Pole Vault Pits Shut Down For Safety Reasons????

[bb12334]

At my school the board of education has shut down our pole vault pits. This decision did have some aspects of politics as they want to redo the entire track so making it seem unsafe increases their ability to get money grants. However I have found that all of their complaints are not merited and our pits do conform to safety rules. Their first statement was that the mats were too small which was just not true. Our mats exceed the dimensions of 19'8 by 20'2 and extends all the way to the front of the box. Our box if the correct dimensions, does not go above the track and is properly placed. One of the main complaints was that a patch put on the runway created an uneven surface that could cause tripping. However, according to the NFSA website there is an allowable .1% deviation in the jumping direction. The patch is located 3.65 meters from the back of the box and sinks down to a maximum of 1cm over its 5 foot span. This works out to be a .006% deviation which is well within the limits. They also said that our mats were too close to our fence. However the fence stood over 22 feet from the back of the box and therefore well out of reach of any high school pole-vaulter. Lastly they state that there needs to be a 2 inch pad over any unyielding surfaces, however our mats completely cover the track base that they sit upon, and all around that is grass (not an unyielding surface). Basically my question is is this track unsafe, and if so what would be the most effective method of fixing it.
Here are some pictures of our runway (I know the box cover is too close but that is easily fixable. You can see the patch as the different colored part and I know it is hard toe valuate but it gives you an idea of how it looks).
http://staplesrunning.com/photos/outdoo ... C_5446.htm
http://staplesrunning.com/photos/outdoo ... re/070.htm (closer picture of the patch)

I would love a response as soon as possible because there is a meeting tomorrow about what to do about the situation and any advice, or input would be greatly appreciated.

[1yeldud1]

Looking at the photo that you supplied it looks as that you need a "box collar and a set of pads around the standard bases.

[rainbowgirl28]

The patch looks fine, at least in the picture. If no one has tripped over it yet...

Can't tell if you have base pads or not, but you do need a box collar. I can't really comment about what's going on behind the pit. If they are really worried about the fence, mats could be propped up against it.