DOES GYMNASTIC ABILITY HELP IN POLE VAULTING?
The first generation of female pole vaulters used to be gymnasts, but they then outgrew the sport and tried pole vault. Most of them were too small and too slow, but now we’ve got a new generation coming through. They are the ones who have been pole vaulters or athletes and then they’ve learnt gymnastics to make them better. IS IT SCARY TO BE JUMPING SO HIGH UP? You will find that people who start pole vaulting get totally hooked. You get instantaneous feedback. If you’re successful, the bar stays up; if you don’t make the jump, it comes down. In the long jump or shot put you have to wait until it’s measured, or in the 100m or 1500m you have to wait for the time to come up. Pole vault and high jump are the only two track and field events where you get instant satisfaction on what you have achieved. Pole vaulting is an extreme sport and is an absolute adrenalin rush. HOW EASY IS IT TO START POLE VAULTING? A good age to start is 12 or 13 because you are beginning to develop the upper bod
