2010 NFHS Rules You Should Know for Pole Vault

[rainbowgirl28]

For the first time in my life, I have been given my very own copy of the NFHS T&F Rules Book. I am also borrowing the 2010 Case Book.

I have summarized the rules as covered in both books. I have given the number of the rule, or the page number in the case book. Since I am not copying everything word-for-word, you should always verify everything in the appropriate book if there is any question.

I am not going to discuss EVERY rule, just the ones that are less likely to be known or have recently changed.

Uniforms and Jewelry - There are too many to list, hopefully your head coach goes over this stuff, but here are a few that I found interesting:

- If your jersey is somewhat see through, and you wear a t-shirt underneath it with some kind of writing or pattern, and you can see that through the uniform top, it is illegal. You can make it right by turning the t-shirt inside out, but don't remove your clothing within the competition area! (Case book, page 31)

- Under Armor and the like with seams stitched in contrasting colors are now illegal (for example, white shorts with black thread used for the seams) (Case book, page 31)

- Sports bras don't count as visible undergarments (even if they are visible) and are exempt from the rules about patterns and colors. (Case book, page 31)

- Jewelry: All visible piercings have to be removed and you can't use spacers and you can't cover them with tape. This includes tongue piercings. Belly button rings are not normally visible, and an official cannot ask you to lift your shirt to see it. HOWEVER, if your belly becomes exposed during an event (which definitely can happen in the vault) and the official sees a belly button piercing, you are disqualified. Many singlets are not long enough to stay tucked in to your shorts when vaulting, so possible solutions are: remove the piercing before competing or wear a leotard under your uniform so there is no chance of your belly being exposed. (Case book, 35-37).



Pole Vault Rules

- Time allowed per attempt: 1:30 if more than three competitors remain (even if only one vaulter is jumping at the height.
4:00 when there are three or fewer competitors. 6:00 when there is only one competitor. (Rule 7-2-5)

- You must tell the official before the clock is started for your attempt if you want to pass that attempt. (Rule 7-2-5)

- The time limit for athletes competing in another event is determined by the Games Committee, so make sure you know that coming into a meet. (Rule 7-2-7)
- If athletes miss their chance to attempt a certain height while gone, and the time allotted to wait for them has passed, they are not charged with a miss for the unattempted heights. They may continue as though they passed those attempts. (Case book 71-72)

- You may not warm up until a coach or official is present, and until the poles have been inspected. You may not practice once the event is over. (Rule 7-2-9)

- The coach may not push (tap) the vaulter at takeoff during warmups or the competition. (Rule 7-2-10)
- Penalty: Disqualification of the athlete, even if it is just in warmups. No warning given. (Case book page 73).

- If the games committee approves it ahead of time, a bungee may be used in warmups (has to be a bungee designed for PV, ). (Rule 7-2-11)
- Must be provided by host school only (Rules book, comment on rules change 1-b, page 77)

- If you clear a height but touch the bar and it makes the standards slip down, it is ruled a non jump and you can try again (like it never happened). But if you clearly knocked the bar off and the standards slip, it's just a miss. (Rule 7-2-11)

- Jump offs normally only happen in ties for first place. If a higher height is achieved in this jump-off, you are credited with that height. You can't pass in a jump-off. If vaulters tie for first but went out at different heights due to passing, the 4th attempt is at the lower of the last-attempted heights. (Rules 7-3-2 and 7-3-3)

- Sometimes in qualifying meets (like League or Districts), the games committee will determine that ties for the final qualifying spot (or sometimes for first alternate spot) must be broken by jump-offs. These are called administrative jump-offs, and any higher marks achieved do not count. These are normally conducted after the conclusion of the regular competition. Not addressed in the rule book, these should be addressed by the games committee. Since the rule book does not allow for jump-offs for positions other than first, any results from this jump-off wouldn't count toward the official results.


Pole Vault Poles


- Grip tape must not exceed two layers and has to be uniform thickness (can't be rolled). You can use basically whatever you want (and however much tape you want) to protect the bottom of the pole. (Rule 7-5-2)
-

- Athletes must weigh at or below the manufacturer's pole rating. There is nothing in the rule book allowing for leeway if an athlete is even one pound over, though I know sometimes officials are a little more generous. (Rule 7-5-3)

- The pole must include:
- A weight rating that is at least 3/4" and in a contrasting color and located within or above the top handhold position.
- A 1" circular band indication the max handhold position, with the position being determined by the manufacturer.
(Rule 7-5-3)

