Cheyenne
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Deseret News, Saturday, May 25, 2002
Vaulter plans to keep aiming high
But insurance glitch may foil competition
By Amy Donaldson
Deseret News sports writer
OREM - When Mountain View High School's Lisa Henderson decided to try pole vaulting, no one gave it a second thought - girls have been allowed to compete with the boys' teams for years.
But when she qualified for state competition, her success complicated things: Because insurance coverage doesn't cover Henderson at the state level, she may not be able to compete next year, officials say. Further complicating the matter is a discussion of the very safety of the sport - for anyone.
Despite little coaching, restrictions on her participation and competing against boys, Henderson is committed to pole vaulting and plans to continue.
"I love how it uses my entire body," she says.
The junior honor student's interest in pole vaulting was welcomed at the school level.
"I said, 'Fine,' " said Bruins head track coach Dave Houle. "As far as I'm concerned, girls can try anything. I had a sister, Faith, who played football."
But after Henderson finished third in region competition and 10th at the state meet, one of her coaches was told that she likely wouldn't be able to compete next year.
The Utah High School Activities Association cited insurance rules as the problem. In fact, she was only able to jump this year because officials were unaware of her participation.
"We didn't know she was in until she was done jumping," said Dave Wilkey, assistant director of the UHSAA. "We're not firm on where this will end up. Pole vaulting is not a sanctioned sport for girls, and our catastrophic insurance only covers sanctioned sports."
The UHSAA hasn't faced this issue before because no girls had made it to the state tournament in pole vaulting - until Henderson qualified.
"It's never happened before," Wilkey said. "We made a ruling several years ago that girls could participate on the school, region levels as exhibition. . . . I just don't know that it's ever been an issue."
Girls were allowed to pole vault at the lower levels because insurance at region meets is covered by the state's Risk Management Office for individual athletes. The UHSAA insurance only covers state meets and tournaments.
Title IX allows girls to participate in a sport with boys under the
insurance rules if there is no equivalent sport for girls, as in football and wrestling. But in the case of pole vaulting, there is technically a women's pole vault - it's just not sanctioned by the UHSAA because there aren't enough girls involved.
"There just haven't been enough girls involved to add it as an event," Wilkey said. "The clay is so wet here, we just don't know how things will end."
Wilkey said the issue hasn't been discussed by the UHSAA's board and won't be until their June meeting. Complicating the issue further is the sentiment that pole vaulting is just too dangerous for both boys and girls. Only 13 states still allow high school students to pole vault, and Utah is one of them.
Several years ago there was a motion made by the board to do away with both pole vault and javelin. Several track coaches made changes that convinced the board of the events' safety, and the board agreed to keep both.
"There is great sentiment nationally, and great concern locally, that there are too many safety issues with this sport," Wilkey said. Those concerns were legitimized when a St. George coach died after falling while demonstrating the pole vault to several athletes last year.
He said two regions, one in 3A and one in 5A, are considering dropping these events.
"So the question is whether we want (pole vault) to grow," he said of adding women's pole vault as a sanctioned sport.
Regardless of what the board decides, Henderson said she'll keep jumping.
"I'm not worried about it, because I can do it in college," said Henderson, also a starter for the Bruins' state champion soccer team. "I would like to train year round. Pole vaulting is like a breath of fresh air. I'll keep practicing no matter what."
Henderson's best jump in an official meet is 9-6, which is up from last season, when her top jump was 7-6. She has cleared even higher jumps in practice. The highest vault among boys at the state meet was 13-0. In Class 1A, the sixth- through eighth-place vaults were at or below Henderson's best.
Houle believes she has real talent and has offered to help her find training facilities.
"The key is athleticism," he said. "And she's got it. She was just a natural at it."
Her mother said she doesn't really understand the issue but hopes her daughter is allowed to compete her senior year.
"I would be somewhat upset," Joyce Henderson said. "I guess I don't understand the rationale. Why is it more dangerous for girls than it is for boys?"
Wilkey said the fact that the sport doesn't attract enough girls to make it a sanctioned sport is the real problem. The state has a rule that if 50 percent of the schools can field a team in a certain sport, then it will be considered by the board for sanctioning. Sports like rodeo and hockey are among those sports still hoping to be accepted by UHSAA.
"Just because there's 50 percent participation doesn't mean it's in," Wilkey said. "Just that it's considered. Our board has sort of been in a no-growth mode. We're having difficulty maintaining the sports we sanction now."
Both mother and daughter would be satisfied even if she's only allowed to participate at the region level. Joyce Henderson just doesn't want to see the state take away her daughter's opportunity to learn the sport, because the one thing about all this that has surprised her is how much Lisa loves it.
"We'll wait and see what happens next year," Joyce Henderson said of her youngest child, who has always been up for new challenges. "I don't know if it's toughness, self-confidence or adventurousness, but she's just not afraid to try."
