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Hey everyone,

I've always been curious about Why UCS put there labels so far from the top of the pole. And I was also wondering if I buy a 13 foot UCS pole the max I can grip on this pole is only 12'6". What would be the pole progressions going from say a pacer fx to a USC spirit. Would a 15 150 PACER Fx be the same as a 15' 1.5" 150?

Hi,

NFHS(I think) rules require that you not grip closer to the top of the pole than 6". UCS puts their label there to meet this rule. If using another brand, technically, you should have a band of orange or red tape indicating where 6" from the top is so officials know you are not violating the rule. Not all officials call this in meets though, usually only the "official" officials will.

Depending on the flex, a 15 150 pacer is essentially the same thing as 15'1 150 UCS. There are minor differences that a really experienced vaulter would notice but otherwise not much difference. If you are bending a pole a lot and penetrating deeper than 18" into the padding, it may be time to get a lower flex number pole(lower flex means greater stiffness).

No, high school rules do NOT require you to hold six inches from the end of the pole. They require you to not hold ABOVE the weight limit band. UCS ensures that six inches of pole are wasted for US high school use.

It has been my personal experience using both UCS and Pacer poles that the UCS poles are softer when using the same grip height.

That kinda makes sense when you think about it. If the 150 rating on the UCS is at 12-7 on a 13-150, but the 150 rating is at 12-11 on a 13-150 Pacer, the Pacer will feel stiffer when held at 12-7 (to match the max legal HS grip on the UCS),

When I go between Pacer and UCS poles, I mentally take 5 lbs off of the UCS weight rating to compare it to Pacer. So I think of a 13-165 UCS pole to be similar to a 13-160 Pacer.

I don't have any hard data, just my personal opinion based on "feel".