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Pole Vaulting Safety Requirements

Pole vaulting has long been recognized as a part of track and field, not only in the public school system but also in events such as the Olympic Games. Pole vaulting requires the competitor to use a long pole to rise over a bar at set heights throughout the competition. Because of the heights a competitor must achieve to be successful in the sport, pole vaulting has several safety requirements that must be met for the competition to take place. Some of these include safety equipment; a large, designated competition area; and uniform requirements for participants.

  1. Landing Area

    • Some safety equipment, such as thick landing mats, must be in place before a pole vault competition can take place. The landing area must meet your area's regulation standard sizes and should be made of a large, thick mat to ensure that vaulters can land safely. The landing area can be made up of more than one mat, but these mats must be able to attach to each other to ensure that one will not slide away from the other as a vaulter lands, possibly resulting in injury.

      The landing area, or pit, must meet regulation sizes for both college/professional and high school competitions. The high school minimum requirement is 19 feet, 8 inches wide in the back and 16-5 wide in the front, 20-2 long and 26 inches high. The college/professional level requirement is 19-8 wide, 21-5 and 32 inches high. All must have 16-5 of padding behind the plant box.

    Clear Area

    • There must be a dedicated area for pole vaulting apparatus. The apparatus should be carefully maintained to ensure that there are no loose or broken pieces that could injure vaulters. The area around the equipment should be kept clear of all debris or other equipment in all directions during the competition. This is to make sure there is nothing for competitors to trip or fall over. It also helps to keep competitors safe in the event of a misdirected vault attempt.

    Uniforms

    • Uniforms for pole vaulting are carefully regulated. Uniforms are required to be shorts and must fit tightly to the body. A sagging or loose uniform could get caught or twisted in the pole vaulting apparatus, resulting in injury to the competitors. A loose uniform also could negatively affect the aerodynamics of the competitor, resulting in a lower vault or an inability to cross over the pole. Some areas also require a helmet, such as one worn on a bicycle.

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