New Irish Pole Vault Record

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.irishrunner.com/06conf2in.html

Erin Kinnear Jumps 3.73m
Improves Irish National Indoor Pole Vault Record

University of South Alabama junior Erin Kinnear improved her own Irish National Indoor pole vault record with a winning jump of 3.73m (12' 2 ¾") at the LSU Twilight Invitational meet in Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on 17th February. Kinnear (Lagan Valley) broke her record of 3.70m set on 2nd February 2004 at the same facility in Baton Rouge. Kinnear also holds the Irish outdoor record of 3.93m.

[roger/over]

A point of enduring confusion for me is that the Irish Federation has never recognized Bridget Pearson's records. Pearson, who vaulted for UCLA, has dual IRL/USA citizenship and won the Irish national outdoor championships at Dublin on 25 July 1999. That would make her Irish, right? Two months earlier, she had set her outdoor best of 3.72 at Long Beach on 15 May. The following winter, she had her indoor best of 3.82 at Los Angeles on 2000-02-19. Ireland has never ratified either of these as national records.

Subsequently, Kinear has mooted the question of the outdoor record with her 3.93 at Baton Rouge on 2004-04-24. However, until I learn of some satisfactory reason that Pearson's indoor 3.82 is not acceptable, I'll carry Kinnear's 3.73 with an asterisk.

BTW, Pearson was appointed jumps coach at Cal State Northridge this fall.