Byline: Ken Robison THE FRESNO BEE
Bob Fraley has the solution to safety concerns in pole vaulting: better coaching.
The Fresno State track and field coach, who is busy preparing for Friday's North American Pole Vault Association Championships in Old Town Clovis, is chairman of pole vault development in the United States and edits an international publication on the sport.
He also stages NAPVA events throughout the country, including the annual vaultfest that draws thousands of spectators to downtown Clovis every summer.
Fraley's son, Doug, won three NCAA championships. So the coach is acutely aware of the dangers of the high-flying sport, which has seen three deaths already this season. With landing pits being enlarged from 16 to 19 feet and the push for helmets to be worn, safety is a hot issue.
"We live in a culture where people enjoy sports that have a high risk," said Bob Fraley, noting the popularity of auto racing and the X-Games. "People are trying to learn to vault and ... athletes are progressing faster than the equipment necessary to protect them.
"But there is a shortage of coaches. Vaulting requires a progression of skills. You can't move an athlete along faster than he can handle [it].
"You load up a fiberglass pole and catapult into the air, it's something you have to do right. Guys are willing to take huge chances, and [a] pilot error can result in injuries."
More than 5,000 spectators are expected to watch the high-fliers on the streets of Clovis. The event is the final meet on the NAPVA circuit and also serves as a training tool for the U.S. Track & Field pole vault development program.
Among the vaulters present will be 2000 Olympic silver medalist Lawrence Johnson, 2000 Olympian Mel Mueller, Fresno State record holder Jim Davis, former UCLA All-American Scott Slover and last year's NAPVA Grand Prix winner Stephanie Maugham.
Maugham also leads this year's race, six points ahead of Steve Demming. That title likely will be decided Friday.
The annual event has become a popular summer attraction in Old Town with an an audience-friendly format that incorporates music, sport and the family appeal of the Clovis Farmer's Market.
Mueller stole the show last year with a vault of 15-13/4. It was the third-best vault ever by a female, and remains the third-best by an American.
That was Mueller's first time competing on the streets of Clovis, and she got into the spirit -- dressed in a pink-print halter top and cutoff jeans as a member of the "Flying Daisy Dukes."
Those outfits are part of Fraley's campaign to promote vaulting by blending sport and entertainment.
The crowd surrounds the pit on Pollasky Avenue, creating an intimate meeting of fan and athlete as vaulters soar in tune with songs such as "Play That Funky Music," "Born in the USA" and "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It."
"This is the best atmosphere you'll ever find in pole vaulting anywhere in the world," Slover said during last year's event. "The crowd is right there, just a few feet away. They want you to make the bar as much as you do."
The reporter can be reached at krobison@fresnobee.com or 441-6279.