Pole Vault History - FIRSTHAND FACTS!
In the 1940s, Virgil Jackson coached various sports at Tulare High School (Tulare, California). In 1948, near the end of the school year, Coach Jackson persuaded one of his young athletes, Robert Bruce Mathias, to give the decathlon a try. Keep in mind that Bob was only 17 years of age and had never touched a javelin nor had he ever pole vaulted. On top of that, Bob had previous experience in only FOUR of the ten "decathlon" events. Yet, within weeks, super teenager Bob Mathias proceeded to win the decathlon gold medal at the 1948 Olympics in London, England. These are facts that have never been achieved by any athlete since then and will very likely never be duplicated in the future. Virgil Jackson is one of the most accomplished track and field coaches in documented history.
Remarkably, besides Virgil Jackson's extraordinary coaching accomplishments, he was also the TRUE innovator of the FIBERGLASS vaulting pole: "the most significant improvement in track and field equipment since the starting block and the rubber discus." (Maxwell Stiles, Los Angeles Mirror, 1949 Dec)
FLEXING POLES CORRECTLY TO VAULT SAFER, HIGHER & PROPERLY, DOES NOT REQUIRE "SPEED"!!!
