Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Discussion about ways to make the sport safer and discussion of past injuries so we can learn how to avoid them in the future.
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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 18, 2010 4:47 pm

Dear all,

Robert's funeral will be on May 29th.

It will be at Christ Episcopal Church, in Rockville.

The address is:
107 South Washington Street, Rockville, MD 20850

It will begin at 11 am.

Please dress appropriately.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 18, 2010 8:16 pm

http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/05/18/gri ... mpetition/

Grinnell College pole vaulter dies from injuries suffered in competition
by RADIO IOWA CONTRIBUTOR on MAY 18, 2010
in FIRES/ACCIDENTS/DISASTERS
Grinnell College is mourning the loss of one of its track and field athletes. Pole vauler Robert Yin has died from injuries he suffered over the weekend at the Midwest Conference track meet at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Yin, a second year music major from Rockville, Maryland, fell during a pole vault Friday and suffered serious injuries. He died in the hospital at Springville, Illinois. The family has requested that no more information be released.

Grinnell athletic director Greg Wallace said the “Our entire athletic community has lost a gifted student athlete, a valued teammate, and more importantly a friend, with the passing of Robert Yin.”

The school is offering counseling to students who are dealing wtih Yin’s death. University officials say with the close of the academic year, it is likely that a campus memorial service will be held next fall when students return to campus.

By John Martenson, KGRN Grinnell

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 18, 2010 8:27 pm

http://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/co ... ulter.html

A pole vaulter who fell during a jump at Illinois College died Tuesday.

Robert Zhongjie Yin of Grinnell College in Iowa suffered serious injuries in the accident. He had been taken to a Springfield hospital and had remained in critical condition since his fall at a conference meet Friday.

Illinois College President Axel Steuer extended sympathies on behalf of the school.

“We join the Grinnell College community in mourning the loss of this fine young student athlete and pray that the loving concern of so many of Robert’s friends will provide comfort to his family in this time of great sadness and grieving,” Steuer said.

He said that if Yin’s family agreed to it, Illinois College planned to plant a tree as a memorial.

Grinnell College planned a short all-campus gathering Tuesday night in its chapel.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby jrohn20 » Tue May 18, 2010 8:28 pm

sad sad day for all pole-vaulters. R.I.P. Robert and prayers for all his family
Last edited by jrohn20 on Tue May 18, 2010 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby basher2209 » Tue May 18, 2010 8:50 pm

I am a student athletic trainer/EMT that was at the event and responded to Roberts fall. He landed on the turf.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 18, 2010 9:35 pm

Thanks for the updates guys. I am so sorry for everyone involved :(

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 18, 2010 10:57 pm

From an email I got:

Becca, I have been vaulting at most of the meets where Grinnell College has competed this year and Rob was a new vaulter. The conference was the 4th meet where he had vaulted. After making a bar at the first meet, he was so thrilled! And at the second meet, he was extremely excited as he just kept making more bars! He absolutely loved it! He had the "real pole vault personality!" I was shocked to learn of this awful accident.
Thought you would want to pass to word to "our vaulting family." I had googled "jacksonville, IL vaulter dies" when I heard the rumor which turned out to be true.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby PVdancer » Wed May 19, 2010 12:09 am

I only knew him as Rob. I only learned of this tragic accident this evening. I am a female pole vaulter --and a grandma. I am 57 years old, and I am friends with the vaulters and coaches at Grinnell Colllege--they have given me valuable vaulting advice at all the meets where we have been competing together. Actually, I’m friends with lots of vaulters in the Iowa colleges where I vault as an unattached athlete. I understand Rob's love for vaulting. I've been vaulting since I was 50.

I was vaulting at the first meet where Rob vaulted, got to see him vault, and he was so thrilled to make a bar! I was also vaulting at his second meet where he improved immensely! He just couldn’t believe that he was making bar after bar! He was so thrilled! I have never seen anyone happier! As a vaulter—he was hooked!

Although I only knew him for a short time—and only as a vaulter—I could tell that he was a wonderful person—He was so nice—I could just tell—and he was "one of us" (a special personality of people that we call vaulters), and I will never forget the smile on his face! Everytime I looked at him, he was loving life!

I am so sorry that he had to leave this world at such an early age….my thoughts and prayers are with all of his family and friends.

Kay Glynn

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby Getvertical_PV » Wed May 19, 2010 10:53 am

I have family in the area asking around to get some first hand accounts.

While a helmet may have provided help, covering the hard surfaces would have also.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby JoeandAngie » Wed May 19, 2010 3:34 pm

My thoughts and prayers are with Rob's family, friends, Will and Evelyn Freeman, Mike Brooks, Rob's teammates at Grinnell, and everyone else affected.

I was at the meet and was watching pole vault.

Rob had been having difficulties with his plants during his full approach warm-ups and he had a few vaults in which he almost went into the right standards. The same thing happened during competition, only he ended up carrying a little deeper and a little more to the right than he had been in warm-ups. His legs ended up grazing the pit which then directed his upper body and head into the ground. I do not know if any light covering around the pits would have made a difference as Rob's head hit the ground with a tremendous amount of force. Wider pits would have helped, though I assume Illinois College's pits met proper specifications.

Myself and others who were there have been wishing we had been more proactive during warm-ups and politely "coached" Rob with reminders of plant hand positioning so he would have driven into the pit as opposed to the side.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Wed May 19, 2010 3:48 pm

Thanks for sharing. I am sure it's hard to relive the accident and talk about it, but it can be helpful for preventing future accidents to know the circumstances under which past accidents have occurred.

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Re: Rob Yin (Grinnell) dies from PV injuries May 2010

Unread postby 73-vaulter » Wed May 19, 2010 5:05 pm

I remember being at a meet many years ago and the official state to a young man "You have come up short on you vault two times one more time and I will need to D.Q. you from the vault." I have often thought the official might have gotten some arguments from other coaches but I sure like his reasoning. He had enough "guts" to state a young mans safety was more important then meet points.


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