Vaulter plans to keep aiming high
But insurance glitch may foil competition
By Amy Donaldson
Deseret News sports writer
OREM - When Mountain View High School's Lisa Henderson decided to try pole vaulting, no one gave it a second thought - girls have been allowed to compete with the boys' teams for years.
But when she qualified for state competition, her success complicated things: Because insurance coverage doesn't cover Henderson at the state level, she may not be able to compete next year, officials say. Further complicating the matter is a discussion of the very safety of the sport - for anyone.
Despite little coaching, restrictions on her participation and competing against boys, Henderson is committed to pole vaulting and plans to continue.
"I love how it uses my entire body," she says.
The junior honor student's interest in pole vaulting was welcomed at the school level.
"I said, 'Fine,' " said Bruins head track coach Dave Houle. "As far as I'm concerned, girls can try anything. I had a sister, Faith, who played football."
But after Henderson finished third in region competition and 10th at the state meet, one of her coaches was told that she likely wouldn't be able to compete next year.
The Utah High School Activities Association cited insurance rules as the problem. In fact, she was only able to jump this year because officials were unaware of her participation.
"We didn't know she was in until she was done jumping," said Dave Wilkey, assistant director of the UHSAA. "We're not firm on where this will end up. Pole vaulting is not a sanctioned sport for girls, and our catastrophic insurance only covers sanctioned sports."
The UHSAA hasn't faced this issue before because no girls had made it to the state tournament in pole vaulting - until Henderson qualified.
"It's never happened before," Wilkey said. "We made a ruling several years ago that girls could participate on the school, region levels as exhibition. . . . I just don't know that it's ever been an issue."
Girls were allowed to pole vault at the lower levels because insurance at region meets is covered by the state's Risk Management Office for individual athletes. The UHSAA insurance only covers state meets and tournaments.
Title IX allows girls to participate in a sport with boys under the
insurance rules if there is no equivalent sport for girls, as in football and wrestling. But in the case of pole vaulting, there is technically a women's pole vault - it's just not sanctioned by the UHSAA because there aren't enough girls involved.
"There just haven't been enough girls involved to add it as an event," Wilkey said. "The clay is so wet here, we just don't know how things will end."
Wilkey said the issue hasn't been discussed by the UHSAA's board and won't be until their June meeting. Complicating the issue further is the sentiment that pole vaulting is just too dangerous for both boys and girls. Only 13 states still allow high school students to pole vault, and Utah is one of them.
Several years ago there was a motion made by the board to do away with both pole vault and javelin. Several track coaches made changes that convinced the board of the events' safety, and the board agreed to keep both.
"There is great sentiment nationally, and great concern locally, that there are too many safety issues with this sport," Wilkey said. Those concerns were legitimized when a St. George coach died after falling while demonstrating the pole vault to several athletes last year.
He said two regions, one in 3A and one in 5A, are considering dropping these events.
"So the question is whether we want (pole vault) to grow," he said of adding women's pole vault as a sanctioned sport.
Regardless of what the board decides, Henderson said she'll keep jumping.
"I'm not worried about it, because I can do it in college," said Henderson, also a starter for the Bruins' state champion soccer team. "I would like to train year round. Pole vaulting is like a breath of fresh air. I'll keep practicing no matter what."
Henderson's best jump in an official meet is 9-6, which is up from last season, when her top jump was 7-6. She has cleared even higher jumps in practice. The highest vault among boys at the state meet was 13-0. In Class 1A, the sixth- through eighth-place vaults were at or below Henderson's best.
Houle believes she has real talent and has offered to help her find training facilities.
"The key is athleticism," he said. "And she's got it. She was just a natural at it."
Her mother said she doesn't really understand the issue but hopes her daughter is allowed to compete her senior year.
"I would be somewhat upset," Joyce Henderson said. "I guess I don't understand the rationale. Why is it more dangerous for girls than it is for boys?"
Wilkey said the fact that the sport doesn't attract enough girls to make it a sanctioned sport is the real problem. The state has a rule that if 50 percent of the schools can field a team in a certain sport, then it will be considered by the board for sanctioning. Sports like rodeo and hockey are among those sports still hoping to be accepted by UHSAA.
"Just because there's 50 percent participation doesn't mean it's in," Wilkey said. "Just that it's considered. Our board has sort of been in a no-growth mode. We're having difficulty maintaining the sports we sanction now."
Both mother and daughter would be satisfied even if she's only allowed to participate at the region level. Joyce Henderson just doesn't want to see the state take away her daughter's opportunity to learn the sport, because the one thing about all this that has surprised her is how much Lisa loves it.
"We'll wait and see what happens next year," Joyce Henderson said of her youngest child, who has always been up for new challenges. "I don't know if it's toughness, self-confidence or adventurousness, but she's just not afraid to try."
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