**This is a repost of an article I wrote for Dyestat in 2002**
You can see the original article here, here and here.
Pole Vault
the high school community reacts to three deaths this year
Survey of 57 coaches and 107 vaulters
by Becca Gillespy
DyeStat correspondent
5/31/02 — This year the pole vault community was rocked by 3 deaths in less than a month and a half. Coaches and athletes alike began to take a hard look at pole vault safety. The sport had not suffered any deaths since 1998, and to have 3 deaths in such a short time was a terrible blow to everyone.
We surveyed coaches and athletes about various aspects of pole vault safety. We obtained responses from 57 coaches and 107 vaulters of all levels.
The question that has come up the most in the media is whether or not pole vaulters should be required to wear helmets. The coaches surveyed coached a total of 894 vaulters, of which 7.8% wore helmets at least part of the time. Of the vaulters surveyed, 14.0% wore helmets at least some of the time. When asked if the recent tragedies had made them reconsider whether or not to wear helmets, only 35.4% of coaches and 28.7% of athletes said yes.
When asked why not, many coaches and athletes expressed concern over increased neck injuries with the helmet, creating a false sense of security, and concerns that helmets are simply a band-aid, but would not solve the problem.
Parents and administrators have been concerned as well: 30.4% of coaches surveyed reported parents expressing more concerns while 31.5% reported administrations being concerned. 31.1% of vaulters said their parents were more concerned about their safety and 28.8% said they noticed more vaulters wearing helmets than last year.
So what should be done to increase pole vault safety? An overwhelming majority of coaches, 93.1%, said increase awareness of safe vaulting among coaches. 65.5% said to improve the padding surrounding the pit, 63.8% said better enforcement of current rules regarding pit size and padding, and 56.9% said increase pit size. In the minority were 39.7% who were in favor of a rule requiring vaulters to land in the middle of the pit, 34.5% who gave another suggestion, and 15.5% who were in favor of new rules regarding poles.
Read on for more statistics and comments from the surveys.
Survey of 57 coaches (who coach 894 athletes)
How many of your athletes currently wear helmets when vaulting? 70/894 Athletes 7.9%
Do you currently require your athletes to wear a helmet when vaulting? Yes/Sometimes 25.9%
“Sometimes. When we vault at schools with small pits, and illegal (exposed concrete, mat size) landing areas. Some vaulters may not get to vault at those sites.” –Scott Kinnaman, Nyssa HS, OR
“No. I leave the choice up to them. Helmets are available.” –Eric Allison, Eastern WA University
“Sometimes. When the vaulter is inexperienced and has not yet mastered the basic skills of vaulting. At meets early in the season when the vaulter is not yet vaulting consistently. When weather conditions are less than desirable for vaulting. For example, when the weather is cold, when there is a bothersome crosswind, when there are damp, or rainy conditions. When a vaulter is recovering from a minor injury and is not able to vault in a controlled consistent basis. When a vaulter is having difficulty getting accustomed to using a new, bigger pole.” Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
“Sometimes. When they get to the point where they are going upside down. Right now they are sitting over bar.” Reenie Kiehn, Stevenson HS, WA
“Sometimes. I always have helmets on site and if an athlete does something dumb he gets coaching – if he makes the same mistake he or she puts on the helmet til the problem is solved. I lecture to them that I recommend helmets and instruct them to try them and show them how to put their hand behind their neck when landing in the pit. I always wear my helmet and let that serve as an example.” Reg Hulbert, University HS, Spokane, WA
“No. (We do threaten with helmets if athletes are being reckless and inattentive.)” Jen Croissant and Roy Willits, Tucson, AZ
If yes, was this your own choice or were you required to?
