trying to choose best length for new pole

[zzziiinnnggg]

My son is a Senior this year and has been vaulting since 7th grade. His school has purchased him a new pole each year because he kept growing. They won't purchase one for him this year so we, his parents, are going to invest in the pole. Last season he was weighing 175 & went to state with a 15' pole. His personal best 14'6. At the moment he is 190 pounds and is aiming to hit 15 & higher with a goal of winning State. He uses the Sergey Bubka method of vaulting. We are thinking of purchasing a carbon fx 190 15.6 because it's smaller handle & lighter, speed isn't a factor, he runs the 40 in 4.5. Does anyone have any sound advice on what pole and length going off his specs would be the best to move up to if it was your dollar? He is saying he want's a 16', but because of the price I want to know we are getting exactly what he needs for him to achieve his goal.

He signed his letter of intent to play college football but they also signed him up to vault in college too so the pole will go with him to college if he maintains his weight.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[rainbowgirl28]

What size pole was he on last year?

[zzziiinnnggg]

he used an old 15' UCF.

Let me clarify, he started out his JR year with 12.7 pole, moved up to a 14' and by districts moved up to the 15'

[tsorenson]

Tough to answer this question without more information.
-What was his grip on the 15' pole last season when he PR'd, and what was the weight rating on the pole? If it's a spirit his grip couldn't be higher than 14'7, where the weight label is. And where were the standards?
-What poles does the school have at 190lbs and above? If there's a huge pole or two sitting around, then maybe you'd be better off getting him one that can "bridge the gap." However if you don't have any poles over 190 then you'd better get a big one so he has something at or above his weight. If he's 190 lbs now, he might fluctuate to where a 190 pole will be too small for him at a weigh-in. If he's a college football prospect, you don't want him starving himself to make weight...this can have long-term consequences (ask a wrestler).

If he's jumping 14'6 on a 15' pole, he has some room for improvement before he needs to raise his grip any higher. A vaulter with good technique can easily jump 16' on a 15 foot pole, and many vaulters have cleared 17' on 15' poles. Probably a 15' 195 Gill would be a great pole for him, or maybe a 15'6 190 or 195, but I can say from experience that it is very sad to buy a pole that is too big for you to jump on!! There is a big difference between an old UCS 15' and a new carbon FX 15'6.

The gill carbons are awesome poles, but if you are investing in one, take special care not to scratch or nick the pole, and store it carefully in it's own tube. They are stiffer at the plant and come back faster than UCS poles, so take that into consideration when sizing the pole. The nice thing about Gill poles is that the label allows you to grip almost at the very top of the pole. Spirit poles have a smoother, rounder bend. Spirits have the label 6" below the top, so you'll need a 15'7 pole if you want to have a 15'1 grip in high school. Spirits are heavier but probably more durable, although I think the new Gill Carbon FX is more durable than the carbon weave. Every vaulter has a preference based on their own style and a good jumper can vault high on any type of pole.

The honest truth is that vaulters need a series of poles to jump on depending on the time of the season, weather, health, etc. My parents bought me two poles, one in HS and one in college. They both were great for about 1 month...basically they helped "bridge the gap," then I needed a bigger pole, which I was able to borrow from a private coach. Might be worth finding a club and seeing if you can rent or borrow poles to see what he really needs.

Good luck!

Tom

[zzziiinnnggg]

Thanks for your input.

His grip on the 15' was at the end. The weight rating was 185. That's the heaviest & longest pole his school has. Standards were usually set at 20.
At the end of football season he was weighing 195 but he also wrestles (don't laugh) so he cut weight to 182 (he took 2nd in State last week). He's now back to eating and is already at 190. I don't see him going over this weight until track season is over & he begins the weight training for football. He can still use the 185 pole if his weight stays. There is a Vault House 30 miles from us that have poles we can rent. In the past when the school would decide to get him a new pole it was always near district time when he only had maybe a week to get use to it. It would be nice to do as you mention and have a variety of poles he can use & get use to but that's costly. The only carbon fx he ever used was a 15' 160# but he broke it. Before it broke he liked the bend.

I'm curious, when you out grew the poles your parents bought were they able to sell them to upgrade to the next?

Chris

[tsorenson]

Sounds like you've got a beast of a son! (That's a good thing ) I have 3 sons who are monsters for their age...I hope all my big poles can last that long!

If the standards were at 20, that's an indication that he should not move to a longer pole just yet. He can put the standards all the way back and really try to move the pole and swing up over his grip with the 185, as long as he isn't overbending it. However, having a stiffer pole would be great for when you've got a tailwind or just in case he gains weight during track season. A 15' 190 carbon FX is a big stick and will probably suit him just fine, especially since he can raise his grip to 14'10 instead of 14'7. A 15'6 190 would be several poles larger than the 15' 185 and might just stand him up. Better to have something you can jump on and beg/borrow/steal once you blow through that one!

My parents donated the poles to my HS and college and wrote it off on their taxes, so no, the schools kept them. But this is a great way to give something back to your schools and help build their pole selection!! If everyone did that, every school would have a lot of poles...although I'm not sure the next time your HS will need a 15' 190! If you end up keeping the pole, it will be one that he jumps on a lot from shorter runs as he develops in college and beyond.

Good luck, thanks for being supportive parents

Tom

[rainbowgirl28]

I dunno, if he has gained 15 pounds since last year, assuming it's muscle, he's probably going to be quite a bit bigger and faster. A 15'7 190 might not be a bad idea, though he won't be ready for it immediately. It's a jump between a 15'185 and 15'7 190, but if you can rent poles in between it would help tremendously. I would stick with Spirits, personally, but I don't think it will make a big difference either way.