History Of Pole Vaulting

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If you have ever had the opportunity to watch a person pole-vault, you know that it is close to impossible to keep you jaw from dropping to the ground followed by a long drown out “WOW!” Pole-vaulting is an incredible sport to watch, and participate in. Whether you’re an athlete or a spectator, this independent sport always brings you to the edge of your seat, or butterfly’s in your stomach. What’s even more amazing to think about is where the sport of a flying person came from, why it was used, what makes it possible, and even more thrilling, the steps the sport has come to get where it is today.
Similar to many sports, pole-vaulting originated by necessity rather than recreation or sport. The ancient Greeks and Cretans knew pole-vaulting as a way to vault over bulls. This acquired technique was also used for short fences and walls. There is also evidence for a type of jump similar to pole-vaulting that gives the appearance of a young man leaping over horses with help from a pole. A Panathenaic amphora also shows athletes performing other exercises over horses in front of an audience. “The fact that the scene is depicted on a Panathenaic amphora lends support to the hypothesis for, as we know, they always had representations of the event for which they were offered a prize” (Yalouris, 1979, P.123). The Celts also used a form of pole-vaulting but for length rather than height.
Around 1791 a pole-vault stand existed at Schnepfenthal School in Germany. It was introduced by the schools gymnastic teacher, Christian Carl Andre, who became an early record holder of 8.99 feet. This set the stage for the sport at a vertical jump rather than a horizontal jump. It wasn’t until 1850 however when the first competition of “running pole leaping” took place. These heavy ash rigid poles were used for the athletes to climb and over hand once they jumped and the pole was in place. The Americans would come to ban this...