“Chose to because of the quality of landing pits in our district, and immediate area.” –Scott Kinnaman, Coach Nyssa HS, Nyssa, OR
“Chose to, [because of the] rash of recent accidents around the nation.” Tom Nordyke, Newport HS, OR
“Chose to, [because of] accidents occurring in past I also wanted to make parents feel better about their daughters vaulting.” Reenie Kiehn, Stevenson HS, WA
Have these recent accidents made you reconsider whether or not your athletes should wear helmets? Yes 35.4%, No 64.6%
“No. Poor coaching is the root cause of vaulting accidents. Athletes should begin with the very basic elements and not be allowed to progress until they are fully competent. The accidents I am aware of have all been caused by athletes attempting things that are beyond their current abilities. Putting a helmet on them will not address this fundamental problem.” –Karl Westby, PhD, Sammamish HS, WA
“No. Most of these injuries are spinal. Solid coaching and instruction is the best defense against injury. However, I am not opposed to the helmet rule if it were equally required and applied. Some schools lack the funding. Football programs can afford over 100 helmets while vaulters can only buy one pole a year on the budget.” –LT Matt Anderson, Nathan Hale HS, Seattle, WA
“Yes. In the case of a head collision, a helmet could prevent a head injury.” –Jack Hoyt, Seattle Pacific University
“No. I teach kids how to vault safely–before overbending the pole I move them to the next heavier one. If overpenetrating, I raise their grip and/or increase the pole size. I stress a high lift and explosive jump at take off thereby minimizing the risk of snapping a pole during the invert stage. Athletes are free to wear headgear protection if they choose but I do not see this as the answer to the risk. Safe vaulting and correct technique and drills will go further in preventing accidents than preparing for the resulting fall from a pole.” –Terry Cook, Reynolds HS, Troutdale, OR
“No. I believe wearing a helmet could give the vaulter a false sense of security which could cause him/her to take unsafe risks (i.e.: raising their grip when not ready to do so).” –Paul Heglar, Incline HS, Incline Village, NV
“No. I haven’t seen a definitive study that concludes that helmets reduce injury. My vaulters vault on collegiate sized mats, and have a conservative hand grip and pole progression based on their skill set.” –Trevor Richards, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
“No. I am not opposed to vaulters wearing helmets, I think it’s a great idea. However, wearing a helmet doesn’t address the reason vaulters are landing off pits. Also, Helmets may give false security & do not protect from getting a broken neck.” –Bill Baker, Mark Morris HS, Longview, WA
“No. I do not believe that a helmet would have protected Kevin Dare, and I agree with Dr. Spencer Chang that the wearing of helmets may increase the likelihood of neck injury due to hyperflexion.” -Brain Schaumann, Gig Harbor HS, WA
“Vaulters and their coaches seem to always seek new information on this event. The use of helmets should be considered if there are areas of uncertainty during any given vault. Protective padding is paramount and equally important factors include: technique weaknesses, training workload, rest and recovery periods, mental state of athelete, pole selection, wind direction and speed and the list goes on” -Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
“Yes. The recent accidents have caused me to do more research into the use of helmets for vaulters. While no helmets are made specifically for vaulters, I’ve found that there are some made which would be appropriate for pole vaulter use. While helmets may not save a vaulter from a catastrophic fall, there are several types of minor falls in which the head injury could be prevented or extent of injury reduced. The possibility of hands slipping off the pole just after take-off alone would justify the use of a helmet.” -Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
“Yes and no. I do worry, what if it happened to me but I also feel I don’t push the kids too hard too fast. But then I guess the ones who died where experienced vaulters. I just don’t want the state to ban vaulting all together.” - Reenie Kiehn, Stevenson HS, WA
“No. We teach the kids safe techniques for aborting a bad jump. The vaulters never jump without a coach. I place more emphasis on ‘control’ rather than ‘just going for it'” -Tinker Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland, OR
“If an athlete or parent wants the athlete to wear a helmet, GREAT!! I would never discourage such a practice if it gives the vaulter extra confidence. But new rules and helmets won’t completely make up for poor coaching/supervision and lack of enforcement of rules presently in place. My experience is that nearly every single pole vault accident could have been prevented with sound coaching progressions focusing on consistency at the lowest levels before slowly advancing to more difficult skills. Supervision is needed to assure that current rules are being enforced – they are not.” -Bubba Sparks
“Yes. Athletes in all sports get hurt in some way all the time, on rare occasion leading to death. If a helmet can prevent deaths, it has to be considered at the very least. I leave the decision up to the athletes.” Jeff Culligan, Colorado School of Mines, CO
“No. The recent accidents have not changed my attitude towards the safety of vaulting. If the vaulters and coaches stay within the safety rules currently setup then there should not be any more reason to wear a helmet now than a year ago.” -Michael Vollmer, Idaho Falls HS, ID
“No. I believe coaching education and not allowing vaulters to progress to bigger poles, longer runs, etc. is best solution to the problem.” -Mike Thompson, Binghampton University, NY
