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Narrator: TODAY'S POLES
ARE INCREDIBLY LIGHTWEIGHT,
YET STRONG ENOUGH
TO ABSORB THE VAULTER'S ENERGY,
THEN THROW IT BACK
TO PROPEL HIM OVER THE BAR.
SOME POLES
ARE MADE OF CARBON FIBER,
OTHERS OUT OF THIS MATERIAL --
RESIN-IMPREGNATED FIBERGLASS.
THE FIRST STEP
IS TO SPREAD OUT THE MATERIAL
AND CUT OUT THE POLE PATTERN.
MEANWHILE, A SLITTER MACHINE
CUTS THE SAME MATERIAL
INTO STRIPS OF A SPECIFIC WIDTH.
THEN IT WINDS EACH STRIP
INTO ITS OWN ROLL.
THIS SPIRAL-WRAP MACHINE
AUTOMATICALLY UNRAVELS THE STRIP
AND WRAPS IT AROUND A HOLLOW
STEEL TUBE CALLED A MANDREL.
THIS FIRST LAYER OF FIBERGLASS
GIVES THE POLE ITS FLEXIBILITY.
THEY WRAP A SECOND LAYER
IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
FOR THE NEXT LAYERS,
THEY REMOVE THE MANDREL
AND LAY IT ON A TABLE.
NOW IT'S TIME
FOR THOSE FIBERGLASS PATTERNS
THEY CUT EARLIER.
THEY HEAT THE EDGE
OF THE FIRST ONE WITH AN IRON,
MELTING THE RESIN IN
THE FIBERGLASS UNTIL IT'S TACKY.
THEY STICK THIS EDGE
TO THE MANDREL,
THEN SLIDE THE OTHER END
BETWEEN HEATED ROLLERS.
THE ROLLERS WRAP THE REST OF
THE MATERIAL AROUND THE MANDREL,
THE HEAT ACTIVATING THE RESIN
IN THE PROCESS.
THE MANDREL AND
ITS MULTILAYER FIBERGLASS COAT
NOW GO INTO AN OVEN.
THE HEAT, GENERATED BY STEAM,
STARTS AT
175 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THIS LIQUEFIES THE RESIN SO THAT
IT RE-SATURATES THE FIBERGLASS.
THEN THE TEMPERATURE GRADUALLY
RISES TO NEARLY 300 DEGREES,
SOLIDIFYING THE RESIN AGAIN,
CURING IT.
AND WHEN IT FINISHES,
A POLE EXTRACTOR
SLIDES THE MANDREL OUT
OF WHAT'S NOW A FIBERGLASS POLE.
THE POLE
MOVES ONTO A FLEX MACHINE.
IN PART, THIS IS A STRESS TEST.
IF THERE'S ANY TYPE OF DEFECT,
THE POLE WILL CRACK OR BREAK.
BUT THE FLEXOR
ALSO PERMANENTLY PUTS A SPECIFIC
DEGREE OF CURVE IN THE POLE,
WHICH HELPS THE ATHLETE
VAULT HIGHER.
NOW THEY MAKE WHAT'S CALLED
THE SOFT-SIDE MARK.
THIS HELPS THE POLE VAULTER
LOCATE THE BEND,
IN ORDER TO KNOW
WHERE TO GRIP THE POLE.
NEXT, THEY APPLY
A MAXIMUM-WEIGHT LABEL,
INDICATING HOW HEAVY
THE VAULTER CAN BE.
TO FINISH THE SURFACE NOW,
THEY MOUNT THE POLE
ON A SPINDLE,
THEN RUN A POLISHING PAD
OVER IT.
THEN, USING A SOLVENT,
THEY CLEAN OFF THE DEBRIS.
NOW THAT THE SURFACE
IS PRISTINE,
THEY WRAP IT
IN THIN, LIGHTWEIGHT TAPE.
DIFFERENT-COLORED TAPES
DESIGNATE DIFFERENT POLE STYLES.
THEY CAP THE TOP OF THE POLE
WITH PLASTIC,
THEN, AT THE BOTTOM,
MALLET ON A MOLDED TIP
MADE OF HARD RUBBER.
THE FINISHING TOUCH
IS THE MANUFACTURER'S DECAL.
VAULTING POLES COME IN VARIOUS
LENGTHS, BETWEEN 10 AND 16 FEET.
A POLE DESIGNED
FOR A HEAVIER VAULTER
HAS TO BE STIFFER THAN ONE
DESIGNED FOR A LIGHTER VAULTER
BECAUSE THE POLE
HAS TO PROPEL MORE WEIGHT
WITH THE SAME DEGREE OF BENDING.
