Bigger sticks for bigger guys!!

A forum to discuss everything to do with pole vaulting equipment: poles, pits, spikes, etc.

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achtungpv
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Unread postby achtungpv » Fri Jun 18, 2004 8:01 am

Beam wrote:I vaguely remember seeing video of Brits jumping 6 meters without even getting his pole to near vertical. Anyone else recall that happening?


Brits is 6'6"/225ish. When he was at his peak in '95-97, he was a skinny dude and fast, but he was in his early twenties. Once he aged a bit, his physique filled out, he was huge and that has definitely hindered his vaulting.

I have one jump of him on tape clearing 5.95 by about 9 inches and the pole doesn't get to vertical. He left the pole like Bubka did on his highest vaults.
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russvault
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Unread postby russvault » Fri Jun 18, 2004 11:35 am

hey Beam,
Im back in the south, so i hung up the corona and started drinking Bud!!!

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Unread postby Beam » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:36 pm

russvault wrote:hey Beam,
Im back in the south, so i hung up the corona and started drinking Bud!!!

That's ok Russ, "When in Rome" is what they tell me. I've had Coors Light in Arkansas. . . and it was the best beer I've ever had (at the time). And I try not to drink Corona anymore because on a trip to Baja this last Spring, I was told that Tecate is the real baja beer, and that Corona was specifically designed by Mexico in a secret beer lab in order to do reverse racist marketing to white America. I've got Mexican blood in me, so I naturally have made the switch to Tacate. But back to the thread of pole length shall we. . .
I'd like to take this time to switch sides. . . I'm on Russ's side now and all you people talking about getting on longer sticks might still need to be informed that it's not the save all drug that will ensure success. I'm sure many of you already know that. . . but in reference to some of these guys like Keul (love you man), and Hunter, and people that have the natural ability to already jump on long sticks. . . a person still needs to learn how to jump correctly. I'm speaking in the sense of being an elite pole vaulter on the money making lines. In order to make money, just jumping on longer sticks won't mean winning a meet because everyone else in an international competition ideally will have the same equipment. It's being able to put both pieces together. . . be a good technical jumper with understanding of the event, and also being able to be on the same playing field as the guys that jump on long sticks. Try this analogy to surfing. . . In a big wave competition surfers ride longer boards, roughly 12' long (like longer poles for bigger bars), if a competitor paddled out on a 6' board in that same competition, they aren't going to win. It would be an interesting idea to have competitions in the vault designed around length catagories. . .much like wrestling has weight catagories for competition. It's my belief that we would begin to see shorter guys winning in the 16' range catagories for competition, while the men genetically made for longer sticks would win those catagories. I could beat everyone on 12' poles for sure. ;)
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Unread postby Beam » Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:39 pm

achtungpv wrote:
Beam wrote:I vaguely remember seeing video of Brits jumping 6 meters without even getting his pole to near vertical. Anyone else recall that happening?


I have one jump of him on tape clearing 5.95 by about 9 inches and the pole doesn't get to vertical. He left the pole like Bubka did on his highest vaults.


What video is that on? People need to see it. I think he let go of the pole just after he planted it. . . did he even swing? lol
"If you don't want to be

a deadbeat like me,

I won't blame you." Owen

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achtungpv
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Unread postby achtungpv » Fri Jun 18, 2004 7:13 pm

Beam wrote:
achtungpv wrote:
Beam wrote:I vaguely remember seeing video of Brits jumping 6 meters without even getting his pole to near vertical. Anyone else recall that happening?


I have one jump of him on tape clearing 5.95 by about 9 inches and the pole doesn't get to vertical. He left the pole like Bubka did on his highest vaults.


What video is that on? People need to see it. I think he let go of the pole just after he planted it. . . did he even swing? lol


It's from the Monte Carlo GP meet in '95. It aired on TV and it was on one of VaultnGus' video collections. The pole is probably 1 1/2 feet from vertical when he lets go and still has the standards buried.
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Unread postby Lax PV » Tue Jun 29, 2004 10:29 pm

I think Beam has a really good idea about competitions in relation to pole length like a wrestling weight class.

LoJo is a guy that is on some decent sized sticks, nothing hyge, but bigger than a lot of people, but I have never been too impressed with his technical side of things. He has jumped high... 5.95+, but I think that Toby is a better technician.


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