“Yes. Although I feel that good coaching is enough to keep the vaulters safe enough, I have decided to advocate helmets to set a good example for other vaulters that do not have good coaching. Being a leading club in the area, a lot of other vaulters look up to our vaulters and we may accidentally save another vaulter’s life just because he/she wore a helmet by following our example.” -Kris Allison, Lone Star Pole Vault Club, TX
“Yes. I’m am a very conservative coach that stresses technique first, but when you take several thousand jumps in your career you’re bound to have something go wrong.” -Mike Lawryk, Vertical Assault Pole Vault Club, PA
“No. A. Helmets ENCOURAGE recklessness, because athletes then assume that they are safe. B. Helmets will not prevent, and may enhance, NECK injuries. C. No amount of technology (mats, helmets) can prevent harm from BAD DECISIONS and INFLATED EGOS. Make good decisions as a vaulter and a coach, and most injuries can be prevented.”–Jen Croissant and Roy Willits, Tucson, AZ
What new safety measures have you taken this season? Added Additional Padding 39.7%, Required Helmets 15.5%, Gone to a Camp or Clinic 36.2%, Changed Coaching Style 20.7%, Other 34.5%, No Additional Safety Measures Needed 27.6%
“Reinforce basic vaulting skills learning, a better awareness of bad vaults and making athletes more safety aware.” –Rick Baggett, Clackamas Community College, Willamette Striders Track Club, OR
“Increase athlete conditioning, more attention to technique during approach and plant/takeoff, greater attention to athlete daily disposition, watch for signs of fatigue during heavy work cycles, encourage more participation in gymnastics and more assistance with new vaulters into the pit to name some of the safety measures taken.” -Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
“We are putting at least 5′ of additional gymnastics like padding around the pit to cover hard surfaces. This safety recommendation has been around for a while and I’ve been like just about everyone else in not complying with this common sense recommendation!” -Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
“Using more mats around the pits, developing more speed and strength in my athletes and teaching safer technique.” –Stephan Walker, Appalachian State University
“I strictly adhere to the rules on pole weight ratings for my vaulters and the body weights that are submitted for meet competition(required by the State Athletic Assn in KS) are accurate body weights on each vaulter. I do not use poles 20-30 pounds under my vaulters’ body weights in order for them to more easily bend the pole. They learn to vault with proper technique to bend the pole.” -Mike Brown, Blue Valley North HS, KS
Have any of your athletes stopped vaulting because of safety concerns, either their own or their parents’? 5 Vaulters
“No. Our turnout has increased every year over the past four years” –Terry Cook, Reynolds HS, Troutdale, OR
“Yes. One ‘newby’ stopped vaulting and attributed the Dare incident as a
primary consideration.” –Trevor Richards, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
“Yes. One, the girl twisted her ankle on landing in her 2nd week of learning the vault and quit” -Bob Watson, Gosford Athletic Club, NSW, Australia
Have the parents of your athletes expressed more concerns over safety than last year at this time? Yes 30.4%
“Yes. One has. A couple have asked more questions. I’ve had more discussions about it with the athletes.” –Eric Allison, Eastern WA University
“Although there is more talk over the hype about helmets & safety, all of my parents oppose the use of helmets and most of them are former pole vaulters. More people appear to be conscious of safety at meet sites but the vast majority are inattentive during meets to such simple safety precautions as not stacking hurdles next to the pit during competition, etc. I am constantly moving obstructions away from pits in order to safeguard the vaulters. The general awareness in the Track and Field community about safety is definitely not what it should be.”Mike Brown, Blue Valley North HS, KS
Has the administration at your school or district expressed concern this year over the safety of pole vaulting? Yes 31.5%
What areas of the vault do you feel could still be improved in order to increase the safety of the vaulters?
Increase Awareness of Safe Vaulting Among Coaches 93.1%
Improve Padding Surround Pit 65.5%
Better Enforce Current Rules Regarding Pit Size and Padding 63.8%
Increase Pit Size 56.9%
Implementing a Rule Requiring Vaulters to Land Near the Middle of the Pit 39.7%
Others 34.5%
New Rules Regarding Poles 15.5%
“Why not require helmets? Is this such an easy solution that I am missing something here? School colors, logos, stickers for best jumps, PR’s. . . sparkles, streamers, whatever looks cool and whatever is safe . . . I truly love this event as much as track and field . . . especially with the newly discovered (but, known for many years) of the magnificent ability of young ladies to vault . . .” –Bill Alexander, Quincy HS, WA
“Safe landing facilities should be paramount in a pole vault program. However, there is no replacement for a coach with the ability to recognize other factors that contribute to a crash. I outlined some of these in response to a question above. Remember, many programs face very serious budget cuts. Let’s approach safety requirements without pricing a vault program out of reach. A very well financed vault program with all the latest padding does not insure absolute safety in this sport or any other.” -Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
“Require clinics for coaches which would include safety procedures and practices.” -Tinker Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland, OR
“I constantly see kids being coached by someone who used to vault but has no current coaching instruction himself. They are merely teaching the kid how they used to do it. Even the greatest present day vaulters are probably not qualified to teach a safe learning progression. There are many good coaches around the US who are willing to share this knowledge either individually or in a camp format, many times for free. The coaches who need it most seem to be the least likely to be open to new ideas.
