Regionals Blows

[jomrus]

vaultguru, you are the man... I cannot understand why people insist on saying that the field at nationals will be diluted. That shows you how much confidence people have in our nations best vaulters. Look, I'll say it once again... if you want to be professionals, start playing the role. The pros have to go through preliminary competition too, so why should oue best vaulters be pampered any differently. Jump well when it counts is what I say. Anybody that says dilution will occur is just as good as the Malfoy's in the Harry Potter novels and movies. They believe that a true wizard is a pure blooded wizard. So you people that think a great competitor is not worthy of going to nationals, then poop on you.

[smokinvaulter1]

yeah lets just leave the 18' and 19' footers at home just have a nationals with some 16' and 17' the crowd will love that.

[rainbowgirl28]

yeah lets just leave the 18' and 19' footers at home just have a nationals with some 16' and 17' the crowd will love that.

Give me a break. If the 18 and 19 foot guys deserve to be there, they will be. There is an at large system. If Brad Walker NHs at Regionals, we all know he will get to go to Nationals anyway.

Regionals will give more people a chance to compete at Nationals. Some will be there who may not deserve it. A few may be left behind who do. So? Same thing was happening under the old format. Same thing happens at the elite level.

How do high schoolers qualify for their state meet? I assume most states they have to place top whatever at their regional meet. How do elites qualify for World's or the Olympics? Placing high at the right meet.

I think we should see what happens this year. Yeah the regional fields are bloated. Hopefully they can fine tune that a bit for next year. But I defnitely don't think regionals are any worse than the old format.

[vaultguru6]

yeah lets just leave the 18' and 19' footers at home just have a nationals with some 16' and 17' the crowd will love that.

better yet, why even have a competition? if all what we care about is how people jump when it doesn't count, why don't we just hand the medal to whoever has the higest vault at the end of the year? that way there's no chance for things like a head wind or rain or just a bad vault day, all of which a good all around vaulter should be albe to jump with, to stop the best vaulter from winning!

[PVJunkie]

Man this is gettin ugly...............So lets make it even more interesting. THERE SHOULD NOT BE AN AT LARGE SYSTEM AT ALL!!. When it comes time to qualify through the Regional its time to put up or shut up. Will some get left behind..............sure but isnt that the way of every other sport in the nation at every level?? This even allows for coaches to peak their athletes at the end of the yr so they dont have to play around for a qual mark earlier in the year. You dont get to the olympics by jumping real high once then competeing at the games, you get there by jumping at trials qualifying, then trials, then oly qualifying then the big event. Jumping real high at some rinky dink meet in mid april should not give you the right to compete at the nat championships, you earn the right by beating the other good jumpers head to head on an equal field (the same meet) at the regional meet. Then you get that chance again at the champs if you earned it at regionals.

[TreyDECA]

do we have that little faith in ourselves?????

personally, i'm glad the regoinal system was put into place. i do agree the standard is about 20cm too low, but come on!! have we no confidence??? just show up, prepared, knowing you have to jump well, and do it. humans innately respond to pressure with increased concentration, and on top of that, knowing you've got to get top 5, i think, will make for some of the best comp. of the year, especially when it gets down to 8 or 9 guys, all vying for 5 spots... i'm excited to watch it all.

does no one else think that?? are you all scared?? just play the hand you're dealt. and watch out for me.... ha, no not really. no need to be on the look out.

[vaultguru6]

i do agree the standard is about 20cm too low, but come on!!

i am for the regional system, but i also conceed that 4.90 for the guys is far too low of a mark. its the only flaw i really see with the system...although PV Junkie does sound pretty convincing with getting rid of the at large mark completely. but i'm sure they'll base next years qualifying mark on the results of this years results. Hopefully it will be up around 5.10 - 5.20.

[smokinvaulter1]

Honestly I've been through a regional system and seen it screw alot of the good jumpers out of being at the next meet. I guess you'll see when you go to a regional meet and the weather sucks and you nh and that guy that jump 4.90 is going to the big dance and you jumped a foot and a half higher then him all year long. Specially if you go to the Midwest regional anyone thats jumped a nebraska outdoors no the the wind swirls in there and is not a good place to vault. And yes everyone has to put up with it but its harder to jump on big poles and put up a quality mark in weather and it's know fact that it harder to be more consisent at higher heights.

[PVJunkie]

Its time to learn how to play a new game in the same event. Yes there is a way to compete as well as jump high. Maybe you gotta open a little lower, start on a little smaller pole...............but really you have to do that throughout the whole outdoor season. You show up and jump as high as you can in whatever conditions you have for that day. This system sets up an equal playing field for the whole nation. The problem with the way it was...............all the southern schools, with the better weather, dont have to travel for a good meet. This way, at regionals, all is equal and in fact the northern schools may have an advantage since they compete so much in crap conditions. Who knows maybe the southern schools will start traveling up north to get a meet in with a head wind, rain snow etc etc. Have fun with the thought of that one. NO ONE likes to jump in bad conditions but sometimes it happens and the BEST athletes are the ones who can out perform their competition no matter what the conditions.

[OAKPV2004]

In texas high school track, only the top 2 in district advance to regionals. There are 8 districts in a region. the 16 vaulters at regionals are well spread out, from 10'-17'. Sure some peole at district got left behind but oh well. they weren't consistant. At regionals only 2 advance to state. There are 4 regions. Only 8 vaulters make it to the state meet in texas. And there is no at large system, you either prove yourself or load up your bag for next season. Makeing it to state in texas can be a real reward. No qualifying marks anywhere.

[jomrus]

You guys on are the right track. I do agree that the qualifying standard is too low. Other than that, it's a great system. Whine and complain all you like, but when somebody jumps better than you when it counts, you have nothing to blaim, but the way you jumped, and how you couldn't get your mind right. I think this issue has been solved, as far as whether or not there should be a regionals. I'm starting to think that the at large system is a joke too. Like I said before, I made it in by the seat of my pants because of the at large in indoors. I don't feel like I deserved to go because of that. I jumped 17'6'' at our conference meet, and that one jump took me to nationals. Is that fair, not really, I think. Let's get rid of the at large system, and jump great when it counts.

[smokinvaulter1]

athletes qualified in each region so far

East-27
Mideast-25
Midwest-34
West-27

Thats way to many at every Region there going to be no time for Warm up.