Survey of 57 coaches (who coach 894 athletes)
by Becca Gillespy
DyeStat correspondent
How many of your athletes currently wear helmets when vaulting?
70/894 Athletes 7.9%
Do you currently require your athletes to wear a helmet when
vaulting? Yes/Sometimes 25.9%
"Sometimes. When we vault at schools with small pits, and
illegal (exposed concrete, mat size) landing areas. Some vaulters
may not get to vault at those sites." --Scott Kinnaman, Nyssa
HS, OR
"No. I leave the choice up to them. Helmets are available."
--Eric Allison, Eastern WA University
"Sometimes. When the vaulter is inexperienced and has not
yet mastered the basic skills of vaulting. At meets early in the
season when the vaulter is not yet vaulting consistently. When weather
conditions are less than desirable for vaulting. For example, when
the weather is cold, when there is a bothersome crosswind, when
there are damp, or rainy conditions. When a vaulter is recovering
from a minor injury and is not able to vault in a controlled consistent
basis. When a vaulter is having difficulty getting accustomed to
using a new, bigger pole." Richard Hoffman, Kansas City,
MO
"Sometimes. When they get to the point where they are going
upside down. Right now they are sitting over bar." Reenie
Kiehn, Stevenson HS, WA
"Sometimes. I always have helmets on site and if an athlete
does something dumb he gets coaching - if he makes the same mistake
he or she puts on the helmet til the problem is solved. I lecture
to them that I recommend helmets and instruct them to try them and
show them how to put their hand behind their neck when landing in
the pit. I always wear my helmet and let that serve as an example."
Reg Hulbert, University HS, Spokane, WA
"No. (We do threaten with helmets if athletes are being reckless
and inattentive.)" Jen Croissant and Roy Willits, Tucson, AZ
If yes, was this your own choice or were you required to?
"Chose to because of the quality of landing pits in our
district, and immediate area." --Scott Kinnaman, Coach Nyssa
HS, Nyssa, OR
"Chose to, [because of the] rash of recent accidents around
the nation." Tom Nordyke, Newport HS, OR
"Chose to, [because of] accidents occurring in past I also
wanted to make parents feel better about their daughters vaulting."
Reenie Kiehn, Stevenson HS, WA
Have these recent accidents made you reconsider whether or not
your athletes should wear helmets? Yes 35.4%, No 64.6%
"No. Poor coaching is the root cause of vaulting accidents.
Athletes should begin with the very basic elements and not be allowed
to progress until they are fully competent. The accidents I am aware
of have all been caused by athletes attempting things that are beyond
their current abilities. Putting a helmet on them will not address
this fundamental problem." --Karl Westby, PhD, Sammamish HS,
WA
"No. Most of these injuries are spinal. Solid coaching and
instruction is the best defense against injury. However, I am not
opposed to the helmet rule if it were equally required and applied.
Some schools lack the funding. Football programs can afford over
100 helmets while vaulters can only buy one pole a year on the budget."
--LT Matt Anderson, Nathan Hale HS, Seattle, WA
"Yes. In the case of a head collision, a helmet could prevent
a head injury." --Jack Hoyt, Seattle Pacific University
"No. I teach kids how to vault safely--before overbending
the pole I move them to the next heavier one. If overpenetrating,
I raise their grip and/or increase the pole size. I stress a high
lift and explosive jump at take off thereby minimizing the risk
of snapping a pole during the invert stage. Athletes are free to
wear headgear protection if they choose but I do not see this as
the answer to the risk. Safe vaulting and correct technique and
drills will go further in preventing accidents than preparing for
the resulting fall from a pole." --Terry Cook, Reynolds HS,
Troutdale, OR
"No. I believe wearing a helmet could give the vaulter a false
sense of security which could cause him/her to take unsafe risks
(i.e.: raising their grip when not ready to do so)." --Paul
Heglar, Incline HS, Incline Village, NV
"No. I haven't seen a definitive study that concludes that
helmets reduce injury. My vaulters vault on collegiate sized mats,
and have a conservative hand grip and pole progression based on
their skill set." --Trevor Richards, Drake University, Des
Moines, Iowa
"No. I am not opposed to vaulters wearing helmets, I think
it's a great idea. However, wearing a helmet doesn't address the
reason vaulters are landing off pits. Also, Helmets may give false
security & do not protect from getting a broken neck."