When I first began vaulting again, an older official said to me, “it looks like you used to vault high, but please don’t start coaching kids how it used to be done. He went on to say that the US had not won and Olympic medal since 1972 and if I wanted to contribute to the sport, that I would throw out everything I ever knew or thought I knew about the pole vault, and spend my time becoming a student of how such a mighty vault power fell so far behind. After picking up my ego I did just that with great success. I studied everything and talked to everyone including many elite vaulters and our greatest coaches. I can proudly say now that I know NOTHING but WE know EVERYTHING!! Thank you Bob Baker!!” -Bubba Sparks
“Current Kansas rules are insufficient. Vaulters should be weighed in prior to competition. Until and unless vaulters are weighed-in at competitive sites, the rule requiring that vaulter body weights be submitted and checked prior to competition is worthless. Many coaches regularly submit whatever body weight they wish in order to get around the certification rules so that their athletes (especially girls, but in many cases, boys as well) can more easily bend the pole they vault on and thereby gain an unfair advantage over athletes who choose to follow the rules)..”-Mike Brown, Blue Valley North HS, KS
“COACHING! I see too many high school vaulters jumping without adequate instruction! The pole vault should not be an event that you “self teach”. Never should athletes be jumping without a qualified coach/spotter.” -Paul Johnson, Eastern Mennonite University, VA
“Change the minimum standard placement for all vaulters, junior high, highschool, collegiate, etc. I believe that 12″ (NFHS) and 0 cm (collegiate) is way too close and unsafe. I would like to see 18 inches (20?) as a minimum so that there is a pit to land under.” — Robert J. Wahl, PA State Chairperson, National Olympic Pole Vault Education and Development Committee
Additional Comments:
“My biggest concern is schools with older, minimum size pits that don’t conform to the existing rules governing the sport (exposed palates, concrete, front pad extensions.)” –Scott Kinnaman, Nyssa HS, Nyssa, OR
“The most dangerous vaulters are new vaulters- though they do not miss the mats long and not very often to the left or right, they lack penetration. It is important to pad in and around the box for this reason. They have not yet determined spatial awareness, so most often they let go of the pole and come down in the box. Spotting is often required. Rule #1 among my vaulters- Never, ever, let go of the pole until you know where you are and where you are going to land.” –LT Matt Anderson, Nathan Hale HS, Seattle, WA
“Neither our club nor high school offer pole vaulting because of the liability and safety issues concerning the sport. Given the recent events we do not see as adding this event any time in the future.” –Jim Stevens, LaCenter HS, LaCenter, WA; River City TC, Portland, OR
“Proper training is mandatory for a safe and successful vaulting program. This includes having a regulation size pit, a full ladder of poles so kids have appropriately sized poles to progress through once they get close to maxing out their current one and having appropriate training equipment to drill on before getting onto a pole. This means gymnastics gear–high bars, rings, trampoline, rope swings. Unfortunately due to litigation against schools for having just such equipment on site, schools have abandoned their gymnastics programs and disposed of their gymnastics gear. Ironically, what appeared to be a way to avoid lawsuits through the dumping of gymnastics equipment that could be used to teach kids how to vault safely is coming back as a training deficiency in vault programs. Without the right equipment to teach safe vaulting procedures, it’s possible that more accidents will occur.” –Terry Cook, Reynolds HS, Troutdale, OR
“Top Concerns, adequately trained coaches, required pole vault coaching workshops, helmet required, fitted and properly adjusted… pole vault official officially certified to judge if jumper is adequately trained and coaches who will abide by his/her decision. Reduce the PV wt. Requirement to within 5/10 pounds of pole weight?? Still wondering on this one… Landing area is good idea, simple rectangle painted on pit to represent safe landing area 2 misses of the area and vaulter DQ’d. Helmet manufacturer’s need not be responsible for safety of vaulter… pole makers are not responsible for injuries, FB helmet manufacturer’s are not libel for FB head injuries, same type of protection for vaulters… I continually see coaches that are allowing vaulters to vault without proper equipment… poles in particular… We need to require coaches be certified and that district’s provide poles or they are not allowed to jump.” -Bill Alexander, Quincy HS, WA
“Simply responding to this survey certainly raises awareness of the subject. We may be at a point where coaches are required to attend annual training weather it be Reno or a local event such as the NW Pole Vault Summit. There are so many factors that contribute to where a vaulter will land… With such a large increase in vaulters, the accident rate will unfortunately increase and it is up to the coach to make daily judgements.” -Dennis Hackney, Baker HS, OR
“I believe that the present emphasis on vaulting styles based on very high handholds and longer poles do not enable a vaulter to jump in a controlled, consistent manner. The problem is complicated further if the vaulter is also using a soft, “mushy” type of pole. As a result, the vaulters are jumping less safely.
I am much more in favor of teaching a vaulting style which enable a vaulter to jump quite a bit higher than his/her top handhold. This style would involve a lower grip and probably a stiffer pole and require a greater concentration on vaulting technique
I am not in favor of changing the present nature of the pole vaulting competition. It is such an exhilarating sport for the athletes involved and such a fascinating, entertaining event for spectators to watch! However, I do feel that there needs to be more emphasis on the safety need for vaulters to be landing deep in the pit. I feel that a coaches box would be helpful in constantly reminding a vaulter where he or she should be landing in the pit. I feel that changing the minimum settings of the standards from 12″ to 16″ from the box would force the vaulter to land deeper in the pit in order the clear the bar and still make very little difference in the vaulter’s ability to clear the height. I feel that there should be an effort to distribute information to coaches on how to teach vaulting in a manner which would enable a vaulter to learn to land deep in the pit consistently. These type of changes would make virtually no adjustment to the “watchability” of the present pole vault competition! -Richard Hoffman, Kansas City, MO
“The main problem with Pole-vaulting in High School is coaching knowledge. A lot of High School coaches (and some College) do not understand the basic concepts of the vault. Common errors are: 1) Progress a kid too rapidly through pole lengths. 2) Fail to stress a good takeoff and aggressive middle section of the vault. Accidents happen when the vaulter is not in control of the vault, when a kid loads up a pole then lays down and waits for it to lift him he is not in control and bad things can and do happen.
