Pole Vaulter Dies from Head Injury
A Young College Vaulter Died During Training Exercises
Roach competed for UCSD and was performing a routine rope swing drill when he missed the mat (Orange County Register, September 6, 2009). He was officially declared brain dead on Saturday at Scripps La Jolla Hospital. His organs were then donated for transplantation.
Biomechanics of Pole Vault
The pole vault has long been considered a high risk event in track and field. Athletes generate momentum by running down a short track, transfer the energy from their momentum into a pole which projects the athlete up into the sky. The force of gravity gradually slows the upward movement of the athlete bringing the athlete to a stop. Gravity continues to act on the mass of the athlete gradually increasing the downward velocity until the athlete lands.
The danger in the sport is that the athlete’s mass is traveling at a high rate of velocity upon landing. The mass of the athlete times the height that the athlete reached will determine the force that the athlete will incur upon hitting the ground.
Because of the risk involved in this sport, protective padding is carefully placed under and around the landing area. However, the deaths that have occurred over the years in pole vault primarily have been caused by athletes missing the required protective padding and striking their heads on concrete or a hard surface.
Deaths from Pole Vault
Three high school/college athletes died within a three month period in 2002 from head injuries sustained during pole vault exercises with an average of one death per year between 1983 and 2000. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (based out of the University of North Carolina), the pole vault was labeled the most dangerous event of those sports researched (Associated Press, April 15, 2002).
Penn State vaulter, Kevin Dare, died after a fall during a Big Ten Conference track and field meet in 2002. Shortly after his son’s death, Ed Dare began campaigning for mandatory helmet use for all high school and college vaulters. However, his campaign was met with resistance from those who argued that helmets might increase the risk for other types of injuries.
Pole Vault Helmet Research Needed
Maybe it’s time to take another look at how pole vaulters are dying and support biomechanical research to determine if a helmet could prevent these types of deaths. Helmets have been custom designed for all kinds of different sports to reduce head injuries. There may be a helmet that can be designed that is lightweight and that can protect a vaulter’s head upon impact with a hard surface.
Because athletes are still sustaining catastrophic brain injuries from the pole vault, more research needs to be undertaken to determine if there are mores steps that can be taken to protect these athletes.
pole vaulter
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Health & Wellness
Latest Articles