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steel pole vaulters grip height..??

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 12:35 am
by larry d
Does any one out there know what the grip heights of the best "stiff pole" vaulters were ? ...Don Bragg, Bob Richards, etc.
Were they jumping 3ft. or more above their top hand grip, despite having no push from an unfolding fiberglass pole ?
I believe the old steel pole record was 15'-9 1/4" wasn't it ? Wasn't that about 1963 ?? any help would be appreciated...

Re: steel pole vaulters grip height..??

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:47 am
by PV-ATL
Hey!

This what I think I know about steel pole hand grips:

1. Watterdam, although a bamboo guy, held 13-11. That, I believe at the time was the highest grip around.
2. Richards in an interview that I heard, held around 13-6, as did Bragg.

So I would think that 13-4 to 13-8 was a good grip for the time.

Cheers,

PV-ATL

Re: steel pole vaulters grip height..??

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:55 am
by botakatobi
Bamboo vaulters (although steel was also used from 1935 on.)

Warmerdam 13' 11" grip. PR was 15' 8 3/4". Push off was approx. 2' 5 1/2".
Sefton 12' 8" grip. PR was 14' 11". Push off was approx. 2' 11".
Meadows 13' 2" grip. PR was 14' 11". Push off approx. 2' 5".

Steel vaulters (although bamboo still used and fiberglass poles available 1949 on.)

Gutowski 13' 8" grip. PR was 15' 9 3/4". Push off was approx. 2' 9".
Morris 13' 0" grip. PR was 15' 8" (steel pole PR). Push off was approx. 3' 4".
Bragg 13' 10" grip. PR was 15' 9 1/2" Push off was approx. 2' 7 1/2".

Early glass vaulter test pilots.

Roubanis 12' 6" grip. PR was 15'4". Push off was approx. 3'3".
Brewer 12' 9" grip. PR was 15' 4 1/4". Push off was approx. 3' 3 1/2".
Davies 13' 7" grip. PR was 15' 10 1/2". Push off was approx. 3".

Re: steel pole vaulters grip height..??

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 11:10 am
by botakatobi
larry d wrote:Does any one out there know what the grip heights of the best "stiff pole" vaulters were ? ...Don Bragg, Bob Richards, etc.
Were they jumping 3ft. or more above their top hand grip, despite having no push from an unfolding fiberglass pole ?
I believe the old steel pole record was 15'-9 1/4" wasn't it ? Wasn't that about 1963 ?? any help would be appreciated...


By 1963 fiberglass poles were used by all elite vaulters.

Re: steel pole vaulters grip height..??

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:05 pm
by Todd Haire
That's inspiring.
To know that 2 guys were over 15 feet in 1963 holding that low should motivate all of us.