Article on Girls Vaulting in Indiana
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:47 pm
Female pole vaulters are hard to come by
HS TRACK
By TIM CREASON
Tribune Correspondent
It's official. The Indiana High School Athletic Association has added girls pole vault to its list of official track events.
Now, if only there were some girls to pole vault.
An unofficial survey of Tribune-area track teams reveals that few, if any, local girls will be soaring aloft on a fiberglass pole this spring, even though the IHSAA says it is OK for them to do so.
"I suppose that if we have somebody who wants to do it, we'll coach her, but I don't know that we'll have anyone who is interested," says Elkhart Memorial coach Darlene Owings. "And to tell the truth, I don't plan to go looking for one (a vaulter)."
At its Executive Committee meeting on Feb. 21, the IHSAA voted to add girls pole vault as an official -- but non-scoring -- event for the 2003 track season.
Girls will follow the same rules as boys, and at the end of the season, a state champion will be crowned.
As a matter of record, the IHSAA's decision brings Indiana up to speed with the rest of the country. Many other states, including Michigan, have offered girls pole vault for years.
The problem is that -- in making it a non-scoring event -- the IHSAA removed any incentive for coaches to add a girl pole vaulter to their varsity lineup.
Also, even though the event is non-scored, the IHSAA ruled that the pole vault counts against a girl's participation limit.
A track athlete can participate in no more than four events during a meet. Thus, coaches are reluctant to "use up" an event if they have a good athlete who could score points somewhere else.
"Just to experiment? No, we're not going to do it," says Michigan City coach Tim Bumber. "Track coaches tend to be spread way too thin as it is. We're not going to devote a coach's time to teaching a girl to pole vault when it is irrelevant to us. There's nothing to gain.
"In another year, when the event is scored, then we'll do it."
Ironically, the IHSAA is adding girls pole vault in the same year that many schools are struggling to meet a National Federation mandate for bigger and safer landing pits.
The National Federation of High School Athletic Associations has ruled schools must obtain bigger pits and expand their landing areas, starting this season. The changes are expensive, costing some teams as much as $10,000, depending on what upgrades are needed.
Some Indiana schools are reported to be dropping boys pole vault, rather than pay for new pits. And at the same moment, girls pole vault is coming on as an event.
The timing of the event's addition -- which came after many girls teams had already started official practice -- hasn't gone over well with some coaches, either.
"The thing is, nobody was asking for this," said Owings. "There was an issue with a few people down south, and all of a sudden, we've got girls pole vault."
HS TRACK
By TIM CREASON
Tribune Correspondent
It's official. The Indiana High School Athletic Association has added girls pole vault to its list of official track events.
Now, if only there were some girls to pole vault.
An unofficial survey of Tribune-area track teams reveals that few, if any, local girls will be soaring aloft on a fiberglass pole this spring, even though the IHSAA says it is OK for them to do so.
"I suppose that if we have somebody who wants to do it, we'll coach her, but I don't know that we'll have anyone who is interested," says Elkhart Memorial coach Darlene Owings. "And to tell the truth, I don't plan to go looking for one (a vaulter)."
At its Executive Committee meeting on Feb. 21, the IHSAA voted to add girls pole vault as an official -- but non-scoring -- event for the 2003 track season.
Girls will follow the same rules as boys, and at the end of the season, a state champion will be crowned.
As a matter of record, the IHSAA's decision brings Indiana up to speed with the rest of the country. Many other states, including Michigan, have offered girls pole vault for years.
The problem is that -- in making it a non-scoring event -- the IHSAA removed any incentive for coaches to add a girl pole vaulter to their varsity lineup.
Also, even though the event is non-scored, the IHSAA ruled that the pole vault counts against a girl's participation limit.
A track athlete can participate in no more than four events during a meet. Thus, coaches are reluctant to "use up" an event if they have a good athlete who could score points somewhere else.
"Just to experiment? No, we're not going to do it," says Michigan City coach Tim Bumber. "Track coaches tend to be spread way too thin as it is. We're not going to devote a coach's time to teaching a girl to pole vault when it is irrelevant to us. There's nothing to gain.
"In another year, when the event is scored, then we'll do it."
Ironically, the IHSAA is adding girls pole vault in the same year that many schools are struggling to meet a National Federation mandate for bigger and safer landing pits.
The National Federation of High School Athletic Associations has ruled schools must obtain bigger pits and expand their landing areas, starting this season. The changes are expensive, costing some teams as much as $10,000, depending on what upgrades are needed.
Some Indiana schools are reported to be dropping boys pole vault, rather than pay for new pits. And at the same moment, girls pole vault is coming on as an event.
The timing of the event's addition -- which came after many girls teams had already started official practice -- hasn't gone over well with some coaches, either.
"The thing is, nobody was asking for this," said Owings. "There was an issue with a few people down south, and all of a sudden, we've got girls pole vault."
