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Track seeks a new pit
By Sarah Menesale/ News Staff Writer
Friday, October 13, 2006

If you're running across the field, springing off your feet and flying over the high jump, you want to make sure the mat you'll land on will break your fall.
Unfortunately for the Westborough High School track and field team's high jumpers the mats aren't doing much to cushion the impact of the ground.
"The pads are garbage. They're on the verge of not being safe," said pole vaulting coach Doug Lang.
Track coach Roger Anderson, who's been with the program for 10 years, guesses the equipment is 15 years old. To find funds to replace it, the team is hosting a Jump-A-Thon on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The event will take place at Westborough High School and coincide with Homecoming Festival activities.
"The vaulters and high jumpers are invited. We are going to put on a show," said Lang, who will vault along with Marlborough coach Chris Combs and Westborough athletes, who are some of the best in the state.
The mats cost $6,000 and the team hopes to raise half. WABA has agreed to match any funds raised on Saturday up to $2,500. The group already had a successful Uno's Chicago Grill Night to raise funds and the school budget is contributing $2,500.
At the fund-raiser individuals can sponsor a jumper, pledging money per foot the trackers jump over the two hours.
The pole vaulters are expected to average about 10 feet per jump, while high jumpers are expected to average about 4 feet, 6 inches, per jump. Thirty jumps per hour for each event is expected.
"We're in desperate need of new high jump mats. We just want to get the money to get those mats and this is a fun way to do it," said Anderson.
Track star Amy Wilfert explained the problem, The high jump equipment, also known as the "pit," consists of mats, standards (the poles used to holdup the bar), and the bar.
Over the years this equipment has worn down to a point where the padded cover no longer has any padding. It is now an empty lace sheet that covers the mats. Nearly all of the clips that hold the cover to the mats and the mats together are broken.
One of the three mats has absorbed so much water and endured so much compression that it no longer prevents a jumper from hitting the ground. All of the mats have huge tears in their outer protective casings which means they act like giant sponges when it rains, absorbing the water on the ground and leading to mold within the mats.
For more information contact Orna Feighery at 508-366-6327.

Interesting, they should also have an open competition, i'd definitely attend for both pole vault and high jump.

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High jumpers inch out pole vaulters
By Orna Feighery and Kelly Collins/ Special To The News
Friday, November 17, 2006

On top of all the returning fun festivities during homecoming at Westborough High School was the debut of the high jump/pole vault challenge.
To help raise funds to replace the existing high jump mats, 15 high jumpers challenged the Patriot Pole Vault club to a "jump-off." The basic ground rules for this "jump off" challenge was for each event to keep a cumulative tally of the number of feet cleared on all successful jumps for a period of an hour.
The pole vaulters, who can clear heights two to three times higher than the best high jumpers, cockily accepted the challenge. Only five minutes into the challenge, the vaulters were reeling from the realization that the jumpers could jump many times in the time it takes one vaulter to clear a height.



The challenge was on. How would the spectacular heights of the vaulters compare to the relentless endurance of the jumpers?
The final results were 25 very tired and happy competitors and a combined height of nearly 2,500 feet jumped - the equivalent of two times over the Empire State Building. The high jumpers displayed excellent creativity throughout the event, showing Superman jumps, two and even three at a time jumps, reverse back flops, and many scissor kicks over the bar. They finished with a flurry, clearing 280 feet in the last two minutes.
The vaulters fell behind early but made a strong attempt at catching the jumpers. In the end, the jumpers cleared a cumulative 1,456 feet and the vaulters an injury adjusted cumulative of 1,020 feet.
The primary goal of the event was to raise money to replace the high jump mats and standards, which were officially condemned by the participants by the end of the event. One of the standards - the poles used to hold up the bar - was so damaged that it had to be held in place with vice grips.
By the end of the event, jumpers had to settle for lower jumps in order to land on their feet because every back flop into the mats resulted in a face full of decomposed mat foam. Not to mention the various cuts and scrapes coming from the top pad which is a misnomer because there is no longer any pad, it is just a mesh covering serving to hold the decomposing mats in place and to scratch up the participants.
Including this exciting fund-raiser, nearly $1,000 has been raised to help defray the $6,000 cost of new equipment. The students directing the fund-raising activities have set a deadline of Nov. 30 to complete their goal of raising $2,000. They would like to thank everyone involved in the event and the many parents and spectators who gladly contributed to help replace the equipment.
For more information about this fundraiser or if you would like to make a contribution, contact Brian Callaghan, athletic director at the high school. Checks should be made out to Westborough High School, noted for high jump mats, and sent to Brian Callaghan, Westborough High School, 90 West Main Street, Westborough, MA. 01581.
(Orna Feighery is a member of the Westborough High track team and Kelly Collins is an assistant coach.)