No fools for this April when it comes to pole vaulting at all levels within the sport! High school girls and boys are both on fire, and for the standard, these kids are starting to make, the 13-foot girl and the 17-foot boy seems to be the new standard.
On the cover, we have an article by Tim Reilly, and he has a young lady that has broken the high school girls record. Here is a rundown of the current situation. "Unfortunately, the mark will not be ratifiable as an American Junior Indoor Record, because there was only one official and they require three. "
Current Outdoor Records:
"NFHS Record: 14’4”Rachel Baxter 2017
T&FN HS Records: 14’7.50” (4.46) Lexi Weeks 2015, but Chloe’s 4.50i will replace this, they combine indoor and outdoor for their list
World Junior Record: 4.71i Wilma Murto (IAAF also combines indoor and outdoor for their list)
NFHS Record is the best mark made in an in-season HS-only competition. It has to be one of the school’s meets and has to have at least three teams. Beyond that, I don’t think they do much vetting. Looking at her schedule, I think all of her school’s meets should be fine.
T&FN Records are the marks that most people consider the “real” HS records. They count any legitimate mark by a high schooler through August 31st of their senior year, as long as they don’t turn pro."
We will see what happens, she is not alone, and it wouldn't surprise me if we don't have other ladies trying to break this record asap.
John Clark that Master’s Vaulter out of Texas and he never ceases to amaze with his adventures. " I started this pole vaulting journey back in October 2017, with my good friend, Bubba Sparks, teaching and training me. I had never vaulted before in my life – except for a couple of Sunday afternoon visits to Brian Elmore’s practice place the previous summer – and at the ripe ol’ age of 60 years, seriously overweight and out of shape, it’s been fairly slow going, at least in my mind." Like we said last month, sometimes you have to learn by doing, even when it comes down to an overexcited vaulter with a teenaged mind and a Master’s body. Good for you John, we love what you do!
Kreager Taber discusses the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. "The Birmingham Metro CrossPlex of Birmingham, Alabama hosted some of the nation’s best athletes on March 8th and 9th for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships." This meet did not disappoint at all, wish we would have joined all the rest.
Next month we will have our first Hall of Fame issue of Vaulter Magazine. Stay Tuned.
