jobs. He:

a) Packed tea-bags at a Knoxville plant;

b) Cleaned toilets in the Tennessee student recreation center; or

c) Cavorted at a hockey rink in a bumblebee costume.

Answers:

1. A.

2. C. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych was a Detroit Tigers pitcher. Robert Stroud was "The Birdman of Alcatraz." He was played in the movie of that name by Burt Lancaster.

3. B. However, both Bragg, who suffered from vertigo, and Mack, who is mildly afraid of heights, won gold medals despite their difficulty with the air up there.

4. C.

5. A and C. As for B, Polish vaulter Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz so saluted jeering Moscow fans after winning in 1980.

6. A. However, Seagren was in a failed spin-off of "Charlie's Angels" called "Toni's Boys," starring Barbara Stanwyck. He also filmed a pilot for "Stunt Seven," about daredevils running covert operations for pay. It was not picked up.

7. B. As a boy, Bragg idolized Johnny Weissmuller, who played Tarzan on the silver screen.

8. C.

9. B. Mack considered being a walk-on at Toledo before going to Malone. I just threw Vanderbilt in because I busted Mack's chops after the school, my alma mater, beat the top-ranked Vols in basketball last season.

10. A, B, and C.

[KirkB]

5. After Bob Seagren failed to defend his gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, finishing second, he protested an official's decision on the eve of the competition to outlaw the new poles he and bronze medalist Jan Johnson were using by:

a) Throwing the substitute pole at the official and hitting him in the stomach, in a gesture captured in a famous photograph that recalled a man harpooning an officious walrus;

b) Giving an obscene salute to the fans; or

c) Quitting amateur track and field in disgust and joined a jump-for-pay professional circuit.

Answer: 5. A and C. As for B, Polish vaulter Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz so saluted jeering Moscow fans after winning in 1980..

My, how stories grow!

C is correct - he competed in a number of professional PV competitions - mostly against Steve Smith. Back in those days, "professional" was a dirty word, and pros couldn't compete in the Olympics, or in any AAU or USATF competitions.

A is INCORRECT. I was right there. He mocked the official (Adrian Paulen) by "ceremoniously" presenting his pole to him. Paulen refused to take it, so he got booed by the crowd. I'd like to see a close-up of that alleged photo. It sounds VERY exagerated!

Kirk