Even a "Cow" Can Do It

Of all the events in track and field at the Olympics, sometimes called the Five Ring Circus, the pole vault is one that most closely resembles the events under the big top.  A combination of speed, strength, and gymnastic skills, the pole vault  has captured the attention of track fans and non track folks as well.

In recent years it's moved away from stadiums to downtowns, beaches, and shopping malls as promoters of the event attempt to expose it to a larger audience. At the end of the month at Brits Pub in Minneapolis the pole vault circus is coming to town to perform in what Minnesota Masters vaulter Dr. David Lindberg calls "the most fun event in track."

 Like the "daring young men(women) on the flying trapeze,"  pole vaulters entertain the audience by how high they launch themselves into the air.  How they make a combination of various difficult skills look easy.  And then there's the element of danger.

Cooly, the 2014 European Athletics Championships mascot demonstrates
how to pole vault in a cow suit.

2012 Olympic women's pole vault champion Jenn Suhr of the US recently became the victim of a broken pole at the most inopportune time.  In training, Suhr was hanging upside down in the air, feet aimed toward the sky when her pole shattered, split and dropped her into the "box," the U shaped metal housing in the front of the landing pit.  

If the pole had broken later, when Suhr was twisting her body to gyrate over the cross bar, she wouldn't have dropped straight down, but the break happened early and she fell on metal, instead of being able to maneuver into a soft landing in the pit.  Accidents like Suhr's are rare and the daredevil risk element merely adds to allure of the event and demonstrates the skills necessary from the participants.  

Pole vaulters are risk takers.  But, as illustrated by the photo above, even somebody in a cow suit can do it if they're well trained.  And the audience loves it.  While advances in technology have influenced everything in modern sport, the event that has perhaps been transformed the most is the pole vault.  Not that long ago vaulters used to use bamboo then metal poles.  The world record for men was just beyond 15 feet.  There was no pole vault competition for women.  

The early vaulters landed in a sawdust pit, but the ability to go higher made a softer landing necessary.  So the pit was transformed to foam or giant air bags that make landing far more comfortable.  Instead of one or two poles, vaulters now travel to competitions with a half dozen or more.  The poles vary in length and stiffness to allow the athletes to pick the right one for the conditions.  Instead of being the  province of men with a strong upper body and lots of fast twitch fibers in their legs, todays vaulters come in all shapes and sizes, of all ages and both genders.

Minnesota, despite it's less than hospitable weather conditions for outdoor vaulting, is fortunate to have  top vaulters from high school to Masters competitors.  There are training centers where the athletes can go in all weather conditions, and the ability to get the poles needed to perform.  From high school to elite, Minnesota's and other top vaulters will be on display at Brits on August 30. 

 This is the first of a series of articles on the event.  The event web site is HERE.

Recent  DtB articles/photos on the vault: Andrianna Jacobs clears 13' at the 2013 MSHSL Championships HERE. Photos HERE. Q & A with Gopher grad Jack Szmanda HERE. Story on Masters pole vault champion Dr. David Lindberg HERE.