Casey,
It is my assumption that most vaulters on this message board have a pretty good idea of how poles are made, if you get to know any of em i think they should be able to help you out at least some. i have a basic understanding of the use of sail pieces, wrapping, fiberglass, and other composites that have been used such as carbon fiber (very popular) as well as some experimental poles with graphite, kevlar, and more. however, by no means am i an expert, and i am also interested in learing more. definitely check threads on the section of the forums called "pole vault poles" it should help out plenty. also, ive found a pretty decent history of vaulting including different variations in the fiberglass pole throughout the past few decades in an articles found on jan's website
www.skyjumpers.com in the articles section.any other questions let me know if i can help
Jody