Ways Equipment Can Influence Technique

[gfdunne]

Same as at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston which has hosted the US and Masters Nationals the past few years.

[Tim McMichael]

There seems to be something about officiating the pole vault that gives rise to difficulties. Another instance I can cite just off the top of my head occurred at the NCAA Nationals in '87. They decided that the tape the manufactures put on the pole counted as two layers, because it overlaps. Since the rules state that you can only have two layers of tape this meant, according to their interpretation, that you could not tape a hand grip on the pole as this would add another total layer. We had to get all the vaulters together and boycott the qualifying round to get them to change their minds. There are plenty of other nightmares of poor officiating at major meets. The guy who time-fouled Bubka at the world championships because he gave him two instead of six minutes to make his attempt comes to mind.

What amazes me is that the larger the meet, the more likely it is that something like this is going to happen. You can almost count on it. One of the things I found helpful was to visualize these kinds of scenarios and then practice relaxation techniques to deal with them. This helped insure that nothing like this would interfere with my ability to compete any more than it had to. One of the worst things a young athlete can do is to imagine major meets as well run, professionally operated venues. I think the disappointment and stress created when this turns out not to be the case causes a lot of no-heights.

There is so much more that goes into competing well at major meets than the actual competition. The process of actually getting to the venue rested and ready with all of your equipment is a major undertaking. The larger the meet, the more steps you have to go through to get this to happen. Something can go wrong at any one of these steps: the shuttle can be late; the entrance to the arena might be guarded by security who take their sweet time checking credentials; your poles might be late getting to the facility. (At some meets they take them away from you the day before the competition to check them for rule violations.) And these are just some of the things that can go wrong. It is wise to plan ahead and run through all the possible contingencies as you prepare. In my experience, everything, even relaxation time, has to be a part of the plan to arrive ready to compete. From the time I stepped on the plane till my back hit the pit on my last attempt I was working. I know that everybody else who was a dangerous competitor was doing the same. The guys who went to the beach or to the clubs or out to play lazer tag had a difficult time competing against people like Earl Bell or Mike Tully or Pat Manson or half a dozen other athletes you could count on jumping right at their PR on a regular basis.

[souleman]

As to Boston, I was wondering if that box IS actually a 1/2 inch too deep. The mondo that you run on is actually a 1/2 inch (or depth of the mondo) above the top of the box. We can thank this thread for having me look at it in the first place. Anyway, I was just wondering. As to the officiating, I thought the meet was run very well and I was once again impressed by the officiating at the vaulting pit. Later..........Mike

[VTechVaulter]

does this count as a way

http://filebox.vt.edu/users/bmondsch/89223192_m.jpg

[Tim McMichael]

That picture illustrates an important point. The tip of the pole almost always sits in the right hand corner of the bottom of the box and bends over till it hits the left hand top corner of the box. This is why it is a good idea to plant in that right hand corner. If the tip ends up in the left corner, it will slide along the bottom and the pole will grind along the box to end up in the position illustrated in the picture. I believe, and I got this idea from Dean Dial who was rarely wrong about such things, that if the angles of the box were shallower and the standards could be placed farther back, the world record would be higher.

[VTechVaulter]

its also hitting the pit. that is a big pole bend.. haha

[highhopes]

I was at a meet with a deep box and my pole was way to soft for that. I was stuck with a soft pole because no one had any stiffer poles that I could use, but I still PR'ed

[WillinghamPV]

Dominic Johnson was threatened with disqualification at the World Championships in Seville, Spain because he was measuring out his approach run with an imperial tape measure. An official told him to find a metric one or he was DQ'd.

That has to be the most rediculous thing I've ever heard.... How can any self respecting person make an issue out of something like that??

[spike gibeault]

i have said on here before that i have no indoor facility and this seems like the perfect thread to say why in...

when our school built our gym, they purchased a fiberglass box, that was 6 inches wide at the opening, and it narrowed down to 4 inches at the back, it was about a foot long and 3 inches deep. our school says that is what we have to work with, it is nearly impossible to get the pole into the box at more than a 4 step drill, we do not use this box for safety reasons, but i was wondering where on earth would they make a box this size to sell!? and why would they sell it to a high school!?

[master]

when our school built our gym, they purchased a fiberglass box, that was 6 inches wide at the opening, and it narrowed down to 4 inches at the back, it was about a foot long and 3 inches deep.

I cannot imagine what that item is for. It certainly wasn't intended for actual pole vaulting.

- master

[golfdane]

Great story from Athen's, Tim.

Though no lives (human or animal) were lost during the recent indoor championships held in Denmark (the first in 14 years held on danish soil!!!), did we experience something that was less than optimal.

The boys group (14-15,16-17,18-19) had just started their competition in pole vault, when the organizers had decided to arrange an "opening" show. In comes a man with a big blue balloon, and makes a 15-20 minutes long show right next to the run-way. The organizers stopped the competition temporarily, and everyone just stopped what they were doing. That included all drills that should keep them warm and flexible and concentrated. I had to whistle to get my son's attention, to remind him of what he was supposed to be doing (he's visible in the backgroung wearing a grey windbreaker with a reflective zipper).
http://www.skiveam.dk/Billedgaleriet/dmindelordagny/images/DSC_0159.jpg

The mental anguish from watching a grown man all oiled up, are probably more severe than the athletes risking to loose concentration

He finished 2nd, jumping pretty close to his personal best (new pole (Nordic Evolution, 400 130lbs) that he had only used in 1 training session).

[vaultwest]

Since I have not seen this item I am not 100% sure of this but my money would say that what you have is a sliding box and instead of saying it is impossible to use I would recommend that you learn to use it and thus become a more proficient athlete in your planting mechanics.
vault On