VAULTING POLE NICKNAMES

[Bruce Caldwell]

As frightening as this may sound, I agree with Bruce wholeheartedly on the subject of inspecting the pole carefully when purchasing a new or used pole.

I officiate PV for a high school here in Missouri, and this year I have seen a number of poles break. After watching how some athletes (Male and Female) treat their poles it's not hard to understand what shortens the life of a pole. Knowing how the pole was treated would be critical information for me. I've seen poles angrily thrown on the ground after a poor vault, tossed on fences as make-do pole stands, thrown on school buses under the seats,stepped on by non-vaulters with needle spikes, and young women who are seniors in high school who are still using 100# poles. You show me a 100# female senior in high school, and I'll probably show you a girl whose too belimic to vault. Whatever the reason, if the tape is 70%chewed off ,or there is dings or dents in the pole body, or has cracks at the top don't buy the pole. Why should you risk your limbs because of someone elses stupidity?

The pole tubes such as Essx ships the poles in have been excellent in deflecting shipping damage compared to the paper tubes my earlier poles have been shipped in. This year, we made more tubes to fit out the schools new Gill poles and gave each pole a nickname as well. The idea was to foster caring for the equipment instead of treating it like the rest of the schools property. After this past season ended, I inspected the poles and surprise! Very little to no damage.

Sorry about the long post, but I couldn't pass this one up

YES we think the paper tube is a poor way to ship and protect the delicate vaulting pole
We used to at fibersport have PAul at Altius stick a label at the top of the pole with a nick name of the pole. We sent out poles to Joe Dial once with BIg dog on them and etc.


DO YOU NICKNAME YOUR POLES?

WHAT HAVE YOU NICKNAMED THEM?

NICKNAME_______________________

BRAND__________________________

SIZE POLE _______________________

FLEX____________________________

[Vaulterchick88]

i just call it my baby
altius
11'5"
125
8.8 flex

[Robert schmitt]

my girl vaulters have nicnames for all the poles. from loser 12' 120 mystic, loseress 11' 120 mystic, pasty pacer 1980's 12 100, old blue 13' 150 altius, fuego 12'4 140 altius, lady 13' 125 lady rocket, and many more

[vaultin chris]

THE "MAGIC Stick"

Old Skool Spirits
165-175 4.90
22.1-19.9

[Vaulterchick88]

my girl vaulters have nicnames for all the poles. from loser 12' 120 mystic, loseress 11' 120 mystic, pasty pacer 1980's 12 100, old blue 13' 150 altius, fuego 12'4 140 altius, lady 13' 125 lady rocket, and many more

that's a lot of friggin' nicknames

[TeddyVault]

I work occasionally with the vault crew at St. Cloud State. The girls have named a good number of their poles, from little Pink Pony (Ms. Stick), on up through Green lightning (Newer Sky Pole with the Lighting bolts on it.). In the middle there are a series of three altius that one of the girls wrapped in Camoflauge tape. They are aptly named, Baby Camo, Mama Camo, and Papa Camo. Then there is the one wrapped in red white and blue, which of course is Mr. Patriot.
I've heard of one called Vic the stick as well.
G'day

[lonestar]

One of my girls named a Pacer 12'6 140 the "District Pole" because she first got on it at her district meet her freshman year.

Most of our poles are color-coded with electrical tape so they have names like "the green Mystic" or the "Red and Orange Pacer" - this also keeps them from obsessing over the length and weight. The colors have a progression from green to yellow to red to blue (blue being biggest and best like a blue ribbon).

Everyone's starter pole out here is a 10' 100 Altius known as the "little blue pole."

I once named my 15' 165 Pacer III 19.0 "Tiffany" after an old girlfriend, because that pole was so sweeeeeeeet, like she was!

[flying scotsman]

Whatever the biggest pole in my bag is, usually a 5.00m 190lbs spirit or 16ft 195lbs spirit is simply known as ....... "the Bad Boy"

[PvaultinGirl]

MY 13'6 130LBS would just be "my baby" and my 120 13' is "lucky pole/pacer" (that thing has gotten me to states every time) we have one huge brown pole w/ no info we call "the man pole" and "brown pony" and there is this pole that i hate....i just call it "crappy stick"

[tim hutzley]

we have some 13 foot big sticks that we call the barney poles.

[Ajint_Smith]

I have a 13'6 190 lb skypole that i call big green. too bad im not fast enough to crush it

[StickJumper]

I've never named any of my poles, but my javelin is named Harvey (I don't know why) and my spikes are Dan and Dave (the whole decath. thing going on).