--Bill Baker, Mark Morris HS, Longview, WA
"No. I do not believe that a helmet would have protected Kevin
Dare, and I agree with Dr. Spencer Chang that the wearing of helmets
may increase the likelihood of neck injury due to hyperflexion."
-Brain Schaumann, Gig Harbor HS, WA
"Vaulters and their coaches seem to always seek new information
on this event. The use of helmets should be considered if there
are areas of uncertainty during any given vault. Protective padding
is paramount and equally important factors include: technique weaknesses,
training workload, rest and recovery periods, mental state of athelete,
pole selection, wind direction and speed and the list goes on"
-Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
"Yes. The recent accidents have caused me to do more research
into the use of helmets for vaulters. While no helmets are made
specifically for vaulters, I've found that there are some made which
would be appropriate for pole vaulter use. While helmets may not
save a vaulter from a catastrophic fall, there are several types
of minor falls in which the head injury could be prevented or extent
of injury reduced. The possibility of hands slipping off the pole
just after take-off alone would justify the use of a helmet."
-Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
"Yes and no. I do worry, what if it happened to me but I also
feel I don't push the kids too hard too fast. But then I guess the
ones who died where experienced vaulters. I just don't want the
state to ban vaulting all together." - Reenie Kiehn, Stevenson
HS, WA
"No. We teach the kids safe techniques for aborting a bad
jump. The vaulters never jump without a coach. I place more emphasis
on 'control' rather than 'just going for it'" -Tinker
Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland, OR
"If an athlete or parent wants the athlete to wear a helmet,
GREAT!! I would never discourage such a practice if it gives the
vaulter extra confidence. But new rules and helmets won't completely
make up for poor coaching/supervision and lack of enforcement of
rules presently in place. My experience is that nearly every single
pole vault accident could have been prevented with sound coaching
progressions focusing on consistency at the lowest levels before
slowly advancing to more difficult skills. Supervision is needed
to assure that current rules are being enforced - they are not."
-Bubba Sparks
"Yes. Athletes in all sports get hurt in some way all the
time, on rare occasion leading to death. If a helmet can prevent
deaths, it has to be considered at the very least. I leave the decision
up to the athletes." Jeff Culligan, Colorado School of
Mines, CO
"No. The recent accidents have not changed my attitude towards
the safety of vaulting. If the vaulters and coaches stay within
the safety rules currently setup then there should not be any more
reason to wear a helmet now than a year ago." -Michael
Vollmer, Idaho Falls HS, ID
"No. I believe coaching education and not allowing vaulters
to progress to bigger poles, longer runs, etc. is best solution
to the problem." -Mike Thompson, Binghampton University,
NY
"Yes. Although I feel that good coaching is enough to keep
the vaulters safe enough, I have decided to advocate helmets to
set a good example for other vaulters that do not have good coaching.
Being a leading club in the area, a lot of other vaulters look up
to our vaulters and we may accidentally save another vaulter's life
just because he/she wore a helmet by following our example."
-Kris Allison, Lone Star Pole Vault Club, TX
"Yes. I'm am a very conservative coach that stresses technique
first, but when you take several thousand jumps in your career you're
bound to have something go wrong." -Mike Lawryk, Vertical
Assault Pole Vault Club, PA
"No. A. Helmets ENCOURAGE recklessness, because athletes then
assume that they are safe. B. Helmets will not prevent, and may
enhance, NECK injuries. C. No amount of technology (mats, helmets)
can prevent harm from BAD DECISIONS and INFLATED EGOS. Make good
decisions as a vaulter and a coach, and most injuries can be prevented."--Jen
Croissant and Roy Willits, Tucson, AZ
What new safety measures have you taken this season? Added
Additional Padding 39.7%, Required Helmets 15.5%, Gone to a Camp
or Clinic 36.2%, Changed Coaching Style 20.7%, Other 34.5%, No Additional
Safety Measures Needed 27.6%
"Reinforce basic vaulting skills learning, a better awareness
of bad vaults and making athletes more safety aware." --Rick
Baggett, Clackamas Community College, Willamette Striders Track
Club, OR
"Increase athlete conditioning, more attention to technique
during approach and plant/takeoff, greater attention to athlete
daily disposition, watch for signs of fatigue during heavy work
cycles, encourage more participation in gymnastics and more assistance
with new vaulters into the pit to name some of the safety measures
taken." -Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
"We are putting at least 5' of additional gymnastics like
padding around the pit to cover hard surfaces. This safety recommendation
has been around for a while and I've been like just about everyone
else in not complying with this common sense recommendation!"
-Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
"Using more mats around the pits, developing more speed and
strength in my athletes and teaching safer technique." --Stephan
Walker, Appalachian State University
"I strictly adhere to the rules on pole weight ratings for
my vaulters and the body weights that are submitted for meet competition(required
by the State Athletic Assn in KS) are accurate body weights on each
vaulter. I do not use poles 20-30 pounds under my vaulters' body
weights in order for them to more easily bend the pole. They learn
to vault with proper technique to bend the pole." -Mike
Brown, Blue Valley North HS, KS
Have any of your athletes stopped vaulting because of safety
concerns, either their own or their parents'? 5 Vaulters
"No. Our turnout has increased every year over the past four
years" --Terry Cook, Reynolds HS, Troutdale, OR
"Yes. One 'newby' stopped vaulting and attributed the Dare
incident as a
primary consideration." --Trevor Richards, Drake University,
Des Moines, Iowa
"Yes. One, the girl twisted her ankle on landing in her 2nd
week of learning the vault and quit" -Bob Watson, Gosford
Athletic Club, NSW, Australia
Have the parents of your athletes expressed more concerns over
safety than last year at this time? Yes 30.4%
"Yes. One has. A couple have asked more questions. I've
had more discussions about it with the athletes." --Eric Allison,
Eastern WA University
"Although there is more talk over the hype about helmets &
safety, all of my parents oppose the use of helmets and most of
them are former pole vaulters. More people appear to be conscious
of safety at meet sites but the vast majority are inattentive during
meets to such simple safety precautions as not stacking hurdles
next to the pit during competition, etc. I am constantly moving
obstructions away from pits in order to safeguard the vaulters.
The general awareness in the Track and Field community about safety
is definitely not what it should be."Mike Brown, Blue
Valley North HS, KS
Has the administration at your school or district expressed
concern this year over the safety of pole vaulting? Yes 31.5%
What areas of the vault do you feel could still be improved
in order to increase the safety of the vaulters? Increase
Awareness of Safe Vaulting Among Coaches 93.1%, Improve Padding
Surround Pit 65.5%, Better Enforce Current Rules Regarding Pit Size
and Padding 63.8%, Increase Pit Size 56.9%, Implementing a Rule
Requiring Vaulters to Land Near the Middle of the Pit 39.7%, Others
34.5%, New Rules Regarding Poles 15.5%
"Why not require helmets? Is this such an easy solution that
I am missing something here? School colors, logos, stickers for
best jumps, PR's. . . sparkles, streamers, whatever looks cool and
whatever is safe . . . I truly love this event as much as track
and field . . . especially with the newly discovered (but, known
for many years) of the magnificent ability of young ladies to vault
. . ." --Bill Alexander, Quincy HS, WA
"Safe landing facilities should be paramount in a pole vault
program. However, there is no replacement for a coach with the ability
to recognize other factors that contribute to a crash. I outlined
some of these in response to a question above. Remember, many programs
face very serious budget cuts. Let's approach safety requirements
without pricing a vault program out of reach. A very well financed
vault program with all the latest padding does not insure absolute
safety in this sport or any other." -Dennis Hackney, Baker
HS, OR
"Require clinics for coaches which would include safety procedures
and practices." -Tinker Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland,
OR
"I constantly see kids being coached by someone who used to
vault but has no current coaching instruction himself. They are
merely teaching the kid how they used to do it. Even the greatest
present day vaulters are probably not qualified to teach a safe
learning progression. There are many good coaches around the US
who are willing to share this knowledge either individually or in
a camp format, many times for free. The coaches who need it most
seem to be the least likely to be open to new ideas.
When I first began vaulting again, an older official said to me,
"it looks like you used to vault high, but please don't start
coaching kids how it used to be done. He went on to say that the
US had not won and Olympic medal since 1972 and if I wanted to contribute
to the sport, that I would throw out everything I ever knew or thought
I knew about the pole vault, and spend my time becoming a student
of how such a mighty vault power fell so far behind. After picking
up my ego I did just that with great success. I studied everything
and talked to everyone including many elite vaulters and our greatest
coaches. I can proudly say now that I know NOTHING but WE know EVERYTHING!!