- Competitors may not use:
- a variable weight pole (does anyone even sell those anymore?)
- a pole that is improperly marked (i.e. HOMEMADE LABELS)
- a pole rated below their weight
- a pole that has been altered in any fashion (i.e. chopping 6" off the bottom)
- any other equipment that is not legal during warmups or competition
(Rule 7-5-4) - The penalty for violating this rule is disqualification from the event
- a training pole (Case book page 81)

- The official or whoever is assigned to this task must inspect the poles before athletes can warm-up. (Rule 7-5-5)
- If the engraved weight rating and the weight label do not match, the official has the ability to DQ the pole. If you are having an older pole rectified, and the weight rating has changed, and the engravings are still visible, make sure they change the engravings too. Note that the rules do not require the engravings to be visible, just that in this case, the official is uncertain about the validity of the pole and can DQ it. (Case book page 81).

- Rules 7-5-6 though 7-5-14 talk about the pole vault facility and the specs for the pit, box, etc.
- You're still screwed if a school has an old, non-tapered pit that impedes the pole bend. Yikes! In no cases can the pit be moved more than 3" back from the box. (Case book page 82)
- You can't alter the pegs to keep the bar on, even if it is windy, i.e. tape, sticky stuff, notches in the pegs… (Case book page 83)

Pole Vault Rules Part 2

- If you have passed three heights or more, you may get one warm up jump without the bar. (Rule 7-5-16)
- This should be made clear by the games committee in advance, otherwise it is at the discretion of the official. They cannot allow a warm up jump unless you have passed three heights, but they do not HAVE to let you take one if you have passed three heights. (Case book page 85).

- Officials can run 5-alive if they want. (Rule 7-5-17)

- The games committee determines the starting height. If only one athlete remains, they can choose where to place the bar. (Rule 7-5-18)
- The final athlete can only choose where to place the bar if they have won the competition. If they jumped a lower height, then passed, they must first clear whatever the next height in the normal progression is before they can choose the height. (Case book page 76)

- Standards may be placed between 15.5" (40cm) and 31.5" (80cm). (Rule 7-5-19)

- Athletes may place markers on the side of the runway, not on the runway. Meet management may mark the runway, not more than 3" long, at the intervals dictated in the book. (Rule 7-5-20)

- On your hands:
- No tape, unless it is covering an open wound (but tape on the wrist is OK)
- No gloves
- Chalk is OK
- Other forms of adhesive (like sticky spray, rosin, etc) are OK
(Rule 7-5-21)

- If the pole breaks during the jump, it does not count as an attempt. (Rule 7-5-22)

- You can't use someone else's pole without their permission. (Rule 7-5-23)

- The pole catcher can't prevent the pole from knocking off the crossbar, they can only catch it if it is falling away from the bar. (Rule 7-5-25)

- The bar never is never lowered to a lower height, only raised (except in a jump-off). (Rule 7-5-26)

- The bar has to be measured before a record attempt, not after (Rule 7-5-27).

- If is a foul if:
- You or your pole knock off the bar
- You leave the ground in an attempt a fail to clear the bar (attempting to abort the approach with the feet leaving the ground because of momentum is not a foul)
- You climb your pole (move your bottom hand above the top)
- If any part of your body or the pole touches the ground or the mat behind the vertical plane of the top of the back of the box without clearing the bar.
- Don't start within your allotted time.
- You clear the bar, but after you clear it, you hit the standards and make the bar fall down (I did not know this one)
- Steadies the crossbar with the hand(s) or arm(s)
- Grips the pole above the top hand-hold band.
(Rule 7-5-29)
- It does not matter if you get off the pit!! If your actions make the bar fall down, it is a miss. (Case book page 78)

Rule 7-5-30 talks about how to break ties. Many people screw this one up.



Misc

- If you get knocked unconscious, you cannot continue to compete without written permission from a physician (duh!). (Case book page 45)

- If you are bleeding, you cannot continue until the bleeding stops and the wound is covered. If you got blood on the pit, it has to be disinfected. (Case book page 46)

[rainbowgirl28]

- Under Armor and the like with seams stitched in contrasting colors are now illegal (for example, white shorts with black thread used for the seams) (Case book, page 31)

I believe this is new for 2010.

- If the games committee approves it ahead of time, a bungee may be used in warmups (has to be a bungee designed for PV, ). (Rule 7-2-11)
- Must be provided by host school only (Rules book, comment on rules change 1-b, page 77)

New for 2010. Bungees in warmups were banned in the past.

- If you have passed three heights or more, you may get one warm up jump without the bar. (Rule 7-5-16)
- This should be made clear by the games committee in advance, otherwise it is at the discretion of the official. They cannot allow a warm up jump unless you have passed three heights, but they do not HAVE to let you take one if you have passed three heights. (Case book page 85).

