Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Pole Vault a strong, steady pull, as the feet are approaching the level of the bar. · ~ . The next picture, No. 4, is of W. Droegmuller, U.S.A. He has now got the chest almost square to the pole, which is still close to his body. When this chest-to-the-pole position is reached, the arms complete their pull-up with all possible speed and snap. This action shoots the feet and hips well above the bar as the pole reaches the vertical position, but the body still continues to turn towards the pole ; in the case of a left-footed jumper the turn is to the left. In No. 5, C. McGinnes, U.S.A., shows the beginning of the push-up position, but his hands should be closer together. As the feet reach their highest elevation the turning movement of the body is completed by a kick back and up with the take-off leg and a kick down with the other leg. This action is even better illustrated in the picture of C. Harlemann, Sweden, in No. I, Plate 36. Note in the pictures of both McGinnes and Harlemann that although the legs have begun to descend on the far side of the bar the arms have not yet contributed their part of the vertical lift, or push up, which raises the upper part of the body over the bar. This full arm lift is well shown by Lee Barnes in No. 4, Plate 33 ; the even balance of the leg chop down, which accompanies the lift from the arms, is seen in o. 6, Plate 35. Pictures Nos. I, 2 and 3, Plate 33, show harles Hoff, the Norw gian, in three stages of his clearance action, and each was taken on an occasion when he broke a world's record. The style described is really a single action vault in which the vertical lift is made possible by the speed of the approach and the strength of the swing up. It has the great advantage that small boys can begin it as is se n in No. 3, late 34, in which a boy of ten is seen lifting himself over the bar at 7 ft. ot in. The double action style, as used by the world's record holder, Sabin W. Carr, U.S.A., I4 ft., is much more complicated, but is undoubtedly the very last word that has yet been said in vaulting form. In Carr's style the feet and legs are thrown