PoleVaultPower.com

I'm afraid I know the answer to this but I'm gonna ask anyway. How much can I trust my old cat-a-pole? As you know (or I think you should know) I'm gonna try to come back to vaulting this coming year. I still have my 1550 (1969) cat-a-pole and I want to start my come back with it. Does the resins over time get brittle? How much deterioration occurs in the materials with time?This spring I will weigh between 150 and 155 and I'm sure I won't hold on much higher (ever) than say 12 feet on the pole (and that's probably pushin' it by quite a bit). I'll be comin' back in my back yard with 3, 4, and 5 step approaches (I have a maximum runway with part of my neighbors' yard included of say 90 feet max). So I won't be jammin' the pole very hard on planting. In a nut shell it'll probably be much the same as using a steel pole to get some form back at low heights. If I do use it, what things should I keep an eye on and do or not do until I get good enough to go to cd's club or keven's club and try out some "real" poles. As it is Friday I won't read replys till Monday (I'm using my work computer.....don't tell my boss, ok?) Thanks in advance for the input. Later and have a good weekend..............Mike

How has the pole been stored all these years?

I have broken four poles, and all of them were old (and beaten up). I was gettin at least a moderate bend though when I broke them.
If you don't weigh over 155 and are holding down three feet or even two feet from the end, I can't imagine it breaking unless it's already disintegrated into dust.
Last time I used a Black Cat was 15 years ago, and it performed like a new one at that time.
Best of luck on your comeback. I've been at it for a couple of years now (age 46), and it's a blast!

OLD poles should be ok if you have not exposed them to the elements (HEAT, SUNLIGHT, HUMIDITY) or if they are free of any nicks.

The problem will be the old old Catapoles green WIht AMPRO or DURA FIBER on them are about 8 lbs stiffer than they read.

Be careful but have fun

PS NEW CATAPOLES FORT WORTH HAS A NEW LOOK

Thanks for your replys. As I told decamouse, I'd kinda hate to break it cause it makes such a good Christmas lights put-er-upper. Not to mention that I'm not too sure it would be too much fun being on the other end of it if it were to break. I've jammed it up against the house a few times and put a pretty good flex in it And it seems to be ok. With me holding down so low on it I'm thinkin' it will work ok for drills and the like. Thanks again for the imput and the support. Later................Mike

one more thing, it is a black cat-a-pole. It has been stored mostly inside out of the elements (no direct sunlight) I think there are no nicks that I can see. Even though it was cheap compared to todays standards,(It cost me $54.00, that I had to borrow from some of my friends and my brother) I still try to take care of the old girl. Later............Mike