Thank you Bob Baker!!" -Bubba Sparks
"Current Kansas rules are insufficient. Vaulters should be
weighed in prior to competition. Until and unless vaulters are weighed-in
at competitive sites, the rule requiring that vaulter body weights
be submitted and checked prior to competition is worthless. Many
coaches regularly submit whatever body weight they wish in order
to get around the certification rules so that their athletes (especially
girls, but in many cases, boys as well) can more easily bend the
pole they vault on and thereby gain an unfair advantage over athletes
who choose to follow the rules).."-Mike Brown, Blue Valley
North HS, KS
"COACHING! I see too many high school vaulters jumping without
adequate instruction! The pole vault should not be an event that
you "self teach". Never should athletes be jumping without
a qualified coach/spotter." -Paul Johnson, Eastern Mennonite
University, VA
"Change the minimum standard placement for all vaulters, junior
high, highschool, collegiate, etc. I believe that 12" (NFHS)
and 0 cm (collegiate) is way too close and unsafe. I would like
to see 18 inches (20?) as a minimum so that there is a pit to land
under." -- Robert J. Wahl, PA State Chairperson, National Olympic
Pole Vault Education and Development Committee
Additional Comments:
"My biggest concern is schools with older, minimum size
pits that don't conform to the existing rules governing the sport
(exposed palates, concrete, front pad extensions.)" --Scott
Kinnaman, Nyssa HS, Nyssa, OR
"The most dangerous vaulters are new vaulters- though they
do not miss the mats long and not very often to the left or right,
they lack penetration. It is important to pad in and around the
box for this reason. They have not yet determined spatial awareness,
so most often they let go of the pole and come down in the box.
Spotting is often required. Rule #1 among my vaulters- Never, ever,
let go of the pole until you know where you are and where you are
going to land." --LT Matt Anderson, Nathan Hale HS, Seattle,
WA
"Neither our club nor high school offer pole vaulting because
of the liability and safety issues concerning the sport. Given the
recent events we do not see as adding this event any time in the
future." --Jim Stevens, LaCenter HS, LaCenter, WA; River City
TC, Portland, OR
"Proper training is mandatory for a safe and successful vaulting
program. This includes having a regulation size pit, a full ladder
of poles so kids have appropriately sized poles to progress through
once they get close to maxing out their current one and having appropriate
training equipment to drill on before getting onto a pole. This
means gymnastics gear--high bars, rings, trampoline, rope swings.
Unfortunately due to litigation against schools for having just
such equipment on site, schools have abandoned their gymnastics
programs and disposed of their gymnastics gear. Ironically, what
appeared to be a way to avoid lawsuits through the dumping of gymnastics
equipment that could be used to teach kids how to vault safely is
coming back as a training deficiency in vault programs. Without
the right equipment to teach safe vaulting procedures, it's possible
that more accidents will occur." --Terry Cook, Reynolds HS,
Troutdale, OR
"Top Concerns, adequately trained coaches, required pole vault
coaching workshops, helmet required, fitted and properly adjusted...
pole vault official officially certified to judge if jumper is adequately
trained and coaches who will abide by his/her decision. Reduce the
PV wt. Requirement to within 5/10 pounds of pole weight?? Still
wondering on this one... Landing area is good idea, simple rectangle
painted on pit to represent safe landing area 2 misses of the area
and vaulter DQ'd. Helmet manufacturer's need not be responsible
for safety of vaulter... pole makers are not responsible for injuries,
FB helmet manufacturer's are not libel for FB head injuries, same
type of protection for vaulters... I continually see coaches that
are allowing vaulters to vault without proper equipment... poles
in particular... We need to require coaches be certified and that
district's provide poles or they are not allowed to jump."
-Bill Alexander, Quincy HS, WA
"Simply responding to this survey certainly raises awareness
of the subject. We may be at a point where coaches are required
to attend annual training weather it be Reno or a local event such
as the NW Pole Vault Summit. There are so many factors that contribute
to where a vaulter will land... With such a large increase in vaulters,
the accident rate will unfortunately increase and it is up to the
coach to make daily judgements." -Dennis Hackney, Baker
HS, OR
"I believe that the present emphasis on vaulting styles based
on very high handholds and longer poles do not enable a vaulter
to jump in a controlled, consistent manner. The problem is complicated
further if the vaulter is also using a soft, "mushy" type
of pole. As a result, the vaulters are jumping less safely.