I feel the best thing we could do for the future of the vault is to require PV coaches to undergo a comprehensive education program. Which brings up another set of questions. Who will fund it? Who will teach it? Who will develop the curriculum? If “we” begin an education campaign the message MUST be unified and consistent thought the nation.
If we fail to address the issue I think states will begin eliminating the PV from High School competitions, and that is not a productive solution.” - Tom Nordyke, Newport HS, OR
“Referring to the landing in the middle rule. At this point I don’t think a rule needs to be made on this yet. First, having a targeted area striped out or painted on the top pad would be something I would try first. It would give a visual queue to a vaulter. It would show them each jump if they are landing in the right area. The awareness of this box may be enough to cause change and make the vault safer.
The biggest and one of the hardest things to do is to have more qualified coaches.” Mark Vanderville, University of Oregon
“I am an ex pole vaulter with 25 plus years of coaching experience. Pole vaulting has always been one of “those” activities with an assumed risk. Newer and larger landing surfaces along with improved poles and coaching have reduced that risk and helped the sport become safer than at any time since foam landing pits and fiberglass poles were invented. The risk, however, can and should be reduced further. I believe that most concussion (head) injuries occur off the back or side of the pit and near the edge. I think that more can be done to reduce these injuries by redesigning the conditions around the edge of the pit by adding a secondary padded surface 6 inches thick and 3 feet wide surrounding the primary landing surface (pit). Enlarging the primary surface is a good idea as well but it doesn’t change the dynamics that can occur around an abrupt drop off to a hard surface. If this edge condition could be improved I believe that forcing the athletes to wear protective headgear could be avoided. As for neck and cervical injuries I have no solution other than to suggest that pole vaulting coaches always spot their athletes much in the same way gymnastic coaches do. I think coaches should be allowed to always spot their athletes even at a major competition. Currently I am not legally allowed to assist or spot anyone during a school sanctioned competition. As for helmets, they may actually contribute to neck injuries but I have no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, to support this thought.” -Tinker Hatfield, Grant HS, Portland, OR
“Unfortunately one of the deaths was attributed to the boy striking his head on the concrete behind the pit. There presently is a rule that officials must inspect the area for safety and only after such inspection can the event take place. Kids are encouraged to grip high on poles under their weight. This too is against the rules and the legality of all poles and vaulters is to be checked by the official before the meet or the competition may not take place.
I use a chart for beginners that doesn’t allow them to change their grip and/or runway approach until they have made a specified height. Here is the link to that chart. One year my top guy jumped 18′ 10 1/2″ and my top girl cleared 14′ 4″. Do you know what they said when I told them that we would begin training at 8′ using this chart and they couldn’t move on to the next height until they met the standard for each height? ‘Cool, this is going to be fun!’ AND IT IS!! http://www.star-pt.com/DJ%20Chart.htm” –Bubba Sparks
I believe that coaches need to spend time learning proper teaching progressions so that their vaulters master each skill level. Too many focus on instant height just to get points instead of mastery of the event. There are inherent risks in all athletics but they can be minimized by taking precautions and teaching proper technique. -Rob Philips, Garden City HS, MI
“The HS rule requiring vaulters to weigh less than the weight rating makes the event MORE dangerous, by forcing kids to vault on poles they can’t bend properly. The weight rating does zero to protect the vaulter. My daughter could snap a pole rated at her weight. Conversely my beginning girls can barely bend a 70 pound practice pole and they weigh over 100.” -Pat Crandall, Episcopal HS, FL
“Pole vaulting will always be a dangerous sport. No matter what we all do to increase safety, injuries will always be there from sprained ankles to broken poles and unfortunate landings. We can try to minimize the danger by analyzing what goes wrong and how can we fix it through studies and surveys like this one. The two areas of improvement throughout the history of the vault have been equipment and awareness. These areas are what we need to continue to improve on to help bring injuries of all kinds to a minimum.” -Jeff Culligan, Colorado School of Mines, CO
“There are no band aid measures. Vaulting is never going to be risk free. Coaches kill kids, kids don’t kill themselves. We need better coaches, not more burdensome rules which squash more programs because of money. Officials need to be trained as well. An Official should never hesitate to disqualify a kid jumping in an unsafe manner. Helmets won’t save you from tumbling of a 2 story building and landing on your head, just as they won’t save you from even a 6ft fall on your head, they’re for bounce outs, protection against the standard, and the unforeseeable small accidents.” –Warren Lanier, Torrey Pines High School, CA
“I believe all schools should have someone specifically trained to coach the vault and taught a simple progression system. The problem comes when the coach wants to win (at all costs) as much as the Athlete does and doesn’t tell the vaulter that he’s done and to put the pole up. Meaning during a competition the vaulter will try to compete with someone of better ability and jack up the grip or something cause he’s having the “day of his Life”, it just may be his last though.” -Mike Lawryk, Vertical Assault Pole Vault Club, PA
“I think that the sport is inherently safe in its current state. Vaulting with correct technique and correct coaching practices make chances for injury very small. Freak accidents will happen, but they occur no more frequently than any other activity one could do. The #1 most effective way to keep our sport safe is to educate not only vault coaches, but vaulters, head coaches, and athletic directors as well as to what safe vaulting is and how to provide a safe vaulting environment.” -Jeremy Ashcraft, Naperville Central High School, IL
“I firmly believe better education for coaches and vaulters is the real safety requirement that must be implemented. Helmets are just a band aid and education is key. My UT ladies like their helmets, well except for some adjustment for comfort for one of them and feel quite fashionable in them.” Brian Elmore, University of Texas/Lone Star Pole Vault Club.
