Vaulting Pole Tips

It is time for High School to start and your child is thinking about his different options as far as extra- curricular activities are concerned. Perhaps they are interested in the area of track and field, specifically the area of pole vaulting.

How do you know if your child is cut out to be a high school pole vaulter?

There are two different types of qualities to look for in your child to see if high school pole vaulting would be the sport for them. The first, and I feel most important, has to do with the mind and the second has to do with the body, or athletic ability.

1. Attitude- Pole vaulting is a rush, a thrill, an adventure, and a challenge. Unlike many preconceived notions, that a pole vaulter must be a few bricks short of a load, a good pole vaulter is one who is thoughtful but can throw caution to the wind at the same time. I guess their personality must be one in which they are not afraid to try new things, willing to explore new frontiers or take a certain amount of risks. If you child is overly cautious, or tentative about some sort of risk, this might not be the sport for them. It takes a certain amount of courage to be able to propel your body through the air at the end of a pole.

Dedication and drive are also great prerequisite qualities. To become an accomplished pole vaulter it takes a great amount of practice and patience. It is simply not as easy as it looks. Your child must be willing to fall down at times and be able to get up and try again. Becoming successful at the high school pole vaulting level is sometimes decided by just the athlete’s willingness to persevere.

2. Athletic Ability- One of the conditions that is needed for your child to become a good high school pole vaulter is simply speed. Sometimes a track coach will try and suggest to his slower runners that pole vaulting may be the event for them, however just the opposite is true. To excel in the event of pole vaulting, the participant must have good speed on their side. Your child does not have to be the fastest runner on the team, but they simply need to be able to be competitive in that area to advance in pole vaulting as well.

Another question you might consider is how well can they actually jump. It simply takes more than speed to accomplish a good vaulting jump, it take lift and an upward drive at the end of the run. The better your child can jump, the better they will be at high school pole vaulting.

Finally, simply assessing their overall athletic ability is important. To become competitive in high school pole vaulting, abilities like good coordination, balance, strength and power will be required.

Is High School Pole Vaulting right for your student?

With all the requirements that have been suggested, why would you even want your child to become a high school pole vaulter? Besides having the thrill of learning a new and difficult sport, and feeling a sense of accomplishment, it could be a way to open up the possibility of a track and field scholarship at the University level. This is especially true for girls who want to learn and compete in the area of high school pole vaulting, where the possibilities of gaining a scholarship are the greatest.

With these few assessments of your child, you will discover that you might have an Olympic pole vaulter in the making or one who prefers to just keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. The choice is simply one of mind and body!

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