Next 20 footer?

[SlickVT]

Honestly people... lets be realistic. I want to see a 20 footer as much as the rest of you, maybe more, but it is going to be a looooong time if we ever see a 20 footer again. Lets face it, Bubka was with all respect- a freak of nature. Soooo incredibly fast, awesome power and few power-depleting mistakes. And I'm not even going to mention that he was a Russian athlete in the 80s and early 90s and at one time probably took a dip into the sauce pan.
Fact is, people who are fast enough don't have good enough technique, and people that have good technique arent fast enough. Throw in the new peg length and rigid drug testing, and what you have is a mountain steeper than any vaulting generation has ever seen. The 20 foot peak is way far away.
What it is going to take is new technology in the sport like fiberglass once was. If a new material or a drastically new technique are created, then the 20 foot question should come up again.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a hater, just realistic. I love U.S. and pretty much every vaulter out there, and I would love to see a new 20 footer, but its not likely.
I got a little (not angry) but flustered when I saw the names Scott and Skipper up there with Bubka. I like the kids, but they need alot more and significantly higher marks to get close to that level.

Good luck this outdoors everyone... Peace.

[Carolina Extreme]

Well didnt Tarasov jump 19 feet when he was 19? if so then i believe its a matter of coaching as well as a phenomenal athlete, mixed in with the right conditions... just my thoughts

BINGO... WE HAVE A WINNER!!

The ingredients of an awesome vaulter:
1 part Phenomenal Athlete.
1 part Excellent Physical Specimen (Great Stength-to- Weight Ratio.)
1 part Outstanding Coaching (Beginning at a young age.)
1 part Blistering Speed.
1 part Incredible Technician.
1 part Superior Equipment/Pole Selections.
1 part Above Average Height. (>=6ft)
1 part Mentally Tough. (When the bar goes up, they want the runway and thrive on what others perceive as pressure.)

You can take out any one ingredient and still have a World Class Pole Vaulter. For every additional ingredient you take out you greatly reduce the odd's of jumping high.

NOW THAT"S A VAULTER I WANT IN MY STABLE!!

[RoySloppy]

And I'm not even going to mention that he was a Russian athlete in the 80s and early 90s and at one time probably took a dip into the sauce pan.
.

you should not go throwing around steroid accusations. Dont take away from one man's accomplishments by accusing of him of what he may or may not have done. Dont stereotype all Soviet athletes as juicers. two years ago i worked really hard in the offseason for football and put on 20 lbs of hard muscle. People on my team accused me of steroids and i was tested and they came back negative. It is not fun to be accused of something like that cause someone is jealous or just ignorant.

[RoySloppy]

And I'm not even going to mention that he was a Russian athlete in the 80s and early 90s and at one time probably took a dip into the sauce pan.
.

you should not go throwing around steroid accusations. Dont take away from one man's accomplishments by accusing of him of what he may or may not have done. Dont stereotype all Soviet athletes as juicers. two years ago i worked really hard in the offseason for football and put on 20 lbs of hard muscle. People on my team accused me of steroids and i was tested and they came back negative. It is not fun to be accused of something like that cause someone is jealous or just ignorant.

[HurlingHokie]

I agree that it is A LOT of emphasis on coaching. Which is why you cant vote out Gibilisco from Italy. Any man being coached by Petrov has a shot of doing great things. He is young and has the best coach in the world. Its not going to take a 6'4" genetic freak to jump 20'. Its going to take a fast athlete with the right technical coaching.

[VaultNinja]

Walker will take shots at it some day. Just give him some time,

[KYLE ELLIS]

Well if Norberg keeps jumping like that he might have hip height over 20ft

[VaultNinja]

Well if Norberg keeps jumping like that he might have hip height over 20ft

I must agree

[VaultNinja]

And I'm not even going to mention that he was a Russian athlete in the 80s and early 90s and at one time probably took a dip into the sauce pan.
.

you should not go throwing around steroid accusations. Dont take away from one man's accomplishments by accusing of him of what he may or may not have done. Dont stereotype all Soviet athletes as juicers. two years ago i worked really hard in the offseason for football and put on 20 lbs of hard muscle. People on my team accused me of steroids and i was tested and they came back negative. It is not fun to be accused of something like that cause someone is jealous or just ignorant.

No offense. But I bet you weren't jumping 20' either. That is an amazing acomplishment, but it does also raise this contriversial question. It is easy to point fingers, but slickVT is not alone in his curiosity about Bubka. I know what Royslppoy went through must have been hard, but you must admit you don't see many people gain 20lbs of lean muscle in an offseason. When things like that happen, questions will always be asked, and the test is the only answer you can realy trust.

[bjvando]

I SAY WE TEST NORBERG!!!!


hahha just messin ya'lll

[SkyHigh21]

After visiting Coach Petrov last summer in Formia, Italy and training with Giuseppi Giblisco and Viktor Chistiokov, I realized that we (US vaulters) are all about physical talent and speed and technique. Yes these are all parts of completing a 20 foot vault but you have to look deeper into the athlete to find true potential to jump 6.10M. Sergei Bubka was not a freak of nature. He was a perfectionist like his coach Vitali. He trained harder longer and was never satisfied with anything he did. It could always be better, faster, quicker, and more efficient. Sergei started training with Vitali at a very young age. He trained hard and long for 12 to 15 years before he jumped over 20 feet. And this is what separates Us from Bubka. We have jobs and school, Sergei had the pole vault and coach Petrov. He lived it and breathed it. That is what made him jump so high. Imagine training so hard in one day that you could not stand up and then multiply that by 3 and you get how hard Sergei trained. Drills, speed, gymnastics, weights, massage, stretching, meditation. Giuseppi Giblisco jumped 5.90 to win world championships. Vitali told me that he trains 2 times less hard than Sergei. Thats the amazing thing. Its not just talent, its hard work( insanely hard work). Stop dreaming and start doing.

[tim hutzley]

toby at 6m that was my guess when I posted this.