“Unfortunately it comes down to $$$$. Small schools just don’t have the budget for good pits and equipment and a vault coach.” Steve Gorman, Gettysburg, PA
“The key is education of pole vault coaches. We would not let other events/sports take place without qualified coaches (gymnastics, football, cheerleading, etc.). Each of the three deaths were preventable deaths. The two high school students died as a result of the school districts not being in compliance with having concrete/asphalt padded/removed. The PSU vaulter died as a result of being on a pole longer (16′) and holding higher (4-5 inches down) than he was technically ready for with his standard placement at 30 cm (11-3/4 inches). The NCAA should increase the mandated number of coaches allowed under current guidelines to allow for more expertise in such areas. Also, the NCAA should adopt many of the rules that the NFHS has developed about body weight on poles and minimum standard placements. Finally, word should be gotten out that there is no pole vault helmet currently available, but that impact testing will begin this summer on developing a pole vault helmet under Jan Johnson (Safety Director for the national pole vault committee) and the ASTM organization who has worked on the proposal for increasing the minimum size of the pole vault pits.” — Robert J. Wahl, PA State Chairperson, National Olympic Pole Vault Education and Development Committee
Survey of 107 vaulters
Total Athlete Responses: 107
Do you currently wear a helmet when pole vaulting? Yes/Sometimes 14.0%
“Sometimes. Usually I will wear a helmet when I am: a) Trying new things; b) Trying things I don’t feel comfortable with; c) Getting on a new pole; d) Whenever my coach has a bug in his system and just wants me to wear it” –Francisco Pietri, 17, Kempsville HS, VA
When and why did you start wearing a helmet?
“I just started wearing a helmet recently because the Tri-Valley Vault Club in Livermore requires wearing a helmet for kids under 18 and still in High School and strongly encourages it for everyone else.” –Savannah Tikotsky, 18, Chabot College
“I started wearing a helmet after attending Coach Don Hood’s camp during the summer of 2000 where we were required to wear one. The following season my teammate Jeremy Sokol suggested that we wear them at all times when jumping.” -Dana Rosenbladt, 18, Fountainebleu HS, LA
“Encouragement from our coach (not requirement), in light of the recent tragedies” -Geoff Fairbanks, 22, Southwest Texas State University
“I started wearing a helmet after the pole vault family lost Kevin Dare. I wear a helmet because it is ridiculous not to.” -Jared Thornhill, 19, Southwest Texas State University
“We started wearing them April of 2002, because of the deaths and injuries this year. We are trying to start a trend for younger, and older athletes, in an attempt to make the sport more safe as well as protect it from people who are trying to end it.” -Paul Litchfield, 21, Idaho State University, ID
Have these recent accidents made you reconsider whether or not you should wear a helmet? Yes 28.7%, No 71.3%
“No. I have a great awareness of my body and where I am at when I am vaulting, so I don’t feel at risk of any injury a helmet could protect. If I hurt anything it would be my feet/legs because I landed too hard on the ground (on the front end of the pit)” –Kate Soma, 19, University of Washington
“Yes. For young vaulters I think many injuries would be prevented that occurred due to lack of knowledge and awareness of the details that need to be followed to vault safely. Standard position is a key, many injuries occur from going to too big of a pole with the standards too far forward and a lack of attention to penetration putting vaulters in a position that is consistently unsafe .” –Zach Hamilton, 20, Wake Forest
“No. There is no more or less risk now then when I chose to start vaulting. I have competent coaches who wouldn’t even let me on the runway if they though I was in danger of hurting myself by the way I was jumping. From the beginning we’ve been taught how to bail safely, never let go of your pole, find a soft spot, etc., and I feel confident about my body awareness whether I be right side up of upside down I know where I am.” –Amy Groesbeck, 17, Squalicum HS, WA
“Yes. Everybody has a bad vaulting day, one bad plant and helmet could save your brain, Plus all pits are not that safe. If the pit is bad then I know
consider wearing a helmet.” –Graham Danziger, 20, UCFV, Abbotsford, Canada
“No. I feel that as long as you are safe, and have safe conditions, then you will be OK. A few accidents could have been prevented by wearing a helmet, but in even more accidents, it wouldn’t have helped at all. I feel that all we can do is emphasize safety, teach safety, and have the safest conditions possible… and I do not believe that wearing a helmet would help, but no one is stopping anyone from wearing one, its completely your personal choice.” –Katie Mattingly, 18, Butte HS, MT
