Cutting Poles

[Decamouse]

For all us anal geek types - that is why you should stay away from using the L cubed ratio - if you don't know what that is don't worry - you don't want to - but I do know that yesterday Brian even said I did something right while vaulting - for a change - so - old dogs can learn new tricks - must be using that GB Packer stripped pole! (For you Oregon Guys - it was nice to see Hayward painted in Packer Colors!!!)

[Bruce Caldwell]

BUT PLEASE DO NOT CUT YOUR POLES.

IF THE POLE IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU TRY ANOTHER MANUFACTURER.
IF IT IS DAMAGED AT THE BOTTOM YOU CAN CUT IT AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT CUT ABOVE THE REINFORCMENT AT THE BUTT.

[rainbowgirl28]

IF THE POLE IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU TRY ANOTHER MANUFACTURER.

Or you may be on the wrong length/stiffness of pole

[OAKPV2004]

IF THE POLE IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU TRY ANOTHER MANUFACTURER.

Or you may be on the wrong length/stiffness of pole

I think He meant the Pole brand

[rainbowgirl28]

IF THE POLE IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU TRY ANOTHER MANUFACTURER.

Or you may be on the wrong length/stiffness of pole

I think He meant the Pole brand

I know that. The vast majority of vaulters on here don't have the luxury of buying a whole new series of poles in another brand. Most high schoolers are lucky to have the poles available to be able to make 10 pound jumps. And most of the vaulters on here have too many improvements in technique to lose sleep over what brand they are on... myself included!

Maybe one brand of pole will help a given vaulter jump higher. And that brand is going to vary based on the technique the vaulter uses. But until your technique is very good in all areas, worrying about your pole brand seems kind of silly to me.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that for most of the vaulters who read this board and are having problems jumping on a given pole, their solution either lies in improving technique, or choosing a longer/shorter/stiffer/softer pole. Buying the same pole in a different brand is not likely to help.

And going back to the original topic, I don't recommend cutting poles either. You'll probably regret it later when you need a longer pole... and if you don't, a future teammate will!

[vaulter580]

O.K.

im not sure on the physics of the whole thing, but i do know that my 16.8 flex in my bag used to be a terrable pole(pacer carbon,5.00m), so i cut it 5 inches and this changed the flex to a 17.4. the pole bent so low before i cut it that it would hit the pit every jump. but now(after being cut) it is the best pole in my bag, bends right between my hands.

dont tell me that it doesnt change the pole, or that the pole will break easier

p.s. someone reguarding this matter said that poles bending low for me was a technique flaw, just ask anyone who has seen me jump, its not my technique
Bzrad

even though all of my poles are cut, i do not recommend that just anyone go cut their poles, have someone that knows what they are doing cut them for you

[lonestar]

Brad is right, there's nothing wrong with cutting poles if you know what you're doing.

We do it for 2 reasons: 1) to lower the flex (soften the pole). 2) to lower the sail so the bend is higher. Before we cut any pole, we flex it at its original length with the original spans (fulcrums). Then we adjust those spans to account for how much we might cut off and reflex it. We'll do that until we hit the flex we want, then cut it. Generally, and this isn't a constant by any means, but generally every inch off the bottom softens the pole .1-.2 or roughley 1/2lb - 1lb. It depends, sometimes it doesn't soften it at all. That's why it's better to flex first, cut second. Also, make your cuts clean - we do it with a chop saw so the cut is straight - hacksawing sucks, but if you have to do it, draw a line around the cut first and do it as straight as possible.

One of the best poles we had in our girls series was an AMF Pacer III (1980 - older than all of the kids jumping on it) 14' 130. It had been broken about 2' from the bottom. We cut the jagged end off, flexed it out, and it was the equivalent of a 12' 150-155. What a great pole - high bend, very responsive - had one girl jump 12' on it gripping 11'10.

[flying scotsman]

"We do it for 2 reasons: 1) to lower the flex (soften the pole)."

Would shortening the pole and lowering the flex not infact make it stiffer ?

[PVJunkie]

The higher you grip on a pole the softer it is. If you want a quick fix, when you cut a pole you basically raise your grip without getting any better technically. If you keep you grip in the exact same spot after cutting you do have a slightly stiffer pole. So, whats the solution.............if you dont have the right pole can you modify the lenth of the pole to your grip ht. Yes you can, is it legal at the HS level NO IT IS NOT (if you show up to a meet with a hacked pole it will be thrown out). Now the BIG probelm. Once you start cutting, the poles are forever changed and its tough to get the next pole in the line unless you cut all the poles of that length the same amount (even your brand new ones). So if you modify the pole makers cant help you when its time for the next pole. In fact NO manufac will tell you to cut a pole!!! In fact they will tell you not to.

[swtvault]

No, it does make it softer on the same span. Each length of pole has a certain span we measure it at. In my case though, I measure all my poles on the 16'1 spans.

[lonestar]

"We do it for 2 reasons: 1) to lower the flex (soften the pole)."

Would shortening the pole and lowering the flex not infact make it stiffer ?

Whoops, I mispoke myself. I meant "raise" the flex number (higher flex=softer pole) But it does make if softer in most cases because of what Bryan said - you're holding higher on that sailpiece position by cutting it - you haven't changed your overall grip height, you've just shortened the pole to hold more near the top/above the sail.

And they don't have to know it's chopped

[higherflyer]

Can anyone tell me where it is writen in the National High School Rules
that cutting a pole is not legal?