INDIANAPOLIS, IN (June 20, 2002) - In line with one of the most important goals of all National Federation of State High School Associations rules committees, the NFHS Track and Field Rules Committee focused its efforts on minimizing risk in the pole vaulting competition at its annual meeting on June 10-11 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The most important change is in Rule 7-4-8, which increases the size of the pit. The landing pad, measured beyond the vertical plane of the planting box, should be a minimum of 19-feet-8 wide by 16-5 feet deep, and should be made of material that the pad is made up of two or more sections, the landing surface must be covered with a common pad that will extend over all sections. This minimizes the risk of the seams becoming hazardous to the vaulters. This minimizes the risk of the seams becoming hazardous to the vaulters. This change in the landing pad dimension is effective immediately, which would include the 2002-03 indoor season and 2003 outdoor season.
"If a vault is performed correctly, the size of the pad now is efficient, but by increasing the size of the pad, we've allowed more room for error," said Cynthia Doyle, Assistant Director of the NFHS and liaison to the NFHS Track and Field Rules Committee.
The increased pad size is consistent with the American Society for Testing and Measurements' (ASTM) recommendation.
Due to the increase of the pad size, Rule 7-4-11 was affected. It states that the upright standards that support the crossbar should be no less than 13-8 or more than 14-8 feet apart, and that the standards must include pins or holes for them to support the crossbar. Rule 4-7-12 standardizes the crossbar, stating that the non-metal crossbar shall be 14-10 feet in length, of uniform thickness, and shall have a weight of not more than 5 pounds.