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Okay...I would just like to know how many of you vaulters out there have broken a pole before and if so, how many have you broken? Did you land in the mat or get hurt?.....this could be interesting.

One pole. I landed on the mat and was not really hurt, just banged up a little. The pole must have had a nick in it. It broke into 2 pieces.

I honestly can't recall whether I've broken 3 or 4. All were black Cata-Poles except one that was a yellow Cata-Pole. The one I remember best was the first. It was the black Cata-Pole that I had been using all of my 10th grade season (a 14-135). In the last meet (Sectional Junior Olympics) it broke into 3 pieces in warmups. As I recollect, on each break I did a little partial reverse back flip and landed saftely in the pit.

one pole...in competition...landed kind of around the box...broke into 3 pieces with the middle section flying up in the air. i wish someone would have gotten it on tape. it felt like a good vault, but maybe i could have jumped up more. it didnt hurt, but it shocked the heck out of my hands. it was my first attempt at a low height. and i promptly missed 3 times after that on a bigger pole. the pole i broke was pretty knicked up, and unfortunately was borrowed from another school

6.

1st: Landed on my head in the box while breaking a catapole training pole. Had a big knot on the back of my head and a bruise at base of my neck from the back of the box.

2nd: broke a pacer III and somehow a flying piece of pole hit me in the mouth, knocking my bottom teeth loose and put a gash below my bottom lip I could blow water through.

3rd: took off 4 feet under on a decline runway (didn't realize it was a decline runway and took off on my first run through) on an old black cat and landed on the runway in front of the box. The biggest piece spaghettied down the length of it.

Made the pit just fine the last 3!

Been vaulting almost 22 yrs now............not real sure EXACTLY how many but I do have the tops to (I used to keep the top 6" as a keepsake) 22 poles..................I quit keeping the tops, and im not sure I kept them all, about 7 yrs ago, ive broken a few since then...............Lets just call it a very conservative 25........have NEVER been hurt in any of them (other than a little ringin in the hands). Always landed in the pit.

My major problem was I had a temper and some of the things I did to my beloved poles are beyond comprehension!!!

Im over that now.............................I think.

PVJunkie wrote:Been vaulting almost 22 yrs now............not real sure EXACTLY how many but I do have the tops to (I used to keep the top 6" as a keepsake) 22 poles..................I quit keeping the tops, and im not sure I kept them all, about 7 yrs ago, ive broken a few since then...............Lets just call it a very conservative 25........have NEVER been hurt in any of them (other than a little ringin in the hands). Always landed in the pit.

My major problem was I had a temper and some of the things I did to my beloved poles are beyond comprehension!!!

Im over that now.............................I think.

I'm glad I didn't know that when I was laying on the pit taking pictures of you in Chicago

1-pole brandnew out of the tube pacer carbon. broke 6' off the top on the second jump. it bruised my bottom hand pretty bad, and split my back open as it slapped me. I landed safely in the mats, but couldn't really grip anything for a couple of days with my bottom hand.

I pole (I think it was a fibersport trainer, kind of a green grey color) landed in the midle of the pit on my back with half a pole in my hands wondering what the hell happened.

3

1st: 14' 130 Rocket - planted over the box/under the pit and it broke 12" from the bottom and I landed on my feet on the front bun.

2nd: 14' 140 Pacer III - 2 pieces, broke about 1/3 down from the top. Landed on my back in the pit, no injuries. Pole tip flew about 150'+ to the end of the runway.

3rd: 14' 170 Spirit - 2 pieces, broke just under the bottom handgrip by the orange warning sticker (I've seen 3 Spirits break there), landed on my back in the pit. Piece of pole hit me in the ribs just under my left lat - left a pretty good welt about 6" long and raised up an inch.

1 yellow cat, no biggie
1 15'6 180, just some bruising, kept vaulting (then found out a i had bone chips floating in my wrist. still in there too, pretty annoying)
1 16'190, split my bottem hand open requiring 17 stitches and some patients while i learned to move my fingers again

6 poles:

1st (Skypole) in highschool, Bartlesville, OK: planted missed the box pole stuck in the crates underneath the mat and snapped about 6" of the bottom. Was shot back on the runway, running backwards. I still used the pole.

2nd (Pacer III) in highschool at Bartlesville, OK different meet. I borrowed a pole b/c I ran out of anything stiffer. State meet was the next week and the guy wasn't gonna be there with his pole. Some of the guys from Bartlesville said they had the same pole in their shed. So I took a practice jump on it. No sooner did I take-off the ground, it shattered into 3 pieces and I did a ganer and a half into the box and landed on my head. Trainers were running, I got up and the tip of my pinky was bruised, nothing else wrong. I asked later if anyone had jumped on it before, they said no. Always check your poles!! The sucker looked about 10 years old.

3rd (Spirit) my sophmore year at OU. It was a 5m cut to 4.90m. I landed on the mat with a nice welt on my back from the bottom piece whipping me in the back. I think it was just the poles time to break.

4th (Pacer Carbon) was at LSU my senior year. Stupid Pacer Carbons, those things shatter so easy. Or was it I swung straight upside down at the plant? probably the latter, still don't like pacers. Landed on the mat.

5th (Pacer Carbon) was at LSU on my next attempt. Again stupid Pacer Carbons. THis time the energy in the pole bruised my hand so badly it looked like I was holding a flesh colored softball. Landed on the mat.

6th (Spirit) was the week after LSU in Edmond, OK. My pole hit the standard when I threw it back during an attempt. The next jump it snap right at take-off and the end stuck me in my scalp...blood began to drip down. I think I fell into the front bun.


One of the coaches thought I broke the last 3 on purpose.