You’re ALIVE!!!!

Now Hear This – all you “old dogs”.  I’ve got a “new trick”, one that I absolutely stole from BJ Duckworth, the Track and Field Director of Officiating Development for the Ohio High School Athletic Association.  This “new trick” is about an old subject in running the pole vault (or High Jump) – Five Alive. (The NCAA has abandoned Five Alive – and I think USATF and the IAAF have too).

For many officials and coaches who run pole vault or high jump, the words “Five Alive” fills them with dread.  So let’s break down what it is, why it is, and this “KISS” (keep it simple, stupid) process that BJ Duckworth demonstrated.  I tried it out last week at the Stingel Invitational at Pickerington North, and, I can assure you, it’s better than my process ever was.

So what’s Five Alive?  When you have a lot of athletes competing at the same height in high jump or pole vault, the “five alive” system lets them do their jumps without an extended wait time between each attempt, but with enough wait time to recover and adjust from the last attempt.  So if sixteen vaulters (at the Stingel) are entered and vaulting at the starting height, and the first vaulter misses, he doesn’t have to fifteen jumps (fifteen minutes) to take his next attempt.  There’s a “rotating flight” of five vaulters – “alive” in the competition.  When one goes over (or out) the next is added until the height is completed.

There’s lots of ways to do it (and lots of ways to screw it up).  My old method was to put a “dot” on the first attempt square on the sheet for the fifth person, and then move the “dot” down the page.  But it was easy to miss, and difficult to keep the order of five vaults between attempts in line.  BJ showed his method in an online “officials’ meeting”.  It’s a “paint-by-numbers” process, and with a little focus, it works out well.

Check out below – that’s my results sheet from opening height of the Stingel Invitational.  Here’s the narrative.

So the first five were easy (but sad for them, of course).  They all took three attempts at the opening height, and they all went out.  As 1 took his third attempt, I erased his number and moved it to the next available vaulter on the board.  As 2 took his third, I did the same (and 3 and 4 and 5).  

That set up my second “flight” of five, who all missed their first attempts.  We went to the second vaults, and, finally, Matt Keaton cleared (the crowd cheered!).  He was a 4, so I erased his 4 and moved it to the next available vaulter (Della Rocco).  The next vaulter, Calvert cleared, so I erased his 5 and moved it to the next available vaulter, Hirschler.  

Third attempts  – Kulina missed (1 to Martin), Sommer cleared (2 to Krutsch), and Dean missed ( 3 to Johnston).  Now – ignore the “board order” and follow the number order.  Della Rocco is next up, followed by Hirschler, both for their first attempts.   Della Rocco clears, so his 4 goes to Rhodes – the last vaulter at the height.

Then just vault the “numbers” out – as it turns out – Hirschler takes the last jump at the height.

To be honest – it’s easier to “do” than it is to explain.  I make sure my “meet sheets” have a place to write those numbers – and erase.  I need them for the next height as well  According to Ohio (state qualifying tournament) standards, if there are nine or more at a height – you “do” Five Alive.  And (again according to OHSAA), once you start Five Alive at a height, you maintain it through that height – there’s no “abandoning” in the middle.  The Tournament Rule is simple – 8 or less – straight order, 9 or more – Five Alive!!!

So here’s my entry sheet for the Stingel.

Name/School    Ent Ht  Five  Att 1 Att 2 Att 3

Zion Henson – Chillicothe	0	1	X	X	X
James Russell – Pick Central	0		–	–	–	–	–	–
Coretni Owens – Wayne	0	2	X	X	X
Josh Naess – Bloom Carroll	0	3	X	X	X
Dominic Knapp – Bloom Carroll	0	4	X	X	X
Casey Carlos – West North	8.6	5	X	X	X
Simon Kulina – T Worthington	9	1	X	X	X
Ty Sommer- Pick Central	10	2	X	X	O
Lukas Dean – Centerville	10	3	X	X	X
Matthew Keaton – West North	10	4	X	O	–
Tyler Calvert – Marysville	10.6	5	X	O	–
Tyler Della Rocco – Olen Orange	10.6	4	O	–	–
Caleb Hirschler – Chillicothe	10.6	5	X	X	X
David Martin – Watkins	11	1	O	–	–
Wyatt Krutsch – Lancaster	11.6	2	X	O
Will Jackson – Olen Orange	12		–	–	–
Aidan Johnston – Watkins	12	3	O	–	–
Benjamin Rhodes -Worthington	12.6	4	X	O
Noah Stowell – Marysville	12.8		–	–	–
Bas Fahrer- Lancaster	13		–	–	–
Hunter Long – Canal Winchester	13.6		–	–	–
Peter Zhong – Pick North	13.6		–	–	–
Julian Amabile – Canal Winches	13.6		–	–	–
Ethan Ireland – Centerville	14.6		–	–	–
Panashe Chavi – Pick North	14.6		–	–	–
Eric Pugh – Wayne	14.8		–	–	–