“No. The recent event have all been due to mistakes done by the athletes and only occurred because the athletes were not taking the proper safety measures before and during their vault. In my view, the only way a skilled and knowledgeable vaulter could die would be from the breaking of their pole in during their vault, everything else is a lack of technique and training.” –Doug Peinado, 18, A. B. Miller HS, CA
“No. I feel that vaulting with a helmet could lead to other injuries ie. neck. I don’t wear a helmet when I ride a bike, roller blade, Vaulting is a safer sport than either of these. I feel confident in my coaching and myself to not have to wear a helmet.” –Kevin Opalka, 20, University of Arizona
“No. I don’t land off of the pit. I land on the pit. A fair amount of my landings sometimes are up high on my shoulders, head and neck with my neck in a flexed position. The helmet adds space to the back of the head which would force the neck into a hyperflexed position in such a landing. There is one girl out of 230 athletes in a national study that I have completed. This girl overrotated on her landing, and landed up very high on her shoulders, head and neck from about 10 feet. She sustained paresthesias or numbness to all of her limbs for 30 minutes as well as a sternal injury. These paresthesias are caused by the neck forced into an abnormally flexed position. This position will narrow the spinal canal and can contuse or injure the spinal cord. Based on watching the video of her accident, if she had worn a helmet, she may have sustained a more serious injury, even possibly paralysis. The vaulter lands much more often in the pit and often in a hyperflexed position. If there are only on average 2 severe head injuries per year, that indicates that landing in such a position to sustain such a head injury is uncommonly rare. On the other hand, consider how often a vaulter lands in the pit and overrotated. Now imagine the possibility of more neck injuries if everybody wore helmets. I am about to risk that, even if it is theoretical. At this point, although I myself will not use helmets, I have a neutral position on whether or not they should be used. People must know that if helmets are used, they may provide some protection in minor falls, but perhaps not major falls. Moreover, they might increase one’s chances of getting a neck injury that might be catastrophic.” -Spencer Chang, MD, University of Hawaii
“Yes. It is actually more my parents who are worried. I have never really had an accident which has made me feel like I need a helmet, but just today my mom read and article on Helmets and it had some recent accidents reported in it. She is currently deciding whether I should wear a helmet or not. I have no preference because I have seen the ones people wear and they aren’t that big of a deal. They are light weight and fitted so they don’t move around. It wouldn’t bother me to wear one. Everyone must remember though that helmets won’t save everyone. For example, Kevin Dare of Penn State, his injury was so severe that even a helmet wouldn’t have helped. Helmets will only prevent smaller accidents. No one should expect them to save everyone.” -Molly Loesche, 17, Everett HS, WA
“No. Because the helmets that are out now are not meant for pole vaulting, and I don’t believe that a helmet would have helped in any of the deaths.” –Elicia Stratton, 15, Justin-Siena HS, Napa, CA
“Yes. I don’t want to die, and my coach wants me to. I don’t think it should be a rule that all vaulters should wear a helmet. I think it is a wasted effort when kids are still vaulting on dangerous pits or have coaches who have not been to camp and don’t know what they’re talking about. I think the requirement should be that all coaches and athletes go to camp together and learn how to do it right.” -Mike Kenney, 18, O’Dea HS, WA
“No. I have been taught by my coach what a real vault looks and feels like. We always jump with our bar no closer that 24 inches. By doing so, we learn early on (before the jumps can turn deadly) what a vault, and how the pole is supposed to react, feels like.” -Eric Dormaier, 17, University HS, Spokane, WA
“No. I really worry more about breaking my neck, so a helmet wouldn’t help all that much.” -Corrie Drakulich, 20, University of Georgia
“No. Because I believe most accidents/ serious injuries and deaths are caused and could be prevented due to other means.
Many vaulters are using poles which are too soft for them or have poor technique (i.e. ‘pull down’ on the pole at take off). This I believe is often due to inadequate coaching or lack of suitable poles. This causes the poles to overbend and the vaulter goes off the back of the pit or looses control and veers off the side etc.
I think the minimum required size of pole vault pits should be increased in all directions. A soft surface should surround all the pits for a large area (i.e. soft grass or springy rubber surfacing used on children’s playgrounds).
