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hey, i have probably a rather simple question but i dont really know the answer...

can anyone explain the major differences between our regular, more typical, style pole vault poles and the token carbon poles we see once in a while??? and how come we dont see carbons as much???

im just wondering because ive never jumped on one before, but ive seen two guys jump on them against me, and my coach wants to get me on one within this week...

LancerVaulter07 wrote:hey, i have probably a rather simple question but i dont really know the answer...

can anyone explain the major differences between our regular, more typical, style pole vault poles and the token carbon poles we see once in a while??? and how come we dont see carbons as much???

im just wondering because ive never jumped on one before, but ive seen two guys jump on them against me, and my coach wants to get me on one within this week...

The carbon makes the carry weight of the pole lighter. That's why you only see in in bigger poles. You don't see it as much because it is more expensive.

Tell your coach to save his money and that you will jump higher if you have a larger selection of poles than if you have one fancy carbon pole that you will just blow through as you improve.

thanks for intel on carbons. but yeah we already have this pole... 15' 155 carbon.. we are just getting it back from another school that we had 'swapped' with last year... we'll see what happens. but thanks.

The carbon poles are typically faster than a standard fiberglass pole. this means that when using two poles that have identical weight, flex, and length the carbon pole will take less time to release its energy after the plant

pool_man_007 wrote:The carbon poles are typically faster than a standard fiberglass pole. this means that when using two poles that have identical weight, flex, and length the carbon pole will take less time to release its energy after the plant

That may be true with Pacer CarbonFX's, but it is not true with Essx carbons! they are designed specifically for a lighter carry wieght, yet still react exactly the same as their normal poles!

First off I want to say that I have jumped on a lot of different type of poles (Essx, Pacer, Pacer Carbon, Spirit, and Skypole). I was a majority Carbon vaulter when I was in high school and my freshman year at college last year. I now jump on Spirit poles, and I want to say that the difference between them is not large, but there is a different.

Carbon poles are lighter to carry, that is the biggest and most influencial difference. The fact that they release faster is not always the case. A pole reacts based on how a specific vaulter jumps on it. My technique is not the greatest in the world, as on a carbon pole I jumped 16'5" on a 15'6" 180 pound carbon. The problem was the pole would run away from me. When I switched to Spirit, I jumped my new PR on a 15' 190 Spirit at 16'7". The spirit poles give me a little bit more time to get in correct position and finish my vault better.

On the other hand their are vaulters all over the world that have jumped on all brands of poles and neither have made a huge difference. The biggest name is Lobinger who has jumped 6m on almost every type of pole made. Why can he do that if they are engineered so much differently. The point is they are not made that different, sure sail pieces are in different places, but for the most part the pole reacts to the vaulter, not the other way around!

Zachmo