tape?

[jmayesvaultmom]

We had one USATF meet where there was a wrinkle in the tape on the pole and they wanted her to pull the tape off....the wrinkle was in between each hand grip....so we just cut that section of tape out...there was no time to retape the pole!

[das_1971]

I was jumping on poles at state without tape and the ref had to check to see if that was legal.

[Bruce Caldwell]

In 1968-69 a vaulter from Central High School KCMO beat me every meet by nearly a foot. No rule in those times about taping the pole. He had a ball of tape as High on the 15' pole as he could and he gripped right on top of it.
Never slipped, rode the pole up and got off like an elevator ride.

Tried the same thing in practice a few days later, boy did it really yank my shoulders and body off the ground. (My shoulder hurt for days LOL)
I decided this was not pole vaulting and went back to trying to beat him with technique.

RAYTOWN SOUTH GRAD 1969 13'6"
1968 Indoor best in the city 12'6"
1967 12'4"

[OUvaulterUSAF]

Any color is fine. You can tape any direction you want BUT if you tape from the top down (the ridges face up) and the overlap starts to roll....well at that point your tape job is illegal. You can have a max of two layers of tape of uniform thickness (no rolling).

i hate that rule. i overlap my tape from the top down and purposely role the tape, have yet to be called on it.

[Vaulterchick88]

ugh, who cares about tape, that is really stupid, especially since they don't enforce it.

[Bruce Caldwell]

Vaulterchick88"]ugh, who cares about tape, that is really stupid, especially since they don't enforce it.

Yes in places it is not enforced,
Then when they do at a meet you will be stuck cause you have not used the proper legal method. It is best to conform tot he rule now so you do not have to adapt later