I am much more in favor of teaching a vaulting style which enable
a vaulter to jump quite a bit higher than his/her top handhold.
This style would involve a lower grip and probably a stiffer pole
and require a greater concentration on vaulting technique
I am not in favor of changing the present nature of the pole vaulting
competition. It is such an exhilarating sport for the athletes involved
and such a fascinating, entertaining event for spectators to watch!
However, I do feel that there needs to be more emphasis on the safety
need for vaulters to be landing deep in the pit. I feel that a coaches
box would be helpful in constantly reminding a vaulter where he
or she should be landing in the pit. I feel that changing the minimum
settings of the standards from 12" to 16" from the box
would force the vaulter to land deeper in the pit in order the clear
the bar and still make very little difference in the vaulter's ability
to clear the height. I feel that there should be an effort to distribute
information to coaches on how to teach vaulting in a manner which
would enable a vaulter to learn to land deep in the pit consistently.
These type of changes would make virtually no adjustment to the
"watchability" of the present pole vault competition!
-Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
"The main problem with Pole-vaulting in High School is coaching
knowledge. A lot of High School coaches (and some College) do not
understand the basic concepts of the vault. Common errors are: 1)
Progress a kid too rapidly through pole lengths. 2) Fail to stress
a good takeoff and aggressive middle section of the vault. Accidents
happen when the vaulter is not in control of the vault, when a kid
loads up a pole then lays down and waits for it to lift him he is
not in control and bad things can and do happen.
I feel the best thing we could do for the future of the vault is
to require PV coaches to undergo a comprehensive education program.
Which brings up another set of questions. Who will fund it? Who
will teach it? Who will develop the curriculum? If "we"
begin an education campaign the message MUST be unified and consistent
thought the nation.
If we fail to address the issue I think states will begin eliminating
the PV from High School competitions, and that is not a productive
solution." - Tom Nordyke, Newport HS, OR
"Referring to the landing in the middle rule. At this point
I don't think a rule needs to be made on this yet. First, having
a targeted area striped out or painted on the top pad would be something
I would try first. It would give a visual queue to a vaulter. It
would show them each jump if they are landing in the right area.
The awareness of this box may be enough to cause change and make
the vault safer.
The biggest and one of the hardest things to do is to have more
qualified coaches." Mark Vanderville, University of Oregon
"I am an ex pole vaulter with 25 plus years of coaching experience.
Pole vaulting has always been one of "those" activities
with an assumed risk. Newer and larger landing surfaces along with
improved poles and coaching have reduced that risk and helped the
sport become safer than at any time since foam landing pits and
fiberglass poles were invented. The risk, however, can and should
be reduced further. I believe that most concussion (head) injuries
occur off the back or side of the pit and near the edge. I think
that more can be done to reduce these injuries by redesigning the
conditions around the edge of the pit by adding a secondary padded
surface 6 inches thick and 3 feet wide surrounding the primary landing
surface (pit). Enlarging the primary surface is a good idea as well
but it doesn't change the dynamics that can occur around an abrupt
drop off to a hard surface. If this edge condition could be improved
I believe that forcing the athletes to wear protective headgear
could be avoided. As for neck and cervical injuries I have no solution
other than to suggest that pole vaulting coaches always spot their
athletes much in the same way gymnastic coaches do. I think coaches
should be allowed to always spot their athletes even at a major
competition. Currently I am not legally allowed to assist or spot
anyone during a school sanctioned competition. As for helmets, they
may actually contribute to neck injuries but I have no evidence,
anecdotal or otherwise, to support this thought." -Tinker
Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland, OR
"Unfortunately one of the deaths was attributed to the boy
striking his head on the concrete behind the pit. There presently
is a rule that officials must inspect the area for safety and only
after such inspection can the event take place. Kids are encouraged
to grip high on poles under their weight. This too is against the
rules and the legality of all poles and vaulters is to be checked
by the official before the meet or the competition may not take
place.
I use a chart for beginners that doesn't allow them to change their
grip and/or runway approach until they have made a specified height.
Here is the link to that chart. One year my top guy jumped 18' 10
1/2" and my top girl cleared 14' 4". Do you know what
they said when I told them that we would begin training at 8' using
this chart and they couldn't move on to the next height until they
met the standard for each height? 'Cool, this is going to be fun!'
