Pole Vault in serious danger of extinction in Utah

[rainbowgirl28]

http://capitalistlaw.blogspot.com/2006/ ... ts_27.html

Politics in Sports

Sean's post about boys in girls sports made me think about my experiences as both a high school athlete and coach. I grew up thinking that I could play any sport, and that my gender would not prohibit me from doing so. It wasn't until I entered high school that I learned that women were not allowed to play the same sports as men. I was in ninth grade when my track coach told me that women were not strong enough to be pole valuters. I left practice angry that day. And about two weeks later at a big track and field invitational I saw two women athletes competing against the men in the pole vault. From that day on, I decided I was going to be a pole vaulter as well.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I became a pretty decent pole vaulter and landed a college scholarship out of it. The high school women's pole vault is now allowed in quite a few different states, and almost all college divisions. And with a world record jump of 5.01 meters, women have come a long way in the short period of time they have been vaulting. But despite all of these gains, women are still not allowed to pole vault in Utah highschools, where I both competed and coached. In fact, the head coach at the high school I coached at, made me turn away all girls who wanted to compete in the vault. It killed me to do so. Here I was, telling girls the same things that I ignored years ago!

And when I asked the coaches around the region why women are still not allowed to pole vault in Utah high schools, the answer was politics. The answer was no longer that women are not strong enough to vault, but that certain coaches didn't want to lose points in track meets by adding another event. Certain high schools dominate track and field in Utah, and have a lot of pull in what goes on there. They are happy with the status quo, and could care less if women in Utah high schools are missing out on the chance to compete in college as vaulters....Ah, so frustrating!

[rainbowgirl28]

This article highlights some of the troubles they are having in Utah.

http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=10284