SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

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SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby birdi_gurlie » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:43 am

Okay, in NC, if I remember correctly, at the regional and state meets, we had a "coaches box" where athletes could talk to their coaches. (Actually, at regionals, I don't think we even had that; I think we had enough coaches helping that we didn't even have a coaches box. But I could be wrong...I hadn't gone to states so I'm not 100% sure how that works.)

Now that I'm coaching in SC, they had one at the county meet but apparently at the bigger meets (regional and state), your athlete is COMPLETELY on his own. No coaches box, no nothing. Now, the coaches who are helping can talk to their athletes. According to the people at conference, they run states and regionals without a coaches box (and consequently NO non-official coaches!) because "that's giving the athlete an unfair advantage." But doesn't that make this sport unsafe, especially for the relatively new vaulters?

Is this how the rule is understood? Am I the only one who finds this odd and unsafe, especially for newer vaulters?
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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby botakatobi » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:37 pm

Meet management makes the decision generally on coaches boxes. Have your head coach contact meet management to see whether such a box is practical.

I do agree that vaulters benefit from having a coach near enough to communicate with.

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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby birdi_gurlie » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:46 pm

Well, I'm not with a public school so we won't go to regionals or states but I'm more concerned for the others. There IS rule about not communicating with others to gain unfair advantages but that would be for safety reasons as well as for others. I mean, I'm okay with a coaches box but its the fact that the head officials at that competition said that at the upper levels, some athletes don't have their coaches out there. I'd be worried if my athletes were entirely on their own because they're all 1 season vaulters! (Granted, if I'd gone to states, I'd have been freaked if my coach hadn't been able to be there and I'd have been an 8 season vaulter!)
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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby VaultPurple » Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:07 am

Very few places are going to give a club coach a coaching pass to get on the infield. You are most likely going to be stuck yelling from the stands or having the athletes run over to you between jumps. You may be able to volunteer to help with standards or something at the meet to get closer, but that is about it.

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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby birdi_gurlie » Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:23 am

VaultPurple wrote:Very few places are going to give a club coach a coaching pass to get on the infield. You are most likely going to be stuck yelling from the stands or having the athletes run over to you between jumps. You may be able to volunteer to help with standards or something at the meet to get closer, but that is about it.


I am a homeschool track coach. Though it's technically a club, they compete as a non-club up until the regional and state levels...then they don't compete. So I have infield privileges at other meets. I'm not really concerned for my athletes because frankly, we're not going to those meets. But I am somewhat concerned for the safety and for other teams if there are no coaches (besides the officials) at those meets.
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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby Falshaar » Fri May 11, 2012 2:50 pm

I have coached in SC for 10 years now, and vaulter for years before that, and I have an issue with the coach's box myself.....

I think it is there to make the coach feel more in control of the what is going on in the competition. I don't see where it actually makes anything better, just makes the coach feel better.....

I don't think having one makes the event any more safe than not having one. Whether you are at the competition area, or 10 to 15 yds away on the outside of the track, a bad vault/broken pole can still happen. This is really not a safety issue.

And as far as being able to "coach" your vaulter from the box.......I have always tried to make my vaulters (at the top end at least) independent of me. If your kid needs to come to you for every jump, they are not prepared for the competition. Little tips here and there are fine, but my kids at most ask me if the jump was on or not.....maybe. They are usually on top of what is going on and don't need much from me at all. That being said, again you can do all the same coaching from outside the track as you could do right there in the competition area. It is only a matter of 10 or 15 yds difference at most tracks. [Then again I also had to teach myself to vault in high school(1991-1994), as my coach gave me a page with basic instructions and said "please don't get hurt"].

Now I will say having a box can settle the problem of jumpers having to cross the track if they want to talk to their coach over and over, which can cause interference with running events......but that is the only real advantage I see to having a coach's box at all.

And no coach's who work the event do not get to coach, there is no coaching in the competition area, which means you have to go outside the track to do any coaching at all. I should know cause I have helped and headed the vault at state the past 4 years.

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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby dj » Mon May 14, 2012 11:24 am

hey

football, basketball, soccer, etc... all coaches on the "sideline"...

i believe the rule was put in so the athlete didn't have to cross the track to get help....

they should have a "coaches box" always if the pit is not next to the fence... an athlete should be allowed to be coached at all meets...

years ago i was "yellow carded" at a IAAF sanctioned meet... but that rule has either been changed or not enforced...

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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby AVC Coach » Mon May 14, 2012 3:02 pm

I have always tried to make my vaulters (at the top end at least) independent of me. If your kid needs to come to you for every jump, they are not prepared for the competition.


What does that mean? What do you consider "top end"? I like the coaches box and I believe it is a huge benefit to the athlete. Coaches coach. That's what we do. Good communication is crucial in my opinion.

With that being said, it is the meet committee's choice. We've had some meets where the coaches box was on both sides of the runway. And why wouldn't a coach that's helping run off the event be able to coach his kid during the competition? The idea that a coach would complain about something like that is rediculous! Are you telling me that the guy working his butt off to keep the event rolling has some kind of advantage over the guys in the stands or coaches box who only has to focus on one thing? Come on man! Track and Field is supposed to be pure and simple, athlete versus clock or measuring tape.

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Re: SC's deal on Coaches box? Normal or unsafe for new vaulters?

Unread postby birdi_gurlie » Tue May 15, 2012 1:12 am

And as far as being able to "coach" your vaulter from the box.......I have always tried to make my vaulters (at the top end at least) independent of me. If your kid needs to come to you for every jump, they are not prepared for the competition. Little tips here and there are fine, but my kids at most ask me if the jump was on or not.....maybe. They are usually on top of what is going on and don't need much from me at all.


By coach, I mean help with steps or move standards back and forth, not major things. My vaulters were all 1 season vaulters; I've tried to help them become independent but it's not like they're going to know everything about it in 1 season enough to be okay vaulting at in a meet purely by themselves. I've been teaching them how to but they wouldn't be comfortable doing so.
"That's how God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset" Psalm 19:6


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