Tuxedo Man best-dressed

[rainbowgirl28]

This was on the front page of the sports section of the Pocatello paper today. AWESOME article!!

http://www.idahostatejournal.com/articl ... orts02.txt

Tuxedo Man best-dressed
Commentary by Kellis Robinett

Paul Litchfield couldn't quite pole vault his way over the flimsy bar hanging 18 feet in the air and came crashing down to the soft, orange safety mat in defeat. But unlike every other runner-up at the Simplot Games this weekend, he was celebrated by the masses at Holt Arena.

As he walked back to a nearby bench, fans across the stadium applauded the 2004 Idaho State graduate and the P.A. announcer got on the loudspeaker to say, “Well, let's give him a hand anyway. He's still the best dressed pole vaulter in the business.

You see, Litchfield competes at track events wearing the most unique of outfits. A get-up so bizarre yet amazing that it can only be described as a full-body, black, spandex tuxedo complete with bow-tie. It's so noticeable that everyone in the building could point him out among the thousands of other athletes as if they were finding Waldo.

The only way he could separate himself further from all the other spandex outfits in track that are equally too tight or the other fashion statements that are just as crazy, mohawks, massive tattoos, neon-colored hair, is if he chose to run around in a bright yellow Wolverine costume.

But the tuxedo is his signature. Every time he made a successful jump, someone would come by and say “congratulations tuxedo man, you made it. It was remarkable.
Nobody needed to know his name or even that he was one of the best pole vaulters in Idaho State history, they just wanted to talk to him because of his amazing costume.

The first time I saw him jump, I jokingly turned to my coworkers and said “Hey, check out Tuxee McGee over there." But just like everyone else, instead of looking at the many other events going on, I simply had to see this outfit for myself.

Litchfield said he appreciated all the attention his tuxedo brings, and was used to it because he gets it everywhere he goes. Once in Italy, he said fans nicknamed him “the waiter".

Oddly, the idea for his uniform came about one day when he was playing disc golf. He just suddenly realized he needed a unique outfit to wear when he pole vaulted. He liked the idea of a tuxedo, and thought about cutting a full penguin suit into a shorts and a cutoff top combination. But that would be too hot and too loose to pole vault in. So he sought out a spandex specialist who could fix something up for him. And the Litchfield Tuxedo was born.
The get-up is perfect for him. It lets his personality spill out onto the sports scene in just the right way. Onlookers believe it's just crazy enough to be clever but not too over the top to turn them off.

The best dressed pole vaulter in the business? Try one of the best dressed athletes in all of sports.

Seriously, that perfect mix is hard to find in sports. The late Payne Stewart found it with his old-school knickers, tall socks and his KangL-style hat. John Stockton built his style around never giving up the short basketball shorts that signified his pass-first, team-oriented style of basketball. And people my age remember Tom Landry more for his suit and plaid hat than the championships he won with the Cowboys.

But those are the exceptions. Too often in sports you see the wrong side of it. Dennis Rodman's wedding gown and never-ending rotation of hair colors, Mike Tyson's facial tattoo, Bill Belichick's gray hoodies, Bruce Pearl's Tennessee orange suits, Jesper Parnevik's inverted hat. Though all are recognizable, they're hideous and tasteless.

They're nothing like the spandex tuxedo.

[Scott Go Pre]

That's cool. I thought he only did that at Reno (wearing the tux).

[J_Gal]

[quote="rainbowgirl28"]The only way he could separate himself further from all the other spandex outfits in track that are equally too tight or the other fashion statements that are just as crazy â€â€

[skyshark177]

has anyone else done a speedsuit like this but a different costume?