What to Consider Before Purchasing Pole Vaulting Poles

By Jake Winder, founder of RISE Pole Vault.

If you don't know by now, pole vaulting is a slightly expensive sport. Pole prices have climbed hard in recent years, with some poles now running over $1,000 each, plus $150 to $200 in shipping. Although it's expensive, we love to pole vault, and poles bring us value and joy in the end. But at that price point, you want the money well spent. The short version of this article: for most individuals, renting beats buying; purchasing only really makes sense when a high school or college is committed to building out a full pole series over many years; and if you do buy, consistency of brand, model, and era is king.

Now the nitty gritty.

Before anything else: should you just rent?

This post is about purchasing poles, but you may want to bypass the hassle and risk entirely and rent from a local gym or club. A lot of pole vaulting gyms and clubs offer very cost-effective rental services, and some offer unlimited free exchanges, meaning if a rented pole doesn't work, you bring it back and swap it for one that will (RISE offers this... hint hint, wink wink). That's a hard deal to beat: with a vast rental selection behind them, a renting vaulter has a very good shot at having the right pole in their hands whenever they need it. Some gyms even include pole checkout free with membership.

Renting is genuinely economical. At RISE, a single pole rental subscription is $65 a month. That's cheaper than renting a pair of skis for a day. And it keeps vaulters (and their parents) happy, because with free exchanges they can always be on the proper pole.

If renting is such a good deal, why buy at all? Honest answer: you probably should just rent.

Let's get one thing out of the way first. If you're a coach looking to purchase one or two poles just to get the vaulters (and their parents) off your back, don't do it. They will always be back for more... and then more... and then more... they will never go away. Kidding, mostly. But seriously: throwing $1,000 at a couple of poles serves you for a very, very short term, and in a couple of weeks those same vaulters will be telling you they need two more and the ones you just bought are now useless. If you're not committing to a purchasing plan for a full series, just rent.

And for individuals buying poles for their own career: renting almost always makes more sense. Buy your own and you'll retire with thousands of dollars of outdated poles, begging people to take them for far less than you paid. (On second thought, I guess you could start a rental business with them, right?)

When purchasing actually makes sense

The one situation where buying really adds up: you're a high school or college committed to building a pole series for the long haul.

If you coach elementary or junior high, most of your athletes are beginners who will be straight-poling, and a wide variety of poles isn't needed. Buy a few general poles for the majority to straight-pole on, and rent for the random high flier who comes through.

If you are that committed high school or college program, ask yourself two things before investing.

First: what's the real commitment to the vault program? Yours, and your head coach's. If you're the head coach, how confident are you that your vault coach sticks around for the decade or two it takes to complete the series and let the investment pay off? And if they leave, how confident are you in finding another qualified vault coach who'll buy into the series and teach on it? Ask these questions before the big check gets written.

Second: what's the initial investment, and what's the purchasing plan after it? For the poles to genuinely benefit your athletes, you want a larger initial buy followed by strategic purchases in later years as funding allows. A lot of ten or so poles is a strong start. Build that first purchase around the athletes you have right now, then fill gaps in subsequent years around the athletes you have then.

Say you've got a mix of boys and girls of average skill. A wide-ranging starter series might look like this (prices are MSRP ranges):

| Pole | Price range |
| --- | --- |
| 12' 120 | $470 to $560 |
| 12' 130 | $470 to $560 |
| 12' 140 | $470 to $560 |
| 12'6" 130 | $485 to $590 |
| 12'6" 140 | $485 to $590 |
| 12'6" 150 | $485 to $590 |
| 13' 140 | $530 to $730 |
| 13' 150 | $530 to $730 |
| 13' 160 | $530 to $730 |
| 13'6" 150 | $552 to $788 |

That's a total guess at your situation, but a starter series like this runs about $5,500 to $6,400 depending on the company, plus roughly $200 shipping (though most companies let you pick up poles if you're close enough). You can also inquire with RISE Pole Vault about purchasing high-quality poles at a discounted rate.

After the initial investment, start filling in the five-pound gaps: a 12' 125, a 12' 135, and so on, always around the vaulters you're currently serving. If possible, request medium flex poles so transitions stay smooth. And here's the cool thing: rental services are there to support your vaulters' growth the whole time you're building, because filling out a series realistically takes a decade on most school budgets. If a kid needs a specific pole for a breakthrough or a big meet before you own it, bridge that gap with a rental.

Don't buy strange poles

Sometimes an athlete needs a genuinely odd pole, like a 12' 170 or a 15' 200. Poles like that will rarely be used by anyone else and are poor investments for a series built to serve future vaulters. Push the cost of strange poles onto a rental service instead of derailing your purchasing plan. Many rental services will even buy a pole specifically for you to rent, but be aware it may not be in inventory, and odd poles often have to be made by the manufacturer. Turnaround isn't quick. Which is to say: don't request that pole the day before the state meet.

The full picture

A completely filled-out series eventually lands somewhere between 40 and 50 poles and costs around $25,000, and you'll also be replacing damaged poles, broken poles, and poles that age out along the way. That's a good chunk of change. I recommend bringing this plan to your AD when they're in a good mood. (And if it suddenly doesn't seem as appealing, the RISE pole rental page will be right there waiting.)

Choosing the company you buy from

Still committed? These tips will save you heartache.

Buy for consistency. Purchase from a company with a long history of making poles whose product is consistent pole to pole. The best way to build a series is the same brand and the same model, so transitions from one pole to the next are smooth. I'm sure you or one of your athletes has vaulted on a hodgepodge of brands and models at some point, and it probably didn't go great. Don't get me wrong: poles don't make pole vaulters work, pole vaulters make poles work, and a good vaulter can adapt to almost anything. But there are real differences between brands, between models within brands, and even between the same model made in different eras when companies change their formulas. If you want the path of least resistance, buy the same brand, same model, and same era, and call the company to match new purchases to the poles you already own.

Assess the company's longevity. You're dropping serious coin, and well-cared-for poles from a quality manufacturer will serve your kids for many years. You need to know that year after year you can add matching poles and replace broken ones. The nightmare is spending an initial $10,000 and then watching the company fold, forcing you into a different brand and the very hodgepodge series you were trying to avoid.

Ask about their model plans. If the company intends to discontinue your model or change its formula, the hodgepodge problem sneaks back in through the front door.

How do you figure all this out? Just call them and ask. When RISE made a big investment in a series of Essx poles, I called Essx first and flat out asked: "Do you see me being able to purchase this same model pole in ten years? Is this company healthy enough to be around for the long haul?" They said yes. Boom, that's all I needed.

Go get your cannons

So there you have it. Hopefully you're funded and ready to purchase a brand spanking new set of cannons to shoot your vaulters to the moon. I've purchased hundreds if not thousands of poles, and I still stress over every single order, so if you're stressed about this investment, you're in good company. Take it one step at a time. If you're disciplined and committed to the plan, you'll build a series that serves your current and future athletes for years.

And if you're stuck with the dreaded hodgepodge series, remember: good coaching overcomes a lot of pole-selection problems, because pole vaulters make poles work, not the other way around. And if purchasing doesn't make sense for your situation, there have never been more gyms and clubs offering useful, economical pole rental services to keep your vaulters on the right pole.

Questions this article didn't answer? Reach out anytime at support@risepolevault.com.