Track 101: Fly high with Princeton pole vaulters

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Track 101: Fly high with Tiger pole vaulters

By Peter Jarrow
Princetonian Staff Writer

Many sports can provide an athlete with an emotional high. But few actually elevate one.

"It's really like you are on a ride to be able to go that high up in the air. It's like a rollercoaster," freshman pole vaulter Mikhael Breiterman-Loader said.

Although the field events at track meets are often lost in the background, pole vaulting is one of the activities that has been able to wow crowds.

Pole vaulting began as a competitive sport in the 1800s when the poles were made of bamboo and sand pits served as mats. In the 1960s and 1970s, the advent of fiberglass and carbon fiber allowed techniques to be revamped and heights to soar. Currently, the world record is an astounding 20 feet, 2.25 inches held by a Russian Sergei Bubka.

Collegiate pole vaulting has yet to make it to such heights, but national competitors are clearing bars from 17 ft upwards. The actual poles vary in length and stiffness, but the general rule is that the stiffer a pole, the more energy it will unleash to propel the jumper over the bar. The catch, however, is that it becomes harder and harder to get a stiff pole to bend initially to get that extra recoil.

Although Princeton's pole vaulting squad makes it look easy, the actual process is much harder to master than it appears.

"I was terrible the first year. I mean godawful." senior Kyle Whitaker said on his vaulting experience in 7th grade. "I missed the mat so many times that one of my teammates had to start standing by the right standard [uprights that hold the bar up] so that I wouldn't land on it when I jumped."

While the acrobatics are certainly the most awe-inspiring part of a vault, a strong initial run and solid plant are just as, if not more, important than what happens once feet leave the ground.

"There's a saying in pole vaulting that if you do things right on the ground, good things will happen in the air," Whitaker said.

Once in the air, the general motion is to align your body vertically, so that you end with a one-handed handstand on top of the pole. Then, while upside down and some 15 feet up in the air, you need to figure out where that bar is and gracefully fall over the other side without disturbing it. Sound easy enough?

For those of you, like myself, who are not so confident in their ability to focus on the location of a piece of metal while precipitously hanging 17 feet above a tiny blue mat, there is no reason to fear.

"It really is all in the run and plant though," Whitaker assures us.

The varsity vaulters, however, do not spontaneously decide to see how high they can go. The practice regimen for pole vaulting is intense and varied.

"On days we jump, we usually start with plant drills and pole runs where we practice everything that happens on the ground," Whitaker said. "After that we typically jump for about an hour, and then finish with a sprinting workout."

Aside from the technical aspects, training also consists of developing the strength needed to clear the bar. Sprints help to gain the speed for a good run. When they hit the weight room, the vaulting squad mostly practices explosive lifts to get the strength for a quality take off. Upper body strength is just as important to get the final push off the pole when upside down.

Another facet of the training program is the gymnastic drills on the rings and high bar in order to get better acquainted with dangling upside down in the air.

"The more you get used to the feeling of being upside down, the easier it is to do it when you're jumping," Whitaker said.

Princeton has traditionally been strong in Ivy League pole vaulting, like many of the other field events, though few Tigers have made it to nationals in recent years. That could soon change as Whitaker and junior Andrew Park have a strong chance of clearing the 17 foot requirement to advance to nationals. Should this happen, it would be the first time in recent years that Princeton has sent two vaulters to the national championship. The Tigers will host the Princeton Invitational this Saturday.