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Wow. At our most recent meet, our best vaulter managed to snap his pole in half during his vault. Thats the first time we've ever had a pole break. It was rather scary at the time, but when we look back at the video of it, its hilarious. You're not expecting it. Luckily no one was hurt. The vaulter was running so fast, he landed right on the pit. Has anyone else witnessed a pole breaking?

I've broken one and seen a few. Two guys in the College A group at Texas Relays this year broke one. It's pretty cool if they don't get hurt!

BritDawg118 wrote:I've broken one and seen a few. Two guys in the College A group at Texas Relays this year broke one. It's pretty cool if they don't get hurt!

yeah, it is cool except for the 3 or 4 hundred bucks the pole cost

seriously though, i guess if noone was hurt then all it means is that one less unsafe damaged pole will be jumped on. so that is definatelya good thing

thats so dangerous.

it doesn't always mean that the pole is unsafe or damaged. If it's not that the pole is too small, then it usually means that you just had tons of power that the pole didn't know what to do with!

I think my first pole break was when I was 13 years old, Ive had 8 in my career.

what really hurts are your hands after the vibration, or wherever the remaining portions of the pole hits your body(rips, back, stomach, forehead) theyre pretty hard and moving pretty fast.

Britdawg is exactly right. I've broken 8 poles in my life, all in good condition and by HS standards, I was legal everytime, because I was under the poles rating every time. It just happens that when I would get a really good jump after workin on something new, I'd have a new amount of energy in the jump, and snap, the glass just couldnt take it.

Funny part is, I'm so used to doin it, I can adjust in the air after it happens so I don't land on my head. (I land in the mats safe every time).
Only thing that has bit me is the bottom half of the pole coming back and smacking me in the back. I still get tightness in my ribs from a pole break 3 years ago.

Had a freak injury occur to a guy I coach a few weeks ago. He had a bad takeoff, low and flat, kind of sat on the pole, and it broke about 1/3rd of the way from the top. The top piece of pole recoiled hard enough to break off the end of his ulna at his left elbow and left a puncture in his left elbow that gushed a fair amount of blood. 1 pin and 16 stitches later, he's looking forward to jumping NEXT YEAR

I have broken 2 poles so far over the last 5 years. The last one I broke was right before a big meet, I was really lucky to not hurt myself. I was just taking off, no rock back or anything and it blewup in the middle and then broke between my hands from the vibration. It was pretty intense. About a month and a half ago, my training partner was jumping and he took off and let his hips go, the pole broke in almost the same spot as mine, and then whipped him in the back and the forearm, but unfortunately he let go of his top hand dislocating his shoulder. He is still recovering from it, but is close to being 100%. Both of the poles were pacer fx carbons .

i broke mine when i was first learning to bend...well, i got right back on and got it down...it was weird...

SlickVT "I'd have a new amount of energy in the jump, and snap, the glass just couldnt take it. "

The glass can take it. The pole was either damaged or you had too flat a takeoff.