I did not know that the games committee/head official had some discretion to disallow warm up jumps even if three heights have been passed. We've all seen the meets where the bar starts at 5', but most people aren't coming in until 7', so 15 minutes after warmups have ended, lots of people are getting warmup jumps they don't really need.

[Robert schmitt]

- Under Armor and the like with seams stitched in contrasting colors are now illegal (for example, white shorts with black thread used for the seams) (Case book, page 31)

I believe this is new for 2010.

I have to take the head coaches online rules test every year for WIAA and I know the stitching was illegal last year at least. It seems to me that it was addressed for a few years prior also. I just knew this was the first year I got that question right.

[MattM]

- Under Armor and the like with seams stitched in contrasting colors are now illegal (for example, white shorts with black thread used for the seams) (Case book, page 31)

I'm wondering why this rule is in effect, does it pose some sort of imminent danger when stitches are in contrasting colors?

[rainbowgirl28]

- Under Armor and the like with seams stitched in contrasting colors are now illegal (for example, white shorts with black thread used for the seams) (Case book, page 31)

I'm wondering why this rule is in effect, does it pose some sort of imminent danger when stitches are in contrasting colors?

They are trying to be more consistent with their rules about undergarments being a solid color. It's a fine line between a STRIPE and a SEAM that is a different color.

I think 99% of people think it's a pretty stupid rule, but a rule is a rule and they need to be enforced consistently. Most DQ problems happen when rules are not enforced consistently throughout the season.

[CowtownPV]

- If is a foul if:
- You or your pole knock off the bar

What if the vaulter pushes the pole away, the pole is moving back to vertical and the pole catcher misses it, then the wind blows the pole into the bar? Miss or Make?

[LHSVaulterJJR]

- You can't use someone else's pole without their permission. (Rule 7-5-23)

hahaha -- really? whos going around and stealing poles from vaulters? and whose jumping on my poles without me allowing them to? if that really needed to be stated then someone must have gotten screwed in the past.

[MattM]

- If is a foul if:
- You or your pole knock off the bar

What if the vaulter pushes the pole away, the pole is moving back to vertical and the pole catcher misses it, then the wind blows the pole into the bar? Miss or Make?

That's really a judgment call by the official, if it looks like the vaulter attempted to throw the pole back and then it came back and knocked the bar off and it was clear that they would have cleared it, then they'll normally award it a clear. What you can watch for is the pole speed during the vault, if the pole moves to vertical quickly then slows down drastically then speeds up again and knocks the bar off, that normally means that the vaulter tried to throw the pole back and the wind threw it, but once again, it's a judgment call.

- You can't use someone else's pole without their permission. (Rule 7-5-23)

hahaha -- really? whos going around and stealing poles from vaulters? and whose jumping on my poles without me allowing them to? if that really needed to be stated then someone must have gotten screwed in the past.

Yeah, pretty much goes without saying; better them to include something obvious then leave it out and have it be broken though.

[Erica]

- You can't use someone else's pole without their permission. (Rule 7-5-23)

hahaha -- really? whos going around and stealing poles from vaulters? and whose jumping on my poles without me allowing them to? if that really needed to be stated then someone must have gotten screwed in the past.

I had a pole bag with about 8 poles in it at a jr high/jv meet yesterday. There were a lot of very novice vaulters, some vaulting for the first time. Two different times, we had to tell vaulters that the poles in the pole bag belong to people, they couldn't just use them because they needed one. They saw someone get a pole out of the bag, thought they were provided by the host school, and decided they needed one of them! I guess they didn't understand the pole bag situation since it was the only one there.

[rainbowgirl28]

First of all ... to Becca... this is a great post you started. I'm sure many of your readers may not have known some of the information you have posted here. Surem it's all in the book... but ya gotta have one to know it.

I think a lot of times, the head coach might have the only copy of the rule book, and the vault coach is rarely the head coach.

[rainbowgirl28]

Any discussion about weight ratings and weighing vaulters should go in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19397

[Divalent]

- the point at which all relevant distances are measured is from the top of the back of the box. 7-5-13 (the standard settings, the location of the "vertical plane", etc. (e.g., it's not the lowest point of the box))

- Technically, for record attempts, the height of the bar is supposed to be measured from the point of takeoff. 7-5-28 I'd be willing to bet there are very few actual "official" records, at least at the HS level.

- The base of the standards and other hard unyielding surfaces around the box and pit must be covered with a minimum of 2 inches of padding (7-5-9)