tell me this isn't true: article in LA Times today about how the pole vault has been dropped all over the US

They don't contest either of those events nor the triple jump in Iowa high school track.

Oh, it's true all right. It's difficult to find coaches for pole vault (they have to be competent, considering it's a pretty dangerous event), not to mention how expensive all the equipment is. There is also the fact that even if it were offered everywhere, not many kids would actually choose to do it.

I'm not saying this is a good thing, because pole vault is one of the most entertaining events in track and field. However, the mass disappearance thereof is nothing surprising when one considers all the factors.

why did there seem to be no problem fielding 4-6 vaulters at all of the high schools in my league at every school back in the 70s and 80s? The physics teacher was the pole vault coach. He always had vaulters in the 13-15 foot range.

In my experience kids like to vault, but I think that for most schools it's best not to have it. I am pretty familiar with every event, but the pole vault is just plain tricky. It almost needs its own coach.

I have a 14 footer in my pants. Sorry, couldn't resist.

They took pole vault out of my county a few years back because of safety reasons but reinstated it last year with the provision that all county vaulters attend a common practice two days a week. The common practice is run by two ex-college vaulters who are both paid from the county athletic fund (both are paid the standard coaching salary...about $2000 a season). About fifteen-twenty kids (from seven schools) attend practice for three hours Tuesday and Thursday. Some coaches in the county were upset about this decision...they were worried about a lack of team unity. However I applauded the common practice...I'm a distance coach and know nothing about the vault. I could read every book out there to gain knowledge, but that won't change the fact that the pole vault is a very unique event that requires the full attention of a coach for maximum safety. I can't afford to neglect the rest of my team to watch the vaulters or vice versa. And the school I coach at can't afford to hire another coach (we have two paid coaches) and there is a definite lack of qualified volunteer coaches in the area.

And the kids love it. They still interact with their own teammates M-W-F (plus meets of course) but they are receiving high quality, professional instruction from a couple of fun guys. And parents are confident that their kids are able to practice a dangerous event with a high degree of safety.

wow. I can't imagine being on a team without pole vaulters, javelin throwers or high jumpers. They were always a part of my teams/schools from jr. high school through college.

Ask the lawyers, liability insurance agents, and school district accountants why there aren't as many schools competing in the pole vault (and javelin, discus, and hammer)...

Soon, the hurdles will be considered too great a risk as well.

I'm friggin sick to my stomach about how the legal system has totally ruined life in America. First the high diving board was removed from out city, public pool; then the friggin low diving board was removed; then the water slide was removed; then the regular slide in the playground was removed. @#$@#$@#^$%$%^&%^&......now, they are using the 'liability excuse' for the pole vault, javelin and high jump? I've friggin had ENOUGH! Next.....the steeple chase will be banned.

70s guy wrote:

I'm friggin sick to my stomach about how the legal system has totally ruined life in America. First the high diving board was removed from out city, public pool; then the friggin low diving board was removed; then the water slide was removed; then the regular slide in the playground was removed. @#$@#$@#^$%$%^&%^&......now, they are using the 'liability excuse' for the pole vault, javelin and high jump? I've friggin had ENOUGH! Next.....the steeple chase will be banned.

The slide? Seriously? What, the kiddies getting their butts burned on hot days?

I coach a track team. We probably had 8 meets before there was a meet with the pole vault. One girl on the team saw it and said stunned , "What is that?" All of the new kids looked like they had never seen it before, so yeah, it is dying out.

We had pole vault in Junior High school when I was on the team there. In my son's school they did not have it in middle school but they do have it in high school. Many of the best vaulters in the state are in our district. One kid I know of on our local high school travels an hour each way two days a week for specific vaulting instructions.

I have never been to a high school meet with javelin (never a sanctioned event in VA in my experience).

Think about the implications of this. With HSs dropping the event all around the country. How desirable will a javelin thrower or pole vaulter be to a college coach? Especially a female vaulter or javelin thrower? The pool of competition for scholarship dollars will shrink as a result of these cuts of events.

Funny thing is they throw javelin in Junior Olympics (I believe it starts with the 13-14 age group) but they don't throw it in high school. We had pole vault in junior high but no javelin; in high school, they added the javelin. This was in Pennsylvania. They won't let a kid throw a javelin but they let them hit each other at full speed in football. Many more people get hurt in football and the injuries are often very serious.

In North Carolina, there is no Javelin. There is also no Hammer.

What has the L.A. Times have to do with T&F ? Do you believe that dead rag ? Almost as dead as the Frisco Chonicle who just laid off 100 out of 300 in the newsroom. Newspapers are dead. The volunteer amatuer websites have taken the lead in T&F journalism. Now it\'s the coaches, parents, athletes, officials who control the information for our sport. The newspapers are no longer needed. I subscribe to zero print newspapers, and zero print magazines. get everything I need from the web and television.

i get a lot of things from the web, and most of it is garbage. print newspapers are often of a much higher quality than the junk you can find online. the sf chronicle has TERRIBLE writing (seriously... i think i became stupider by reading that newspaper), but it's actually pretty useful for finding out what's happening around town (i currently live in the bay area). the new york times, on the other hand, has incredible writing. i don't think you can point me to a website that is as consistently good as the new york times, which is why it stays in business.

"I get everything I need from the web and TV." That is one of the dumbest posts ever put up here. But then, what, some twenty percent of Americans said they get their news from Entertainment Nightly(?) You must be a loyal watcher. So what's up with Paris whatshername?

In MD the pole vault was dropped from state meet scoring because new regulations required larger mats that a lot of schools could not afford. It happened in response to a couple of pretty horrific accidents the previous couple of years. This was about four years ago so I don't know what has happened since.