Posted by ESSX on June 03, 2001 at 12:29:50:
POLE EVOLUTION
A fiberglass engineer, Mr. Herb Jenks working for Browning Arms where they were working on fiberglass tubes for Bows and arrows. Developed a stout and lightweight alternative to the steel pole. As vaulters used it he found he needed to build them up stronger to keep them from bending until he was told bending was good. His first innovation was small tapered grip area and then variable weights on poles.
Browning was the first vaulting pole under the SKY-POLE Label Kind of a Natural Yellow Green pole that evolved into a Chocolate Brown Pole SKY-POLE Herb trained Dan Hiedorn of Sky Pole who is still in the business in Costa Mesa. (Talked with him last week). Dan trained Paul Richards now of Altius. Herb, I believe but not sure also trained Steve Chappell at AMF-Voit who is the developer of the SPIRIT pole.
Herb Jenks left SKY-Pole/Browning in about 1968 and worked for Dura-Fiber in Carson City Nevada where he founded Catapole a Black pole with a greater taper than was used on Sky poles. In 1972 the pole companies started using “S’ Glass a stronger more versatile glass. Sky-Pole adopted the color Blue and Catapole chose Green. Herb Jenks in 1975 or 1976 went to work for AMF VOIT and developed the PACER III Bob Seagran signature pole. A clear pole wrapped in White tape. He at that time developed a patent on a way to increase the hoop wrap on the pole, which aided in faster and more economical manufacturing. The Pioneer of Fiberglass vaulting Poles Mr. Herb Jenks passed away in I believe 1977.
SKY-Pole was sold to Paul Richards and his investor group where he made poles for many World record holders and a private labeled a pole called FiberSport (Blue and Yellow Pole) for Bruce Caldwell; This pole got the 1980 Olympic Gold in Moscow with two World Records.
CATAPOLE went to Ampro Corp. the owners of PORTaPIT in Anaheim Ca. and developed the YELLOW Catapole. They too had many World records.
In the first years of the 80’s Sky-Pole was sold to Harry Gill in Urbana Ill and changed colors to MEAN Green taped clear poles. Catapole equipment went to KC-Fiber and the Teal colored ACCELERATOR Pole that was marketed by a Mr. Dan West formerly from KC Fiber and now with Harry Gill Co. In about 1987-88 Harry Gill bought the PACER pole from AMF Voit and the workers for PACER started their own pole through Nevada Plastics Corp. called SPIRIT, distributed by UCS. Paul Richards after working for Gill for a few years on Sky-Pole went back to develop his new pole ALTIUS (a Baby Blue pole) with his new equipment in about 1987 and helped to develop the red taped pole Maxima 4 for Bruce Caldwell at FiberSport. Inc. In 1990, FiberSport Inc., was sold to SSG of Dallas and Bruce Caldwell managed the PORTaPIT Track division 1990 to 1997. The old Catapole equipment went to Utah a company called ICE/Power-x and the YELLOW CATAPOLE were made for the revived PORTaPIT at SSG for Bruce Caldwell 1994-1996.
CATAPOLE’S taped white are still being sold through PORTaPIT managed by Gordon Kluckert and I am not privy to who is making them for them!
PArt of the original CATAPOLE equipment has been upgraded and now belongs to ESSXsport Corp. for a White wrapped pole red label ESSX a signature pole by Earl Bell. Earl Bell and Bruce Caldwell are designing these poles. Earl also designs the poles for his Olympian and American Records vaulters. These poles are made by Harry Gill.
ESSX has the development of it's 10'8" through 15' completed. For longer poles, the development is still under wraps for something different.
In 1988 (date might be wrong), Harry Gill under the management of John Merritt (Skip) Gill developed the Carbon PACER. John Merrit would be the second pioneer of the evolution of vaulting Pole. This has been the last change in technology to date on pole-vaulting pole structure development so far! (smile)
SPIRIT/UCS Holds the most Worlds records with the help of Bubka's record surge.
NORDIC Poles are made in Sweden the equipment was manufactured by Dan Hiedorn of the original Sky-Pole factory in Coast a Mesa Ca.
Other vaulting poles have been made over the years. But none of these poles have been seeded , inherited or touched by the influence of Mr. Herb Jenks the inventor of the first Fiberglass pole!
LERC an Orange pole out of France
BANTEX a pole from England
LANCERT a pole from Germany
WONDER POLE a USA pole made by Shakespeare Inc. North Carolina
THERMO FLEX a USA pole made in Salina Kansas
MAXIMA HS a USA Pole made by FiberSport Inc. of Kansas City Missouri.
DYNA POLE A USA Company in Spencer Iowa Bought by FiberSport Inc.
Pultruded Training Poles invented by Bruce Caldwell of Kansas City, Missouri
Anyone have anything to add to this history?????????
Enjoy Bruce Caldwell
ESSXsport Corp.
Now in Dallas Texas