PoleVaultPower.com

JuneauEmpire.com wrote:Alaska's state track and field meet hasn't held an official pole vault competition since 1991, even though the state has produced several quality pole vaulters over the years. In the late 1980s Alaska was one of the first states to allow female pole vaulters, even though their competition was an exhibition event at the state meet and no team points were scored.

Former Wasilla High pole vaulter Jim Drath vaulted at Fresno State (the Mecca of college pole vaulting) and earned a spot at the 1995 U.S. Track and Field Championships. His 1996 personal record of 5.62 meters (18-feet, 4 1/2 inches) ranked 219th in the world as recently as September 2001. Former Palmer High pole vaulter Ben Brainard competed at Montana State and later became a decathlete at Missouri Southern with a best vault of 17-0 3/4.

Brainard was a senior in 1992 and state track meet director Michael Janecek, then Palmer's athletic director, let a few vaulters hold an unofficial competition at an outdoor pit (the state meet used to hold pole vault indoors). Brainard vaulted 14-10, which would have topped the state record of 14-3 held by Dimond's Mike Brinkmeyer had the vault been official.

Alaska School Activities Association executive director Gary Matthews said the ASAA Board of Control voted to drop the pole vault in the mid-1980s for two main reasons - the increasing costs of protective gear and a lack of trained coaches in the state. Matthews said ASAA's catastrophic injury insurance policy doesn't cover the pole vault and the rate hike to add the sport means it won't happen. Janecek agreed that safety and liability are concerns with the pole vault, but he disputes the coach issue.

"The real reason is all the teams in Anchorage got tired of getting beat, and you can quote me on that," Janecek said. "There are lots of trained coaches out there."