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Should your pole be 10-20 pounds over your weight? (like say i was 120 shoul i get a pole made for 135 pounders?) some people told me that but then some others said no way so im confused!!

It isn't a rule and you don't HAVE to be. Once you get to the level when you need the extra "kick" it's nice to be able to vault on pole rated higher than your weight. This actually means they're stiffer and can return more energy. Someone correct me if I am wrong . Me for instance, I vaulted about on a 14-80 weighing 155. Now on my 15's, I only vault on a 15-75 and I weigh 165 now.

First you have to find a length of pole that is rated at your weight that you can safely jump on. For example an 11'- 120 lb pole. As you get better you will eventually have to keep moving your standards deeper or you will hit the bar on the way up. Once you get all the way back on the standards you have to move to a stiffer 11' pole-- maybe a 130 , then the standard cycle starts again and then you go to maybe a 140. At this point you are jumping on a pole 20 lbs above your weight which you are ready to go to a longer pole -- a 12' -- 125 or 130 lb pole still above your weight and you do this cycle until your jumping deep into the pit on a 12' pole that is about 20 lbs over your weight then you can go to a 13' pole that is only slightly above your weight. Along the way you can inch your grip up with the increase in pole lengths.
You want to be able to jump on the longest and stiffest pole you can safely jump on to maximize your potential. The progression described above is the way you get there.

Do not get hung up on I should be jumping on poles 20 or 30 lbs over my wgt - since 20 lbs over for a guy 190 is not the same as 20 over for a 110lb girl - plus good technique and safe vaulting should be the first concerns -

It is a USATF safety guideline and in Utah it is a high school rule. it is a saftey issue that the concern is if you weigh more then your pole it could break. But there is no set weight i.e. 20lbs over your weight.

Can you point me to where the USATF had defined this "safety guidline"?

why is the weight rating of the pole the safety issue dont most bad accidents come from bad jumping and not from pole breaks?

well many accidents have come from missing the pit, and if you are on a softer pole you have a better chance with a good jump of blowing through and missing the pit, keep in mind this was during the time where pits were like matchboxes so it was easier to jump over the pit and hit your head, or land off to the side.

I jump on a 15-6, 175 pound pole, weighing 150 pounds. It really kicks me off of it. The spring with a pole above your weight is unbelievable. And when I jump on poles at my weight, they have no return, or don't unbend as powerfully. SO what I would say is that if you are ready for it, jump on a pole that is heavier than your weight, but don't risk safety for the fact that you want to jump on bigger poles...

to reply to Vaultref. I should have been more clear .The USATF pole vault education manual can be found at www.pvei.com. Chapter 7 on pole selection : quote " Never allow the vaulter to use a pole rated below their body weight." This is a fabulous manual .

Thanks Vaultmom, I do have a link to that PEI site.

The reason I was asking is that it was only a few years ago, two at most that a USATF rule was inserted into the youth athletics section of the books that required officials to even check for this body weight vs pole rating number.
There is no procedure to follow, so how it's actually accomplished probably varies across the country.

It also only applies to meets conducted as Youth meets.
If the meet is following "Open" rules, this check is not a requirement. In that case, the burden is on the athlete and his/her coach.

ya it seem to be a pretty random thing... Many many officials I know dont ever check. In Utah we have a form we use at the high school meets and at our college meets... that we sign off on. Rarely seems to be a problem at college meets but always at the high school meets. Too many big boys on little poles. I think that manual is excellent whereas the the rules and competition books dont really cover as much as they should.