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I need some help one which pole I should buy for the Empire State Games...At try-outs i was on a 14' 165 and i started crushing at 12'6 so I switch to a 14' 170 and still crush it... So heres the predictament. Should I get a 14' 175 or a 14'7 165/170? Also should it be a Essx or UCS? Most of the year I jumped on a Essx 13'7 171.6 and I have much more cofidence on that, then the the 14' 165 UCS I started using in the last 2 weeks. Time on delivery doesnt realy matter because im leaving for Europe for two weeks on friday.

PS- I think the flex is 17.3 on the 14' 165 and 16.2 on the 14' 170

i would suggest essx, because i just got one and finally got to jump on it today and i like it alot better than my ucs

I would try to stick with the same brand of pole that you are used to. If you make a pole series with different brands, then each pole will react differently and could make trasitioning harder.

Well... If your pr is lower than you are holding you do not really need to go to longer poles... Crushing a pole may mean you have a good drive... but what about the rest of the vault?

How is the turn up... Are you flagging over the bar... Is the timing of the jump with the pole and is the pole giving you "pop" or are you dying out at the end....

Please consider these things when making pole decisions... I would say that if you PR is Less than your grip work on the other phases of the vault... but for safty reasons if you are "crushing" the pole you may need 5-10 lbs bigger....

I am an older guy now but my pr is 14'6'' on a 14-175 Spirit! I have jumped on both... But spirits are my poles!!!

thanks for the replies about clearing my hand hold...I guess after you take the box into affect at 12'6 im clearing just at my top hand so im close just not there yet... and i do tend to flag out after i get my hips over the bar. Heres another question if im crushing a 14' 170 would i crush a 14'7 170 as well or is the flex number different?

If you are gripping the top of a 14' UCS that means you are gripping 13'7". If you subtarct the 8" for the box your grip is still at 12'11". Your clearance efficiancy is at -5". I have question for you. When you do clear a bar do people tell you that you are way over? Does it seem like your chest is two foot or two over the bar, but then at the next hight it just doesn't seem close? How much do you weigh? If you are vaulting on a pole that is above your weight but you are crushing it, it might mean that your not really jumping up at takeoff and you lack a swing in your vault. I have vaulters that can clear 12'6" and even 13' on 13' poles. A 14' pole and especially a 14'7" pole are overkill for those heights.

Also to answer your question a 14'7" 170 is much stiffer than a 14' 170. If you look at a pole stiffness chart a 14'7" 170 is the equivelent of a 14' 180.

I weigh 164lbs. Im holding about 4'' down from the pink tape. About the way over it depends...At the try-outs yesterday i was barely over 11'6 and then over 12' by like 5''... The problem is that the pole really doesnt shoot me up that much mostly in to the bar. I had my standards at 29 for both the 14'165 and the 14'170.

GiVaulter09 wrote: The problem is that the pole really doesnt shoot me up that much mostly in to the bar.

that might not be the pole's fault. are you sure you're not kicking out into it insted of up?

If I was in your position I would keep going stiffer as long as your standards could be set at 24"+ and keep jumping on 14' until you clear at least 14'. Infact someone just posted receantly that a kid jumped 15' on a 14', and the coach or Dad was just wondering now if the kid should bump up to a 14'7". Also the kid weighs 140 and is jumping on a 165.

Call Essx....Bruce will set you up!!!!

yea im doing that tonight when i order it