spiking a pole

A forum to discuss everything to do with pole vaulting equipment: poles, pits, spikes, etc.

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mcantu3814
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spiking a pole

Unread postby mcantu3814 » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:40 am

how sturdy are pole vault poles? If you spike one, will it break?

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rainbowgirl28
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Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:00 am

Depends on where you spike it.

One of my vaulter spiked one of his carbon poles so hard in Reno that sparks flew! That pole still has not broken.

A good scratch in the right place and the pole will definitely break though.

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achtungpv
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Unread postby achtungpv » Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:51 am

There's no hard and fast rule on whether a spiked pole is safe to vault on or not. I've seen badly spiked poles last 10+ years.

A lot of spikes that appear bad at first are usually only through the tape not in the fiberglass. You can remove the tape around the spike mark to check. I'd be more concerned with spike marks on the expansion side of the pole rather than the compression side.
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WillinghamPV
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Unread postby WillinghamPV » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:46 pm

i dont think my school owns a pole that ive jumped on and not swung into and spiked at least once.... and still to this day no breaks *knock on wood*

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Unread postby indestructo » Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:33 am

Would anyone still allow their vaulters/or themselves to jump on a pole where the fiberglass was gouged by a spike?

I wouldn't...
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Rhino
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Unread postby Rhino » Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:06 pm

indestructo wrote:Would anyone still allow their vaulters/or themselves to jump on a pole where the fiberglass was gouged by a spike?

I wouldn't...


I would.


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