Injuries from landing on your feet - Tell your stories!

[VegasVaulter]

Well, at Divisionals, we started at 8'6" I believe, and when I went over it, I'd been so used to practicing without the bar up, that I brought the pole over with me, landed on my feet, and cleared it! My choach said that the pole cleared the bar by a good foot. I still get crap bout that...

The other one, I landed on my feet near the back of the pit, and lost my balance cuz my spikes give no support, so I fell off the back.

Keep in mind, both of these were on the same day. This is also the day that I PRed, so that was an interesting day..
~George

[highhopes]

I pulled a muscle in my left quad and had a knot the size of my fist for my whole first season of pole vaulting. I still cleared 10’ but I could only run about 75% before the pain was unbearable.

[dacksoldier]

one of my fellow vaulters had landed one hid feet one time and rolled backwards from landing and he rolled on to the concrete behind the polevault mat on his back

[bel142]

Ran through on a vault and caught ankle in between the front bun and the main part of the mat that was not connected correctly, at a shake out day before a meet. Then at warm ups the next day, came down off a failed attempt landing on feet and further rolled it inducing a strained hamstring.... hurt the rest of the comp, really should have stopped competing….

[decanuck]

On the mediocre vaulter level, I broke my ankle running through when my spikes snagged the top pad but my body kept going. Never. Run. Through.

Were you using christmas tree spikes at the time? Or maybe pins that were bent?

Didn't the russian girl who broke her leg at the Olympics in '04 land on her feet?

She most certainly did. At the time I remember being mystified that someone could break their leg on a mat.

Then I thought about it more and realized that people just don't know how to fall. Falling well is a science and a skill.

[Pogo Stick]

On the mediocre vaulter level, I broke my ankle running through when my spikes snagged the top pad but my body kept going. Never. Run. Through.

Were you using christmas tree spikes at the time? Or maybe pins that were bent?

Didn't the russian girl who broke her leg at the Olympics in '04 land on her feet?

She most certainly did. At the time I remember being mystified that someone could break their leg on a mat.

Then I thought about it more and realized that people just don't know how to fall. Falling well is a science and a skill.

Thierry Vigneron of France broke his arm at European Championship 1990. I saw this, I was there as referee. He is probably the most skilled vaulter who broke something during some big competition. I also heard stories about some Russian and Polish vaulters and broken legs, hands, etc.

Me myself, I broke my right arm - both ulnae and radius. I dont want to even think again about this. Accidentaly, I picked wrong pole and I tried to do some warmups using 10" longer and 10lb stiffer pole with 20" higher grip. I was out of track for 10 months.

--
Pogo

[EIUvltr]

sprained my left ankle last year, out for the entire season

[karl]

Landed on my feet while doing drills. Pad cover was not secured, so my foot went between the pads and hit the gym floor. Tore ligaments in my ankle and lost an entire season.

[JumpinSkiing]

Landed on my feet after a failed attempt in a decathlon I should have won, sprained my ankle, and didn't get to finish. I was winning at the time and pole vault should have put me even farther ahead.

[SKOT]

A girl at my College shattered her ankle landing feet first in the pit. She cleared a bar in practice and landed in a crack in the mat. 3 surgeries and 4 years later, it she still can't run without pain. Oh yeah, this all happened in on spring break in Florida (she went to school in Michigan). Lets just say it wasn't a fun plane ride home for her. She brought the pole w/ her to college that she did this on.

that is still kept around around to serve as a warning as to what can happen!

[lonestar]

Landed on my feet while doing drills. Pad cover was not secured, so my foot went between the pads and hit the gym floor. Tore ligaments in my ankle and lost an entire season.

Exact same thing happened to me my sophomore year of college. Still have trouble with that ankle, 12 years later.