AND IT IS!! http://www.star-pt.com/DJ%20Chart.htm" --Bubba
Sparks
I believe that coaches need to spend time learning proper teaching
progressions so that their vaulters master each skill level. Too
many focus on instant height just to get points instead of mastery
of the event. There are inherent risks in all athletics but they
can be minimized by taking precautions and teaching proper technique.
-Rob Philips, Garden City HS, MI
"The HS rule requiring vaulters to weigh less than the weight
rating makes the event MORE dangerous, by forcing kids to vault
on poles they can't bend properly. The weight rating does zero to
protect the vaulter. My daughter could snap a pole rated at her
weight. Conversely my beginning girls can barely bend a 70 pound
practice pole and they weigh over 100." -Pat Crandall,
Episcopal HS, FL
"Pole vaulting will always be a dangerous sport. No matter
what we all do to increase safety, injuries will always be there
from sprained ankles to broken poles and unfortunate landings. We
can try to minimize the danger by analyzing what goes wrong and
how can we fix it through studies and surveys like this one. The
two areas of improvement throughout the history of the vault have
been equipment and awareness. These areas are what we need to continue
to improve on to help bring injuries of all kinds to a minimum."
-Jeff Culligan, Colorado School of Mines, CO
"There are no band aid measures. Vaulting is never going to
be risk free. Coaches kill kids, kids don't kill themselves. We
need better coaches, not more burdensome rules which squash more
programs because of money. Officials need to be trained as well.
An Official should never hesitate to disqualify a kid jumping in
an unsafe manner. Helmets won't save you from tumbling of a 2 story
building and landing on your head, just as they won't save you from
even a 6ft fall on your head, they're for bounce outs, protection
against the standard, and the unforeseeable small accidents."
--Warren Lanier, Torrey Pines High School, CA
"I believe all schools should have someone specifically trained
to coach the vault and taught a simple progression system. The problem
comes when the coach wants to win (at all costs) as much as the
Athlete does and doesn't tell the vaulter that he's done and to
put the pole up. Meaning during a competition the vaulter will try
to compete with someone of better ability and jack up the grip or
something cause he's having the "day of his Life", it
just may be his last though." -Mike Lawryk, Vertical Assault
Pole Vault Club, PA
"I think that the sport is inherently safe in its current
state. Vaulting with correct technique and correct coaching practices
make chances for injury very small. Freak accidents will happen,
but they occur no more frequently than any other activity one could
do. The #1 most effective way to keep our sport safe is to educate
not only vault coaches, but vaulters, head coaches, and athletic
directors as well as to what safe vaulting is and how to provide
a safe vaulting environment." -Jeremy Ashcraft, Naperville
Central High School, IL
"I firmly believe better education for coaches and vaulters
is the real safety requirement that must be implemented. Helmets
are just a band aid and education is key. My UT ladies like their
helmets, well except for some adjustment for comfort for one of
them and feel quite fashionable in them." Brian Elmore,
University of Texas/Lone Star Pole Vault Club.
"Unfortunately it comes down to $$$$. Small schools just don't
have the budget for good pits and equipment and a vault coach."
Steve Gorman, Gettysburg, PA
"The key is education of pole vault coaches. We would not
let other events/sports take place without qualified coaches (gymnastics,
football, cheerleading, etc.). Each of the three deaths were preventable
deaths. The two high school students died as a result of the school
districts not being in compliance with having concrete/asphalt padded/removed.
The PSU vaulter died as a result of being on a pole longer (16')
and holding higher (4-5 inches down) than he was technically ready
for with his standard placement at 30 cm (11-3/4 inches). The NCAA
should increase the mandated number of coaches allowed under current
guidelines to allow for more expertise in such areas. Also, the
NCAA should adopt many of the rules that the NFHS has developed
about body weight on poles and minimum standard placements. Finally,
word should be gotten out that there is no pole vault helmet currently
available, but that impact testing will begin this summer on developing
a pole vault helmet under Jan Johnson (Safety Director for the national
pole vault committee) and the ASTM organization who has worked on
the proposal for increasing the minimum size of the pole vault pits."
-- Robert J. Wahl, PA State Chairperson, National Olympic Pole Vault
Education and Development Committee
Pole Vault Survey
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