PoleVaultPower.com

so im going to be a senior this year and i am wanting to pole up to something bigger than the 12'6" pacer that is the only pole my school has in my weight area (my school only has 9 poles anyway). Last year was my second season and first time i could actually compete because of an injury the year before, My p.r. was 9'6" at the end of the season it was 12'0". my techique has gotten dramatically better and if i want to continue making as many pr's as i can before my senior year is over i think i am going to have to get a new pole, or two. so here is the low down on what i got and what i think i want.

1) my school has 1 coach and 1 assistant coach, neither know anything about pole vault, and i am the only pole vaulter on the whole team.

2) i am blowing through my 12'6" pole when i grip 1-2 handgrips from the top

3) i want to go as high as possible my last year and my coach said that hes not going to let a lack of equipment keep me from setting new p.r.s

4) i am going to the pole vault summit.

5) ok so what do you think i need to do, i was thinking before my season starts and after the summit is when i should order the poles. do you think it would be out of the question to order a 14' pole and a 15' pole knowing i wont be able to use the 15' pole until the end of the season if i continue to get better? i want to have it if i need it because what if i need it but dont have it and cant get one for weeks.

what else could you tell me to help me out?

duhcalvin wrote: ... My p.r. was 9'6" at the end of the season it was 12'0".

Your profile says 11-6. Which is it?

duhcalvin wrote:... do you think it would be out of the question to order a 14' pole and a 15' pole knowing i wont be able to use the 15' pole until the end of the season if i continue to get better? i want to have it if i need it because what if i need it but dont have it and cant get one for weeks.

While it's a good idea to plan ahead ... and you will save on shipping if you order more than one pole at a time (don't know if that applies in your case) ... you're going to improve quite a bit thru the next year. So I wouldn't go out and buy a pole right now that you might not use until the end of the school year. Instead, there might be a 14-6 pole that's more suitable for you ... or even a heavier flex 14-0 pole.

I think it's a better idea to try to just have "the next pole up" ready to use when you blow thru your best pole. Then, as soon as you go up a pole, order the NEXT pole up. And so on. Temper that with affordability and shipping costs (if applicable).

Someone else can advise you on your main question - what pole(s) should I have my coach buy ... and when?

Kirk

I would not even order a 14' pole.

You haven't posted enough details, but let's say you weighed 145 last season and were using a 12'6 150. You've been lifting weights and already weigh 150, you think you might be up to 155 by the season.

I would get maybe a 13'155 or 160 and maybe a 13'6 155 or 160.

A 14' or 15' pole is wayyyy too ambitious. You are probably not going to get _that_ much faster/better technique in that amount of time.

Since you are in Oregon, I would contact Rick Baggett at the Willamette Striders Track Club in Oregon City, OR. I am sure that a couple of sessions with him would be a tremendous learning experience and he would be able to give you the advice you need. He already has all the poles so you could try various combinations of lenght and flex.
http://www.willamettestriders.com/

Doug Balcomb

Yeah I know you are a long way from Portland, but spending time with Rick would help tremendously. Go spend a weekend up there or something.

There is also an indoor club in Springfield, Oregon, and they also have lots of poles.

There is no way to perfectly predict what poles you will need next year, but the more you can practice with a pole vault coach and have access to a series of poles, the more you will improve, and the better you will be able to figure out what you need.