New IAAF rule

[golfdane]

I can only assume that the people that made this rule truly hate the event of pole vault and pole vaulters and would like to see such an increase of injuries that the event can be banned.

I think they must have thought of the rule by attending a baseball game and watching pitchers warm-up between every inning, or even during an inning if they are substituted in. They must have said... look, those pitchers get to warm-up over and over again and baseball is a wildly successful and highly profitable sport. We've got to make sure that doesn't happen to Track & Field, pole vaulting in particular. If all that warm-up is required for them to pitch well and the game to be safer, it's probably the same as pole vault. So this is how we can truly throw a knife into the heart of the sport and kill it! Pole vault must be the only sport in the world where the best competitor gets the most disadvantages.

Jeff Hartwig saved the US from this malicious rule, where the hell was Bubka when they made the IAAF rule? Is he trying to protect his legacy?

I think this is appropiate somehow:


More drama and shorter competitions seems to be what IAAF is trying to give the broadcast companies, in order to sell more TV time. It's the exact same with the false start rule enforcement.

[wtfisup]

I see where this rule is coming from and totally agree. It's to take all those people out who like to cram before a test. You know, it's not fair that they can practice technique 10 mins before they take thier first jump. That should have been done at home. Plus, I feel guilty for watching them because then I'm cheating on the test! Totally not fair to the competitors around them. This is going to sky rocket the TV ratings for our sport. I remember last year while watching Eurosport online. I saw someone pick up a pole in the back ground during an attempt. I was so confused and shocked to the point I couldn't watch the screen anymore. So glad these guidelines are now put in place to keep me watching! Thank you for preserving our pure sport. We salute you.

[birdi_gurlie]

That's not cheating; it's called warming up and staying warmed up. It's also called knowing yourself. I know some vaulters who can't touch a pole between vaults. I however was the other way; if I wasn't vaulting, I was doing a practice and warm up stuff. This included 6 step/3 left practice pole drops and such. Why? It kept my mind on the competition and on the technique. If I was on my 3rd attempt, it helped me keep my mind off the no height and on "I can do this"

I think it's stupid. Sprinters practice and warm up within minutes of their race. Why not vaulters?

Also, by saying:

Once a competition has begun, athletes are not permitted to use, for
practice purposes as appropriate,
(a) the runway or take-off area;
(b) vaulting poles;
(c) implements;
(d) the circles or the ground within the sector with or without
implements.

Does that mean that we can't even stretch on the ground? That we can't walk a 6 step run up without a pole while visualizing our vault?

I think this is a stupid rule.


P.S. I love that cartoon.

[VaultPurple]

Sarcasm detector here ^

But anyway, it is still a dumb rule and was one of the things Brad Walker has been complaining about. If this ever became a rule in college (and I hope it never does), there would be so many problems and so many injuries! Sometimes there are meets where it takes more than 2 hours before the top vaulters get to come into the meet. And a lot of younger and even the top vaulters have problems running the same way two hours after warm ups even if they do do running warm ups without the pole.

I guess it is "fair" in a sense compared to all the other field events. However long jumpers and throwers do not have an entry height, they all start at the same time, and high jumpers that wait to come in later do not die if their step is really off.

[hardflex]

This Rule is exactly opposite to where I think we should be headed, which is to make the Sport more attractive to Fans . When a vaulter is up in the order he/she should be as ready as possible without interfering with the other athletes. Fans love bar clearance's and the more of those the better.

Take for example the recent showdown between Isenbayava and Holly Bleasdale, which is a very attractive matchup. In the end the fans saw 1 clearance from Isi and 2 from Holly. That is, in my opinion, not worthy of the ticket I purchased.

[ADTF Academy]

Two scenarios:


#1: At Eugene for the Trials, the finals are going on and athletes who needed more warm up go to the 2nd pit and continue jumping after the competition runway has been shut down and the competition is deemed to have started. (this has occurred).

#2: Competition started and someone needs to redo their tape on their pole cause they use sticky stuff or tape got wet or new tape needed on pole.


Scenario #1 and #2 are grossly different. People remember for IAAF and USATF rules there are no run throughs or practice jumps once a meet has started. There is no 5 alive its survival till your up. If you pass and it takes 3 hours till you jump so be it. To go the extreme of thinking an athlete can't even touch their pole to adjust tape or markings on the pole is excessive I will agree, but athletes shouldn't be taking jumps on pit number two or into a sand pit once the meet has started either. Even pole runs on the side would fall into this category. In fact even before this rule was put into affect some meets won't even let athletes onto the main track once the meet has started to do sprints. IAAF governs professional athletes not high school kids please remember that.

In fact 2010 US Nationals this was taken to the extreme when they allowed Jen Suhr to take a run through. Personally I feel this is what the rule is stating is a no no. Sadly officials take things as they want and deem it to mean no touching a pole period. I see very few to no top vaulters do anything practice like with their poles once the meet has started but redo tape and adjust grips. If other countries officials are making youth athletes overly follow this that stinks. In the US it won't be an issue.

The only issue will come to the USA Juniors who make a team and are not use to these type of rules due to high school and college rules being different and no one prepares them for the different rules when they compete internationally. Its like the whole no electronic devices on the infield. "You mean I can't listen to my Ipod between jumps I'll go crazy." For the athletes the IAAF is mainly in charge of this is status quo unless an official goes overboard with his or her interpretation and deems it to mean no touching of the pole unless your on the clock.

[AVC Coach]

I'm with hardflex. Track and Field needs heros, breaking records (or at least attempting them). Nobody gets excited about mediocre performances. Why do they keep making rules that will ultimately lower performances? What is wrong with allowing an athlete to be completely prepared to perform at his or her best? A little common sense goes a long ways when creating and interpretting these rules.

[altius]

I think you will find all of this is much ado about nothing. My sources tell me that there was initially some misunderstanding - but that this rule will not be implemented in a way that will really affect athletes.

[rmba]

but that this rule will not be implemented in a way that will really affect athletes

I wish your sources would tell ANSW officials! :-)

At state junior and youth champs last weekend, they were literally not allowed to touch their poles between jumps. My daughter asked the officials and suggested that the rule could be interpreted differently ...and was told in no uncertain terms that "any other interpretation is wrong!"

....though it was okay for athletes to check in late....and later in the weekend, I saw a javelin comp with 4 or 5 competitors holding their javs (and moving their arms back with them in some sort of drill).

[rmba]

....hopefully the last post about this! :-)

...at the most recent ANSW event, last Thursday night, athletes were not stopped doing drills with their poles prior to jumps! (and a number of athletes got pb's).

[born2fly]

I am curious as to what they mean by "once a competition has begun." What competition? The poles vaulters who are about to commence their warm-up/competition, that of another event, or the group before them that have already started?

At the last competition I went to the boys had already started their competition and they told us that we were not allowed to warm-up (pole runs) with our poles on the track...

Does anyone know what the reason was for implementing this rule?