Down the Backstretch

The U of M Track Teams are hosting the Men’s Snowshoe Open on February 20, followed by the Women’s Parents Day Open on February 21. An exciting selection of the state’s D2 and D3 talent is expected to compete alongside the D1 Gophers.

There will be intriguing match-ups up and down the schedule including two of the better female pole vaulters in the country colliding on Saturday. This week, Yes/No will take a closer look at the phenomenal Minnesota talent vaulting at the U of M.

Back to last week though, 8 contestants correctly predicted that Ibrahim Kabia would not run 6.63 or faster in the 60 meter dash. Kabia was a blink away from that time as he won in a still-scalding-fast 6.67. We now have two Yes/No leaders with a perfect score of 5 points each: Lori Anne Peterson and, yours truly, Doug Cowles. In second place, in a 7-way tie with 4 points are: Toby Hatlevig, Pete Gilman, Derek Johnson, Mick Hondo, Dimitri Drekonja, Kyle Serreyn and Craig Yotter.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us before the deadline. We will continue to offer a bonus for participants making their debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for any first-time players.

This week's question is...

Yes/No: Will the winning height in the women's pole vault at the U of M be 13' 10" (4.22 m) or higher on Saturday?

Note: There are two competitors in the women's pole vault who have a PR over 14 feet. Katelin Rains, the two-time defending champion in the D2 Indoor National Championship from Minnesota State at Mankato, sports a lifetime PR of 14 - 1 3/4 from 2008. The Gophers' Alicia Rue is currently the #1 ranked collegiate pole vaulter indoors with a best of 14 - 4 in 2009. Rue is ranked #5 in the U.S. at the moment. The heat sheets for the Parents' Day Open are HERE.

Send your "yes" or "no" answer to DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 21. Please put your answer in the subject line of the e-mail ... and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail.

My Answer: Yes

Good luck and thanks for playing Yes/No on DtB.