PoleVaultPower.com

Hello Everyone,
What happens when you cut a pole from the top?
I've read that some have cut poles from the bottom with no effect.
I'm looking at a pole but the seller has cut the pole from the top.

Any tips?

John

Other than losing grip hgt - and making it illegal for HS -- nothing if you compare same grip hgt before and after. As a master - if it works for you - nothing wrong with it

This is an example of where cutting the pole has reduced its resale value. Had the pole not been cut, John would not have been hesitant in buying the pole.

I suppose if you never intend to resell the pole, then there's no harm in the top being cut (definitely don't cut the bottom).

I don't think vaulters should fall in love with particular poles. Rather, they should treat them as commodities - buying and selling them according to ensuring that they have a good SERIES of poles that match their current (and anticipated) speeds and grips. So my advise is to ALWAYS consider resale value before you cut your pole.

In HS, I cut the top of one of my poles off, only to improve my technique to the point where I was capping the pole. Had I not cut it, I'm sure I would have (and COULD have) gripped higher. I lost that choice the day I cut it down.

Have you ever noticed how long the poles were that steel vaulters used in the 1950s? Even in the Olympics, some vaulters used poles that were 2-3 feet above their grip. I'm not suggesting that we should all resort back to that, but it does make you wonder why we fret over having a few inches of extra length above our grips. Should we really be that worried about a few inches (a few grams) of "dead weight"? I think not.

Kirk

This is an example of where cutting the pole has reduced its resale value. Had the pole not been cut, John would not have been hesitant in buying the pole.

I suppose if you never intend to resell the pole, then there's no harm in the top being cut (definitely don't cut the bottom, and don't invert the pole after you cut it).

I don't think vaulters should fall in love with particular poles. Rather, they should treat them as commodities - buying and selling them according to ensuring that they have a good SERIES of poles that match their current (and anticipated) speeds and grips. So my advice is to ALWAYS consider resale value before you cut your pole.

In HS, I cut the top of one of my poles off, only to improve my technique to the point where I was capping the pole. Had I not cut it, I'm sure I would have (and COULD have) gripped higher. I lost that choice the day I cut it down.

Have you ever noticed how long the poles were that steel vaulters used in the 1950s? Even in the Olympics, some vaulters used poles that were 2-3 feet above their grip. I'm not suggesting that we should all resort back to that, but it does make you wonder why we fret over having a few inches of extra length above our grips. Should we really be that worried about a few inches (a few grams) of "dead weight"? I think not.

Kirk

This is an example of where cutting the pole has reduced its resale value. Had the pole not been cut, John would not have been hesitant in buying the pole.

I suppose if you never intend to resell the pole, then there's no harm in cutting the top off (definitely don't cut the bottom).

I don't think vaulters should fall in love with particular poles. Rather, they should treat them as commodities - buying and selling them according to ensuring that they have a good SERIES of poles that match their current (and anticipated) speeds and grips. So my advice is to ALWAYS consider resale value before you cut your poles.

And don't assume that you'll never raise your grip much. Actually, you should assume the opposite.

In HS, I cut the top of one of my poles off, but shortly thereafter, I improved my technique to the point where I was capping the pole. Had I not cut it, I'm sure I would have (and COULD have) gripped higher. I lost that choice the day I cut it down.

Have you ever noticed how long the poles were that steel vaulters used in the 1950s? Even in the Olympics, some vaulters used poles that were a couple of feet above their grip. I'm not suggesting that we should all resort back to that, but it does make you wonder why we fret over having a few inches of extra length above our grips. Should we really be that worried about a few inches (a few grams) of "dead weight"? I think not.

Kirk