PoleVaultPower.com

Ok well here are my specs:
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 125 last time i checked
Current Pole: 12'6" 130 PacerFX

Ok well here's the story...
I came out for pole vault last season toward the end because i thought it looked fun and cleared 8ft in like 3 meets
When i came back out this season my goal was 10FT... which i actually cleared in the very first practice (when i first realized i might actually be pretty good)
At the beginning of the season i was using a 11' 130 Skypole
After a few meets it was pretty evident that i needed a new pole (everyone thought i was going to break it)
so my school bought me a 12'6" 130 PacerFX... i've had it for a few weeks and i have cleared 12'3" with it (really really close to 12'6"
Just this past weekend, i went to my conference meet... during warmups, all of the coaches were concerned that i would break the PacerFX... as nice as they were, they let me use one of their poles.... i used a 12'4" 150 Altius... again, i cleared 12'3" and got pretty decent bend on it... i ended up placing 5th
one of the kids on my team also got a 14' 130 UCS Spirit right at the very end of the season... do you think i would be able to use that by next year? and what do you think i could clear next season?
thanks for your input
RJ

also... i live in pennsylvania... any idea what i would have to clear next year in order to pole vault in college?

where are you gripping on the biggest pole you use?

moving up to a 14ft pole from a 12-6 pole is a HUGE jump, especially if it is the same weight. if you can borrow a pole that is like a 13 or 13-6 130 or 135, you sould get on that first before moving to a 14ft stick.

well on the 12'6" i hold at the highest legal limit...
i'm sure i will be able to move up to our 13' and 13'6" 135 Pacer Mystics throughout the summer
and then hopefully for next season i will be able to use the 14' UCS Spirit
any idea on how high you think i might be able to clear next year?

not sure, how high do you want to clear?
Its really gonna be up to you, and because i dont know you or your athletic ability/speed, its hard to judge. By your progression, i could see you moving up more poles, maybe getting on a 13'6 or 14 by the end of the year, and getting some 13'6's. But if you do a ton of speed work, strength work, and take off work, no reason you cant get on a stiff 14'6 and jump 15. Its all gonna depend on your work ethic. Get with a really good coach, and he/she will usually get you to the best you can be.

ok...
well as far as my work ethic, speed, and strength go...
my work ethic is excellent... i am in sports all year-round... football, wrestling, and of course track... when i'm not doing any sports i'm probably lifting
speed... i'd say i'm pretty fast, especially considering i have such a short stride... i'm the fastest of all the vaulters at my school
strength.... i would say i'm pretty strong, again especially for my size... i've been told by many people that i am "pound for pound the strongest & toughest kid at my school"...
all that i stated above was not to talk myself up or brag (that's not what im getting at).... it was to help you figure out how high i could vault next season and to give you a better view of who i am & what i am about
my goal for next year is 14' for now.... but we'll see if that increases depending on how i do over the summer
thanks every1... keep the comments coming

Iv only been vaulting for a few weeks but I hope to get 15 by the end of the season. I got 12'6'' and im learning fast, no coach makes it a little hard though.

well it goes without saying that theres no way to tell how high you will go in a year, a lot can happen. My friend Spencer Mccorkel made a jump from 13'6 at the end of freshman year to 17' the end of sophmore year. Im sure that was unexpected. Evenly, another friend of mine jumped 12'6 sophmore year, and his senior year his best was 12'9. You just have to have fun with it and hope for the best.

for college, it all depends on where you want to goto college, if you want to vault at a 2-year school like me, you could do it right now and do well. there was some bad weather at nationals, and im in a very easy division, but still, it was won at 14'4 i think. and i got 5th place with only 12'4, D1 2 year schools usually get in the 16-17 foot range though. as for 4 year schools, if you get around 13-14 feet (which im sure you will) you could do well in division 2 (millersville, lock haven, shippensburg, etc) and division 3 (F&M, susquehannah U, lebanon valley, etc) schools. 15-16 feet could get you some nice medals in division 2 and 3 schools. as for division 1's like penn state, temple or bucknell, etc, 14-15 will defenitely get you on the team, but to do good, youll probably need to get 16-18 feet.