Overall Quality of Mens Pole Vault in NCAA?

[rainbowgirl28]

The NCAA does that random drug testing system now. I have seen the same people constantly get tested and others not. Its a bad system and sometimes unfair how they do it.

There is random NCAA testing and there is the school's own drug testing. I'm not sure how the NCAA side of the testing is unfair, but I suppose a school's testing could be.

[KLocke]

Jeremy Scott and Derek Miles have since cleared 5.72.

Well since the only American to hit the Olympic A standard so far was the NCAA champion, Id say its not doing too awful. No Skippers or LoJos this year but there were four 18 footers.

[MSTC]

Its just taking longer for vaulters to develope. Its not like in the early and mid 90's when there were several 18'.

[CowtownPV]

One thing I see more and more of at the high school level is kids being convinced to do one sport year round. This may help them in that sport but alot of the best athletes are choosing football, soccer, basketball or baseball not track. Lets face it we need the good athletes to keep vaulting. Some of these stories you hear of elite vaulters who only jumped 14' or so in high school were multi sport athletes who only vaulted three months a year in high school. Alot of those guys wouldn't even be vaulting in HS today because they would be too busy with another sport. This has to show up eventually at the upper levels.

[vcpvcoach]

CowtownPV nailed the reason for the lack of quality in the NCAA. On our boys high school team this season, we had zero football players. At our private school, the football players have personal trainers in the off season. On our girls team, we had one gymnast and she was JV. Our gymnastics team has been State Champs for the last two years. I talked to two of the girls and they said that club was more important. Go figure. I could have had both make it to state this season.

[MSTC]

How many of those gymnist are going to go on to compete at the college level. There are only 75 schools in this country that have gymnastics. Your right, kids these days don't want to do more than one sport. Not only that they believe they can go on to become the next super star on USA team at the olympics.

[gtc]

1985 NCAA 8th Place 5.50 18'1/2"
3 from one school over 18'1/2" or higher.

[VaultPurple]

How many of those gymnist are going to go on to compete at the college level. There are only 75 schools in this country that have gymnastics. Your right, kids these days don't want to do more than one sport. Not only that they believe they can go on to become the next super star on USA team at the olympics.

I disagree with kids not wanting to do more than one sport. It is more of an issue that they pick a favorite and to be the best you can be at it now you have to train year round because that is what everyone is doing. And since no one really starts pole vaulting before high school, if you even want to try it and your football coach says if you do track instead of spring workouts then you don't get playing time, then you are going to chose football because you liked that first .

1985 NCAA 8th Place 5.50 18'1/2"
3 from one school over 18'1/2" or higher.

Where are you finding these results?

[gtc]

I don't have to find them. I was there.
I watched 5 guy's vaulting before me on the list clear 18' on there first attempt so I passed to 18' 3 3/4" And made on my first attempt, because I had a miss at my opening height of 17' 8 3/4"
Long story short 8 guy's at that NCAA meet jumped 5.50 or higher. 1985 NCAA's University of Texas. Not only that but there were two other vaulter's there with PR's higher than 5.50 that only jumped 5.40 in that meet. 12th Place was 5.40 17' 8 3/4"

[1yeldud1]

Damn, didn't realize that YOU were THAT "old" !!!!!