MSHL rule concerning mfg scribing

[Dan]

Question- Just recieved a 15' 165 (Pacer) and it has no mfg engraving on it. MSHL rule states (verbatim off the website) "The engraved manufacturer?s weight marking on a pole must be present for a pole to be legal." Ok- I went to Gill Athletics website and they say that all Pacers after 2003 have the s/n and a barcode imbedded on a tag in the pole (My pole has that). Has anyone had any legality issues with any meet officials concerning the newer Pacer poles?

Dan

[Steve]

Dan
The embedded barcode is plenty good and this should not be a problem.

There are two things to have in yout bag at the meet if you are paranoid (like me)
--First is a catalog.  This clearly shows the barcode (serial number) and how it corresponds to the weight/length
--Second is the phone number for Gill (probably on the catalog).  In the event that an official errors on this, and does not accept the barcode, call Gill from the meet.  Ask for Brian or Karl.  They can and will look up the pole and certify it to the official over the phone.  Then they will take down the official's information and turn them in for not knowing and following the rules properly.  

To my knowledge, this second option happened last year once in MN.  The pole was certified OK in 60 seconds and the MSHSL was informed of the official and the official's error.

As the volume of Gill poles increases, the issue will end just based on consensus.  From a structural stand point, we should all question the intelligence of carving into the poles...ever.  Hopefully the engraving practice goes away.

[Dan]

Steve- Thanks, I will have my cell phone with me if a "situation" arises.

Jamie- Thanks- good info and I can rest easier. Good luck to your vaulters Friday as well- I enjoyed watching them at the Hamline Elite earlier this year.

Dan

[Dan]

To follow up on the whole issue with engraving attached below is also a note I received from Bryan Carrel at Gil- This would be a be a good thing to have a copy to carry with you at the big meets in case there is any confusion. Thanks again to Steve and Jamie. Here is the attachment-

No NATIONAL rule has ever REQUIRED that any pole be engraved. The national federation has not allowed the coach to mark the pole for a few years. Looking at the "post date" of the rule quoted you may want to update the site as there have been many rule changes in the past 3 years.

The NEW weight band being used by Gill Athletics meets all of the NFHS requirements. We have made these changes to better allow an official to verify the weight rating is truly the one that belongs on that pole. All of the information is on a single sticker. On the new yellow label the pole serial #, length, model # and weight rating are present. On new poles it allows an official to compare the serial # under the glass (located within the top 24" of the handle end of the pole) to the serial # on the sticker. If those two #'s do not match the pole should NOT be considered legal. On older poles (prior to the serial #) that same label may be present. In this case the MODEL # will be the indicator of the proper label being on the pole. In short the old labels were too easily cheated and in house putting two separate labels on allowed for the possibility of a brand new pole being mislabeled.

For the athlete the new label also allows the most usable grip height of any manufacture. No more buying a 14 foot pole that can only be held at a 13'6" maximum grip. The new label only takes up the top 1.5 inches of the pole.

From the 2007 NFHS rule book

Pg 56 rule 7-5 art.3

"THE MANUFACTURERS MUST INCLUDE ON EACH POLE: THE POLE RATING THAT SHALL BE A MINIMUM OF 3/4 INCH IN A CONTRASTING COLOR LOCATED WITHIN OR ABOVE THE TOP HANDHOLD POSITION; A 1-INCH CIRCULAR BAND INDICATING THE MAXIMUM TOP HANDHOLD POSITION WITH THE POSITION BEING DETERMINED BY THE MANUFACTURER"

The main question raised in the change was if the band had to have words that said "this is the max grip band". As you can see by the rule that is not required, the band is the indicator and several other manufactures have labels that do not have any words on their sticker. We obtained approval from the NFHS before putting the new sticker into use.

I hope all of this helps. And do not hesitate to ask any questions that I may not have covered.


Bryan Carrel
Tech Sales Rep
Gill Athletics
2808 Gemini Court
Champaign IL 61822
800 637 3090
F 217 367 8440