Any time there is a death of a young person it is tragic. Along with the Penn State death at the Big 10 Meet is the death of a young Pole Vaulter at Clewiston HS in Clewiston, Florida approx 1 1/2 weeks ago. Again to a head injury.
The vault is a very complex event. At the HS level, many programs only have one or two coaches to cover all the events. These coaches in most cases make less than $2,000.00 for coaching. In some cases less than $1,000.00! Many coaches either due to lack of knowledge, having large teams,etc. neglect the field events. Those who coach them win championships! What are some answers to help prevent these accidents in the future? 1. REQUIRE HELMETS! No helmet, no competition! 2. Increase the size of landing pits. If a school can't afford one, then they shouldn't contest the event at their school. 3. Pool our resources. If there is an accomplished vault coach in an area, send all vaulters to him or her for training at an outstanding facility. We can't prevent all accidents but we can do a better job of improving safety. Ken Brauman Seminole High School Sanford, Florida
