Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby dj » Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:08 am

this is a great topic of discussion…

Americans won the pole vault gold medal in every official Olympic Games from 1896 through 1968 (not including the semi-official 1906 event). Bob Seagren, the 1968 gold medalist, might’ve continued that run for one more Olympics but for a dispute that played out during the summer preceding the 1972 Games.

In July, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) banned the new Cata-Pole used by Seagren, fellow American Steve Smith and others, following a protest from East Germany. That country’s top competitor, Wolfgang Nordwig, didn’t use the pole. The IAAF first stated that the new poles contained carbon fiber, then insisted that they hadn’t been available through “normal supply channels” for a long enough period of time. Others noted that the poles did not contain carbon fiber and, even if they had, IAAF rules did not ban carbon fiber poles, nor did the rules say anything regarding availability of poles through normal supply channels.

The IAAF reversed its decision on Aug. 27, then re-reversed itself on Aug. 30, one day prior to the pole vault event. IAAF officials confiscated the competitors’ Cata-Poles and gave them new versions of the old pole.

Nordwig went on to win the event with a best jump of 18 feet, ½-inch (5.5 meters). Seagren, who held the world record at 18-5¾, took the silver at 17-8½.



my understanding from Jeff Bennett was when the poles were “banned” the athletes went through every pole box available in search of the right pole… I believe Jeff indicated that the vaulters “tried” his poles in the prelims, maybe not, but I believe Jeff’s poles would have been way to small.. Jeff was 148 pounds and was jumping 16’..

In my conversation with George Moore he indicated they had used or tested the patterns, or innovation, before they made the poles green. The reason for the green color was to market the poles at the games. George said he had offered the poles to every top vaulter in the world at that time.. even Nordwig who turned them down because he didn’t want to change so soon before the games… I believe it was Nordwig or someone in his behalf that “filed” a protest that forced Paulöun to take action.

In my conversation with Adrian Paulöun at dinner in 1980 he said the poles were not “registered’ in the correct amount of time before the games so he had no choice but to band them. He said George argued very strongly that they were not “different”, only in color. But Paulöun said that argument didn’t hold up because the pole had been “advertised’ as a new innovation not only in a vebal campaign to get all the vaulters to use it but possibly in some marketing marterial or letters that had been sent to various parts of the world. He was very satisfied with his decision from a ‘technical” stand point and said that the countries the vaulters represented did not play a roll at all in what he did.

At this point in the conversation the dinner was over and I had very serious thoughts of having him dropped off somewhere in the desert to find his way north, and home, on his own.

dj

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby KirkB » Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:34 pm

dj wrote: ... In my conversation with George Moore he indicated they had used or tested the patterns, or innovation, before they made the poles green. The reason for the green color was to market the poles at the games. George said he had offered the poles to every top vaulter in the world at that time.. even Nordwig who turned them down because he didn’t want to change so soon before the games…

This is the way many product innovations go (not just PV). Experimental versions begin to appear, positive feedback occurs, and then the marketing department gets involved - first to slap a new label on the product, then to plan a marketing campaign in a build up to a world-wide event where they showcase their new product. On this basis, it's not surprising that the MANUFACTURER changed the COLOR a year after they changed the LABEL.

But it's interesting that the OLYMPIC OFFICIALS differentiated the poles only by color, rather than by label.

The labels of the new S-Glass poles all said "CATAPOLE 550+".

Chris Papanikolaou had broken Nordwig's WR on Oct 24, 1970, so when these poles came out in early 1971, the name had special significance, since Papinikolaou's new WR was 5.49.

Perhaps the officials considered the option of banning the poles based on the label, but rejected that due to the possibility of phony labels suddenly appearing? But they could have banned them by color AND label.

I'm not trying to stir anything up, I'm just trying to figure out the justification for banning only by color. Especially since the black poles used the same S-Glass as the green ones!

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby dj » Sun Feb 15, 2009 4:30 pm

hey

That is part of the same argument I had with Paulöun.. because color was the only "change' that was “visible” or to identify the pole with… what George/Catapole had already started in their “marketing campaign” as an “innovation” to pole making to help the vaulter jump 5.50.

I don’t know if I understand what I just said…

Paulöun argued to me that this was an “innovation” in pole making, and had been stated as such by George and Catapole, as if the pole had some type of ‘spring’ elastic qualities that the other poles did not have and the difference was identified by the pole being “green” and the green pole was not registered on time to be used in the games but the black poles were already on the market and registered.

He said carbon wasn’t the issue because George told him they didn’t have carbon or that he had no way of proving it if they did.. plus carbon, by the “legal pole definition”, was not illegal.

So I said well if carbon wasn’t illegal because of the rules stating the pole can be of any substance>>> yada..yada.. so why was “color” illegal? He became “pissed” and said it wasn’t “COLOR” it was George and Catapole stating this pole is/was designed different and an innovation.. that pole (green) was not registered within the correct time frame period.. (end of story.) AP.. “I was completely right and justified in what I did.”

Dinner over..