Perhaps we should have an extra official for each competition (and an extra coach/helper at practice) with the sole purpose of holding a ‘push in mat’ as used in trampoline /gymnastics practices. They could watch each vault and throw the mat in over the box or the front side of the pit if it appears the valuter will not make the pit itself. Helmets are a useful measure, but other bigger safety issues need to be addressed and could help prevent these accidents in the first place. Coach education should also be a priority in this scheme.” -Hilary Smith, 26, Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club, U.K., Great Britain Athletics Team
“No. When you take up pole vaulting you know what you’re getting into is somewhat dangerous it’s part of the sport.” -Jessica Bartlet, 18, University of Georgia
“No. If you take the right precautions, like always starting off the day low on the pole to get warmed up and comfortable for practice or a meet. That and I started off vaulting by learning correct form before I even got into the pit. There also have been times though when I’ve not made it into the pit and had some harsh lands, but they don’t bother me, kinda just make me want to go harder and get it right.” Dustin Underwood, 17, Plymouth HS, IN
“Yes. The accidents have shown that even great vaulters can make mistakes.” Bryant Burnett, 19, Roanoke College, VA
“No. I feel that most of the injuries that have happened are not the fault of a lack of a helmet. A helmet will not protect anyone who jumps off the equivalent of a building headfirst. There is inherent risk in this activity and the fact that so many injuries have happened lately is a statistical anomaly. I think that having a non-concrete pad under the pit is important, but if you are on the right pole and have a coach who knows what he is doing, you should land on the pit. I feel sorrow for those hurt by these tragedies, however, I see no reason to start suing people, trying to pad the box, trying to outlaw the vault, or even trying to make the kids wear helmets. This is an overreaction, not a solution. You don’t see people trying to pad the diving board or make divers wear helmets when Greg Lougainis hit his head on the board.” -Adam Keul, 22, Stephen F. Austin St. Univ.
“Yes. I have considered it just for the fact that different PV facilities have different safety measures, and some facilities have no safety measures. For those pits that are unsafe, I would consider wearing a helmet.” -Jered McGrath, 23, Oregon Tech, OR
“No. Cracking your head open is a risk all vaulters take. I tried wearing a helmet and it cramps my style. My vision is limited, I am weighted down, and my balance is thrown off due to the added weight and bulkiness of the helmet. I feel that having proper balance without a helmet is much safer than being off-balance with a helmet. What good is a helmet if it increases the probability you fall? Perhaps, in my case, it’s difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. Kids who are taught from day one to wear a helmet might not have any problems. I wouldn’t know.” –Christopher Berger, 23
“No. I don’t feel that wearing a helmet will make vaulting a lot safer, I think that it will make people feel safer but then you have the problem of letting the other things slip. I think the best thing for the sport is education, the more people know, the better the coaches are and the better the equipment is and vaulters just being aware of what can happen is the best.” -Ron Whitten, 19, University of New Hampshire, NH
“No. I don’t want to wear something on my head to distract me or hinder my vaulting. Also, helmets only prevent catastrophic head injuries and they might inadvertently cause new types of injuries for pole vaulters.” -Laura Duncan, 22, NH
“No. I would only have access to bike or hockey helmets. I don’t know where I could get pole-vaulting helmets and would wonder if wearing the others would be safe.” -Sean Steacy, 15, Winston Churchill HS, Alberta, Canada
“Yes. Accidents happen and I don’t want to die so I might seriously consider doing so until I become more experienced because with the exception of Kevin Dare all the pole vault deaths that I know of were high schoolers with not as much experience.” -Jared Slatter, 17, Churchland HS, VA
“Yes. If it could save my life, I think it is worth it. The second meet after we were required to wear helmets I stalled out, hit the front of the mats and landed headfirst into the box. It could have really hurt me if I didn’t have a helmet on.” –Eric Page, 15, Lake Park HS, IL
What new safety measures has your coach taken this season?
No Additional Measures Needed 38.3%
Added Additional Padding Around the Pit 19.6%
Other 15.9%
Gone to a Camp or Clinic 13.1%
Bought New Pits 11.2%
Required Helmets 11.2%
Changed Coaching Style 4.7%
“Make sure of equipment, keep standards at a very safe depth, don’t be over aggressive in pole selection to ensure penetration and a safe descent to the pit” –Zach Hamilton, 20, Wake Forest
“My coach did not change his coaching style, he is just emphasizing safety more now, and teaching the vaulters how to bail on a vault, and things like that. We already have pretty big pits, so it wouldn’t help much to get new ones.” –Katie Mattingly, 18, Butte HS, MT
“My coach is one of the best. We use a progression in practice almost every time. This allows us to establish what type of practice we are going to have rather than doing something that isn’t rational (like starting on the biggest pole I’ve ever jumped on, that would not make any sense)” –Kevin Opalka, 20, University of Arizona
“Nothing has been done. I mention it all the time to the coach… nothing changes for us.” -McKane Lee, 18, Arlington HS, WA
“He has always made sure we get into the pit safely, and at meets he won’t allow us to jump on poles that would require the standards being closer than 50 under ANY circumstances.” –Joanelle Bailey-Chandler, 21, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Are your parents more worried about your safety than last year at this time? Yes 31.1%
“I think they have always been a little worried, but just never though of helmets as an option.” –Molly Loeche, 17 Everett HS, WA
Have you noticed more vaulters wearing helmets than last year at this time? Yes 28.8%