Questions About poles

[moehill]

OK these have probably been Answered on here somewhere but I am too lazy to look for the answers.

Trying to find the right pole for a girl that I coach

she was vaulting on a 12' 110 Mystic and she started blowing through it.
I ordered her a 12'4 115 Altius with a 9.1 Flex on it and the first day she seem to overbend it and it did not respond fast enough for her.
I have an old 12' 120 Catapole that she was able to get on and it was pretty good for her but here is my question she has great speed and I am thinking of ordering her a 13' pole just wandering what size to order and what brand would be the best for her.

[lonestar]

Question for you: when you moved her from the 12'0 Mystic to the 12'4 Altius, did she grip at the exact same spot on that 12'4 pole, or did she move her hand up? More specifically, if you put those 2 poles side-by-side with the butt ends lined up, then that 12'4 would be sticking out 4" more than the Mystic, and the grip ring would typically be a little higher than the Mystic. Did she keep her grip exactly the same from pole to pole?

The reason I ask is that if she held the same distance from the TOP, then the 12'4 will bend more and feel slower because she would be gripping higher and has more pole underneath her. If her grip was consistent from the BOTTOM of the pole, and the pole acted that way, then it's the pole.

If you're not sure, the next time she practices, have her grip the same exact height on each pole with her top hand on all 3 poles and see which one works the best. If it's still the Catapole, how old is it? What color is it and what do all the engravings and stickers say? Catapoles have changed over the years and the weight rating on that pole might be different than it used to depending on its age.

[moehill]

she is gripping at the same spot on all three poles she is gripping at 11'6 inches I think the 12'4" altius is a little stiffer than the mystic I would say she is done with that pole but it just seemed that the altius was not reponding fast enough because she was going deep into the pit. the cata pole is yellow it has a sticker on it that reads 12' 120 I do not see any flex numbers on it.

[lonestar]

she is gripping at the same spot on all three poles she is gripping at 11'6 inches I think the 12'4" altius is a little stiffer than the mystic I would say she is done with that pole but it just seemed that the altius was not reponding fast enough because she was going deep into the pit. the cata pole is yellow it has a sticker on it that reads 12' 120 I do not see any flex numbers on it.

Well if there doesn't seem to be any huge differences between the 3 poles, we'll assume that the 12' 120 is consistent with a late model 12' 120. The 13'0 equivalent to a 12' 120 is a 13' 100, so the next logical pole would be a 13' 105 or 110. I would recommend a 12'6 pole though since she's only gripping 11'6 and that would give her another 9" to legally raise her grip. The 12'6 equivalent to a 13' 110 is a 12'6 120. Brand is really up to you, I find it to be pretty irrelevant on shorter poles. People advertise slower and faster this and that, but I think it's more a matter of matching up the right stiffness with the right grip height.

[rainbowgirl28]

If she's only gripping 11'6", I would think about getting her a 12'6" pole.

[moehill]

thanks for the help everyone I think we have decided a 12'6 120 would be good again thanks for the help.