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby KirkB » Sat Jun 06, 2009 4:44 pm

KirkB wrote: I remember talking to Jan a few days before the Qualifying Round. He had such an impressive mindset that day, I'll never forget it! I asked him how he felt and was he ready, and he said something to the effect that he'd never ever been so ready for a meet. He was positive that he would win a medal. There was no doubt in his mind, and I could detect no bravado in his voice. He said it matter-of-factly. I'm paraphrasing, but that was essentially his candid comment to me that day. The power of positive thinking is an EXTREMELY powerful concept that true champions are made of (or develop thru mental training). Jan had it, and IMHO he won the Bronze becuz of it. He jumped 6" below his PR in swirling winds. Other favorites succumbed to these adverse conditions.

After reading this article about Jan and Pre today, I now understand where Jan's confidence might have come from ...
http://www.skyjumpers.com/articles/prestory/pre_story.html
The way Jan described "those days" was exactly the way it was ... an honest expose of the times ... intense physical and mental training ... and then intense "R&R" after training and meets ... relaxing ... no seat belts ... cruising the strips ... celebrating ... sometimes to the extreme.

It teared me up.

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby dj » Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:20 pm

hye

good stuff Kirk.. i didn't know steve but have known jan since Wichita in 1970/71.. and his iron Butterfly shirt..

one of the best of the best..

thanks jan for the story and being a pole vaulter..

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby BobInReno » Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:40 am

Having made some of the poles that were used in the seventy two olympics I can tell you that some of the 550 series poles were indeed black. But I do not recall any that we put the 550 sticker onto. Going from memory is at best 90% good. The pole was same no matter what color they were during that run. Norwig was a putz for believing that the poles were better. They were at best equal to the black poles in spring back percentage. But as we all know we get used to a pole and just plain have more confidence. The 580 was a better pole and at that time was still in Herb's head.

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby KirkB » Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:12 am

BobInReno wrote: ... some of the 550 series poles were indeed black.

Ahh! Mystery solved!

... or is it ??? ...

BobInReno wrote: ... But I do not recall any that we put the 550 sticker onto. Going from memory is at best 90% good. The pole was same no matter what color they were during that run. ...

Hmm ...

Bob, the ones I got in 1971 were PROTOTYPE poles ... not PRODUCTION poles. Only my heaviest pole (also black) ... possibly received in 1972 (but I'm not sure) ... might have been a PRODUCTION pole (based on date received). But they were all black, so maybe that means even the heaviest one was a prototype? Seems to me that all the PRODUCTION ones should have been green.

Does that jog your memory at all?

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby BobInReno » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:45 pm

To clear up a few things...We did make some black poles using the 550 series fiber science. I believe they were screen printed like to older black poles unlike the sticker on the 550's This would of also included any prototypes. If you look inside the pole at the butt plug end you would of seen a "T" scratched there which ment it was a test pole. Test = Prototype
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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby Barto » Sun Nov 08, 2009 2:44 am

Bob,

How long did you continue at CataPole? In 1984 I was a 4'11" 88lbs 10th grader. I had managed to learn to vault on a "series" of crossbars, but had stalled out around 11'. While at a dual meet I found a 14'-110 black CataPole in the pole rack of a rival high school. Their coach allowed my school to trade for the pole and my real vaulting career began. I have always been amazed that such a pole as a 14-110 even existed as I have never seen another one. Several years later my money pole was another unusual sized black CataPole. This time a 15'-135. Frankly, had these small poles not existed my whole life would have turned out differently. Just out of curiosity, do you remember any particulars regarding length and weight ranges of the old CataPoles? I would like to know just how close to becoming an insurance salesman rather than professional pole vault geek I was.

Many thanks,

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby BobInReno » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:27 pm

Mike....being the anal guy I am I will have to refer to some of the build sheets from way back when. I will have to go to storage to get them but I will try to find them. Going from memory I believe we made some 12' 100 lb test of various flexes. Heck..They looked like crossbars to me being a fat 175lbs back then. (Wish I was a 175 Now...LOL) I have some records from the Carson City Days at Cat-a-pole. I even have an original Herb Jenks build sheet for the 580 series poles. If they ever have a pole vault builders museum I will give it to them. From Jenks to Moore to the modern day guru's it should happen.

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby KirkB » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:41 pm

BobInReno wrote: ... We did make some black poles using the 550 series fiber science. I believe they were screen printed like to older black poles unlike the sticker on the 550's This would of also included any prototypes. If you look inside the pole at the butt plug end you would of seen a "T" scratched there which ment it was a test pole. Test = Prototype

Thanks for this info, Bob ... however, my poles have all gone astray. Last I heard, one of them was on top of a sawmill in Mission, being used as a flagpole, and rest were in the rafters of my father-in-law's machine shed ... but he sold his farm, so I don't know what happened to them after that. Nice info to have, tho, if I every find my old poles again!

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Re: Jan Wins Bronze in 1972 Olympics on Kirk's Catapole 550+

Unread postby jerry hock » Thu Apr 28, 2011 2:01 pm

In the Authur Penn film made as part of the 'Visions of Eight' documentary of the 72 games, you can see a couple of Jan's vaults in the finals. He is wearing a t-shirt in the film of the finals, but who knows if he started the finals with it on. I think it is cool that all you guys about my age have such great memories and can remember so many details from 40 plus years ago. For me it was enough that Kirk said it. That era was the greatest time in pole vaulting as new ground was being broken almost every new season. All the pioneers of the 60's 70's and 80's trully are owed a debt of gratitude from todays vaulters who only benefit from their experiences.


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