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hey everyone. (last sentance if you dont want to read)
im a highschool vaulter (junior) currently jumping 12'6" and have cleared 13' numerous times at practice.
i started last year as a sopohmore and jumped in one meet and cleared 8'6" and then got cut off the team. so this is my first full year and i believe that my 4 foot improvment is kind of impresive. i jump on a 13' ucs 160lb and a 13' 6" skypole 160lb

i qualified for area and im one of the top 13 jumpers in the central section, i am jumping my grip heighth and i believe that i can easily jump 14' by the end of my season.
i want to know what i need to jump to be looked at for a scholarship

I've not been a collegiate coach for quite some time but in the late 90s and early 2000s it was hard to get any help at all unless you have cleared 16' (4.88m). I’m guessing it is higher now.

I personally jumped 14' 6" (4.42m) in high school and that didn't deter me from continuing to vault in college nor should it you. One of the greatest American vaulters EVER, Jeff Hartwig, went on from 14' 6" in high school to two Olympics teams and 19' 9 1/4" (6.03m). Above all have fun and get a great education. Bubba

You need to contact the coaches at the schools you are interested in and see what their walk-on and scholarship requirements are. They are not going to come for you, you have to go to them.

To even be eligible to compete in college sports your freshman year in a DI or DII you need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. This makes sure you are academically eligible and they also check your amateur status. If you don't register colleges won't even look at you.

ive been told up in my neck of the woods that anything close to 14 feet could get me a scholarship who knows if its true but thats what im shooting for to get whatever i can get in college

professor wrote:ive been told up in my neck of the woods that anything close to 14 feet could get me a scholarship who knows if its true but thats what im shooting for to get whatever i can get in college

That may get you a walk on spot at some colleges. Not saying it is bad, just do not get your hopes up for any money with a 14' jump.

This question has been asked about once a week so I figured I would give a definite answer.

20' as a high school kid will probably get you a scholarship to the school of your choice! This way the college knows you will be coming in as a freshman that unless you no height, you will score at your conference and be in contention for a national championship.

That is about how extreme it takes to be guaranteed. Because some schools 17' won't get you money if the school has four 17' jumpers they probably will not pay for another and if you wanted to go there you would be forced to walk on. Same way with 18, and in some years the school of your choice may already have a bunch of money in a 19' guy. But I am willing to take the bet that if you jump 20' in high school you can pick any college you want!

Vault Purple makes a very good point but failed to mention that only one person in history has jumped 20'. Though we know that, the person asking the question may not. I also like his statement that 17' in some situations won't assure you a spot. On of my kids placed in the Texas State Meet where only 8 vaulters even make it to that point and his school of choice wouldn't let him walk on. Bubba

good assumptions but i ddint make it clear that you would have to walk on with a 14 plus high school jump then earn a scholarship while at that school. also im not planning to attend any big schools so 18 feet is somewhat out of the question in my case let alone 20

size of the school doesnt matter for heights....alota "small" schools have produced 18+ jumpers

wow wheres the optimism here? a school im looking at that is d1 which moved from d2 a few years back has a school record in the low 16s... thats what i call a small school

Well it is not lack of optimism, it is a reality check. Most the posters answering the questions about scholarships are college athletes or coaches so they just know how the system works. And the reality check is that there is a limited number of scholarships, limited number of roster spots, and a limited number of pole vaulters allowed. And on top of that about 90% of teams do not like putting a lot of scholarship money into pole vaulters because they only do one event.

Just an example. The college I coach at is no Oregon or anything but it is D1. This year we had three pole vaulters, two sophomores and a freshman. The head coach is allowing us to add one more guy for next year as a walk on who jumps over 15'. And since the oldest vaulter is a sophomore we will not bring in another pole vaulter until they graduate off. There are 40 roster spots on the team and 19 individual events, there is just not room for 5 people in every event. And since runners can fill more than one event sometimes they are usually priority for scholarships.

alright alright you know maybe you guys are right and maybe im being a little stubborn about this lol you made some really great points and now i understand this a lot better from what you said about vaulters being a single event ahtlete

thanks for the input