Hey everybody.........I got my pit!

[souleman]

Yep! Thanks to distancerunner I was able to aquire a pit for my back yard set up. Just talked to the fibreglass shop and they have "both" of my boxes done. I only wanted one so there might be a box listed on the for sale thread someday. I'll pick the box up Monday. I'm getting the crossbar from Flightdeck and if Steve and I can coordinate schedules, that's just a matter of picking it up. The standards I'm getting from Kevin Hanson this Sunday. so by mid week next week I should be a "vaultin' fool" in my own back yard! HOW COOL IS THAT? Later.............Mike

[Russ]

Souleman,

Congrats! That's terrific.

Here are a couple of tips that I learned along the way w/my backyard pit.

* put a bed of tires underneath
* put moth balls or rat poison in the tires to keep mice & rats away(I use moth balls because I don't want any domestic or harmless animals (like cats, squirrels or groundhogs) to get hurt with rat poison.
* make the center high (by arranging the tires) - that helps drainage...the rainwater flows right off.
* get a good tarp as a cover & make it secure (if you are in a place where you get wind).
* invite friends over to jump...it's more fun & easier to uncover & cover everything.

[souleman]

Russ, I was going to use pallets. I've got an unlimited amout of them here at work. I do kinda like the tire idea due to the fact that you have an enclosed place for the moth balls (the inside of the tire). I probably will go with the pallets though. I could arrange it so there would be a slope either one way, or the other or both for drainage. Fortunately, I GOT THE COVER WITH IT!!!!! Yippee! The pit is the old high school standard size (non-legal) with out the buns. The school wanted to keep the buns for a double approach to their pit. When I get it set up, I've got a couple of ideas for the buns but we'll leave that for another thread. I did get a top cover with it too. Later.................Mike

[ladyvolspvcoach]

Congrats, Mike! That's totally cool!! You'll have to start organizing the Souleman invitational!! I'll come!

[souleman]

Barefoot vaultin' with the soft grass of my back yard under your feet! I'd have to clean up a few spots where the neighbors dog comes into my yard to "visit". On the other hand, those lil' objects could be obsticles in the runway and you'd either get points for hittin' them or deducted points. Could be a very interesting event! Regardless, I'm gonna have to put that blower on ebay cause I don't need it now. Later...........Mike

Hey Russ, One more question. It seems like those meeses like being in and around the top mat. Do you think if I put a layer of moth balls between the top mat and the main pads would that wreck anything?

[master]

Hey Souleman, I'm really jealous. I have wanted a pit at home for a long time. Two problems though. One, my house is on a hillside, and two, the hillside is covered with 100' tall fir trees!

[Russ]

In 2004 we used palletts underneath our hs pit, and we had a lot of complaints. Lots of kids felt like they bottomed out - and it was a brand new pit! This year we went with tires & no complaints - actually vaulters commented on how soft their landings felt. It's only one team's experience but I'll never do palletts again. We got the tires for free from a local tire shop - they had tons in the back of the place stacked up.

[Russ]

As for placement of the moth balls, I don't know whether placing them in contact w/the pit itself would have any negative effects. Maybe somebody who has more chemestry knowledge could chime in on this one.

[1yeldud1]

We have used mothballs for the last 3 years and have had good luck keeping mice out of our barn. We purchased about 7 to 8 boxes. We found a good supply of gallon jugs and just cut the bottoms out to make small bowls. A person could hit up a local garage for antifreeze containers or similar containers. At first we tried styrofoam bowls and the mothballs kind of ate thru the bowles. As far as the skids go we are NOW using these and we are experiencing problems with the mats "Scooting" around after about 4 to 5 vaulting sessions. Wondering if the tires will stop this or does anyone else have a solution to this pit movement. We are open for suggestions. Thanks

[souleman]

As to the tires that's wha I used under both my home andmy school pit. We'dmake a row or two and then put the bags of foam over. Worked pretty good. I may reconsider. Thanks for the imput..........Later.......Mike

[master]

The high schools I have been associated with have pallets under the pits. The pads do move after a few sessions of vaulting, more so when there is a lot of "pop up" kind of jumping where the landing has more of a horizontal component of motion than actual jumping.

One caveat regarding use of tires; a tire's shape is almost perfect for containing any moisture it collects. This can then become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Of course Minnesota doesn't have any problems with mosquitoes now does it?

[Mecham]

In 2004 we used palletts underneath our hs pit, and we had a lot of complaints. Lots of kids felt like they bottomed out - and it was a brand new pit! This year we went with tires & no complaints - actually vaulters commented on how soft their landings felt. It's only one team's experience but I'll never do palletts again. We got the tires for free from a local tire shop - they had tons in the back of the place stacked up.

We have used pallets on every pit i've jumped on and there has only been one case where i felt like i've bottomed out. and that is when the pad was 3 feet back. There was a huge space inbetween the pads. Let me tell you, my back hurt worse than landing on 3 crossbars in a headwind!