Spirit vs. Pacer

[dubjones]

The stiffer a pole gets, the faster it "reacts". I see what you are saying, you can hold higher, and slow that speed down, which is right. But let us assume that two poles, again a faster, and slower pole, are bending to an optimum angle (whatever you think that is), so raising your grip isn't really an option. Wouldn't it make sense that the pole that moves "faster" would result in a higher jump?
In my opinion, the idea of a faster pole is more efficent. It would return a higher percentage of energy stored in it than a slower pole. Why would anyone want to loose energy by jumping on a slower, and less efficent pole. Take the idea of a training pole, they are meant to return slowly, in theory, to give someone more time. This slower return results in a less efficent return of stored energy, and what would be a lower jump as a result.

[wacky274]

yeah, i agree in theory that it would hold true that the "faster" pole would result in a higher jump, and i also agree with thats the way it should be done. the only problem is that i know some people just cant swing fast enough on a pole to be in the right position at the top on a "fast pole"....this would result in a lower jump...though they should probably work on the swing to become faster, the fact remains that for the time being, say maybe a pacer would work well for them because (in my opinion of vaulting on pacers) it reacts slower, and thus gives the vaulter more time to swing

[PVJunkie]

Hey Dub...........Remember what we talked about on the phone..........I cant wait to see a few of the board members jump. Maybe we need to have a posters party @ the summit (we could do it at one eyed jacks, or what ever that place we went to 2 years ago) so we can all meet each other. C YA THERE.

[rainbowgirl28]

Yes I have been thinking about having some kind of Pole Vault Power meetup at Reno... hehe otherwise y'all can try and individually hunt me down

[wacky274]

yeah, meeting up would be a really cool idea...it'd be nice to have a face to all these names on here

[vaulter580]

in my opinion of vaulting on pacers) it reacts slower, and thus gives the vaulter more time to swing

WHAT??
dude, how are you gonna say that pacers are slow, i jumped 16'5" in highschool on spirit poles, came to college and PRed a foot when i made the switch to pacer carbons. Spirits lose their stregnth over the years, and they just dont bend that well to begin with

[wacky274]

Spirits lose their stregnth over the years, and they just dont bend that well to begin with

i completely have to disagree with that....theres is a spirit pole at the factory that has been tested 10,000 times and still holds the same flex as it did when it was built...this pole has been put in extreme heat and cold, and is as old as spirit poles practically.....if the flex isnt changing, that means the reaction of that pole is going to be the same each time....as for the bending thing, spirits are much easier to get on off the ground then the pacers and return more from the bend for less energy put into it....now it may just be me, but thats my kind of pole

[lonpvh]

I think your wrong with that one. I'm pretty sure they don't return more than the Pacer do. I think there has been some studies done on that. You might want to check up. LON

[dubjones]

I have tried not to name brands of poles in every post I have made, I don't want to try and use this board to promote one brand over another. But in my opinion Lon and Brad are right on this one.

[wacky274]

i was saying, it seems to me, and most everyone i've talked about it to, that when planting a spirit it feels like you put in less energy, and still get a decent kick out of it.....like, i dont necessarily mean that it returns more energy, but was saying that it FEELS as if it is because to plant a spirit is much easier.....my main complaint with vaulter 580's post was that he was saying they lose strength over the year, and i know that this has been tested and that they dont....thats initially all i had intened to say in my replying post

[lonestar]

i was saying, it seems to me, and most everyone i've talked about it to, that when planting a spirit it feels like you put in less energy, and still get a decent kick out of it.....like, i dont necessarily mean that it returns more energy, but was saying that it FEELS as if it is because to plant a spirit is much easier.....my main complaint with vaulter 580's post was that he was saying they lose strength over the year, and i know that this has been tested and that they dont....thats initially all i had intened to say in my replying post

I don't know about the pole that you say Spirit has tested 10,000 times and it hasn't lost a flex point, but I know for a fact that Jan Johnson did a study about 4-5 years ago on every pole brand out there and found that because of the pattern Spirit uses to wrap their poles, after a certain number of jumps, they would delaminate and have flex losses averaging .5 softer, whereas most other brands retained the exact factory flex. Perhaps that pole you speak of was wrapped differently when it was made? Since Steve Chappel got his start at Pacer, maybe his initial design was very similar to Pacer and changes. I don't know, but just throwing out some ideas. Any thoughts PVJunkie?

[wacky274]

um, i dont know, maybe it was wrapped diff, but all i know is that i saw them bend the pole, and show me the flex on the pole where it was engraved and then on the flex machine thing and it was the same.....so...i dont know....maybe it wasnt 10,000 but i know it was up there