late season pole problem

[SlickVT]

Regarding the link where mccobb came to us for help before... Let me make sure I am understanding this correctly.

This kid came to PVP with an obvious lack of knowlege, and experience, or general understanding of the sport.

He asked for help, and the first thing that we, as polevaultpower members give him is the Petrov model, DJ's mid mark chart, and a discussion from the members here that led to KirkB saying that the info posted resembled a masters thesis???

Seriously?

When a kindergardener wants to learn math... lets just hand him a calculus book.

Maybe a better approach would have been a simplified version? Maybe?

And then he gets torn to pieces for being confused.

Nice.

[rainbowgirl28]

Regarding the link where mccobb came to us for help before... Let me make sure I am understanding this correctly.

This kid came to PVP with an obvious lack of knowlege, and experience, or general understanding of the sport.

He asked for help, and the first thing that we, as polevaultpower members give him is the Petrov model, DJ's mid mark chart, and a discussion from the members here that led to KirkB saying that the info posted resembled a masters thesis???

Seriously?

When a kindergardener wants to learn math... lets just hand him a calculus book.

Maybe a better approach would have been a simplified version? Maybe?

And then he gets torn to pieces for being confused.

Nice.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, but the very first post after his is a pole chart, which Kirk even took the time to edit and circle the poles he was trying to use, to show what an enormous jump in poles that was. Even if he didn't ready any words anyone posted, he could have glanced at that and acknowledged that the 14'6 pole was MUCH bigger than the 13'0 pole.

But yes, I agree that people on here who feel like they need to give everyone advice need to keep in mind the level vaulters are at and use the KISS principle.

[KirkB]

... Sometimes psyching yourself up to run faster and jump harder is not the answer for someone in your shoes ...

McCobb, I was the one advising yourself to psyche yourself up to get on your bigger pole.

My assumption was that you were properly supervised by a "good" coach. That's the reason I suggested that you consult with him on this.

My assumptions were aparently just that ... assumptions.

And after you breaking two poles in one day ... something that should never happen if you're properly supervised ... that changes my advice significantly.

In fact, let's start with the basics.

Rule #1 ... someone with your inexperience should NOT be vaulting without "proper" supervision by a "responsible" coach that's passed his PVSCB (Pole Vault Safety Certification Board) exam! See: http://www.pvscb.com/

Kirk

[KirkB]

... I agree that people on here who feel like they need to give everyone advice need to keep in mind the level vaulters are at and use the KISS principle.

The regulars on here ... myself included ... often provide advice before they really understand the problem. I'm guilty as charged.

It reminds me of the story of Little Johnny, who asked his daddy where he came from. After a long song and dance about the birds and the bees, Little Johnny said "But Daddy, my friend Jimmy came from Philadelphia ... where did I come from?"

That was just a little humor on my way to a serious point ...

The most important advice that a YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL vaulter can get is from his PERSONAL coach ... the coach that sees him every day, gives him guidance on what to do, and gives him immediate feedback on what he's doing wrong. This PERSONAL coaching is WAAAY more important to an impressionalble young kid (boy or girl) than anything that we might cite from our experience or knowledge ... WHICH MIGHT NOT MATCH THE PROBLEM THAT HE'S TRYING TO DESCRIBE. And a HS vaulter doesn't usually have a vocabulary sufficient to describe his problem very well, so misunderstandings and miscommunications are frequent.

If you don't have a "real" coach, then maybe PVP is the next best thing, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that we can replace real live coaches!

As far as what advice to give to you, McCobb, I'm stumped. Both your coach and your "retired coach that still helps" seems to have bought you the wrong poles, and neither one of them is supervising you!

Quite honestly, I think we should be advising the HS coaches rather than the HS kids.

They're the ones that need ... and can absorb ... all the technical, detailed information that we give!

Kirk

[vaultmd]

Man, talk about truth being stranger than fiction . . .

[vault3rb0y]

Often times it's very difficult to get coaches to accept using methods that are safe or correct, because they think they are right. So resources like this website and books NEED to be used by athletes to give them some credibility. I think printing out beccas post would be a great start, Mccobb, and tell your coach that you were looking for some advice and (as nicely as you can) tell him that what you found goes against what he teaches. If he has a problem with it, make him an account and have him on here to talk it out, that'd be pretty interesting. But if he refuses to talk to you about it, don't vault with him anymore. Look for a club to vault with. You won't jump big with him coaching you unless he changes his way, and it wouldnt be your fault either, unless you choose to stay with him. You aren't the enemy, because you now have the knowledge to help not only yourself, but the other vaulters on the team . Let us know how it goes.

[rainbowgirl28]

In case you don't believe me that coming up short can be life threatening, please read this post in the high school forum: http://polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtop ... =1&t=17651

and this note I just got about a college athlete who had a serious accident at his conference meet last week:

He stalled out and rode the pole which caused it to bend in the opposite direction. Instead of letting the pole go and landing on the pit, it shot him backwards and he landed on the runway @ his neck/upper back.