# What's to stop someone going over a high jump in stilts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2000, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839 "2000-11-19T12:42:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Assailant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@The\_Assailant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Assailant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/1 "2000-11-19T12:42:33Z")
Or at least shoes with with one hell of a thick sole? Is their a line drawn? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/2 "2000-11-19T13:47:28Z")
Answer to OP: rules. > [@](#): > > Or at least shoes with with one hell of a thick sole? I think this would be counter-productive. It would be difficult to run up to the bar,IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/3 "2000-11-19T14:08:06Z")
rules. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Assailant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@The\_Assailant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Assailant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/4 "2000-11-19T14:09:35Z")
There are rules saying how thick your souls can be? And Wahoo, you would STEP over the bar, not jump, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/5 "2000-11-19T14:09:44Z")
to wit: what’s to stop someone taking performance-enhancing drugs? …nosy people in lab coats. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/6 "2000-11-19T14:36:04Z")
How the heck could you step over a high jump bar? I’m trying to picture this. Are you saying that the soles of your shoes would be as high as the bar?You would need 15 foot long legs to step those huge shoes over a curb! However, your ideas are interesting. I wonder if being fired out of a cannon is _specifically_ prohibited by the IOC? I may win the gold at the next Olympics! ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/7 "2000-11-19T14:47:09Z")
I thought the pole-vaulting guy at the Olympics with the jet pack was pushing his luck a little. And that Aussie in the 50metre swim with the torpedo strapped to his back should have thought things through – damn difficult to find somewhere to hang a medal. ---
**Author:** ![Stimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Stimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/8 "2000-11-19T14:51:17Z")
thank god someone else SAW that! everyone here thinks i made it up! ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2000, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/9 "2000-11-19T15:06:11Z")
I still don’t know why you can’t use Flubber[sup]TM[/sup]. Damn these bureaucrats and their rules! ---
**Author:** ![monkeylucifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@monkeylucifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monkeylucifer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/10 "2000-11-24T17:33:17Z")
Well, as moronic as the OP’s question is, [this is proof positive](http://www.consumptionjunction.com/crazycrap/view.asp?ID=1914) that the “pole” part of the pole vault can be dangerous. (Be forewarned that it’s a video, so ye of little bandwidth keep on truck’n) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/11 "2000-11-24T17:48:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monkeylucifer \* > \*\*Well, as moronic as the OP’s question is, [this is proof positive](http://www.consumptionjunction.com/crazycrap/view.asp?ID=1914) that the “pole” part of the pole vault can be dangerous. > > (Be forewarned that it’s a video, so ye of little bandwidth keep on truck’n) \*\* OOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!! (I’m going to be flinchy the rest of the day now!) ---
**Author:** ![schief2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@schief2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schief2)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/12 "2000-11-24T18:14:10Z")
Contradictory information from the [Official Rules](http://www.iaaf.org/InsideIAAF/Handbook/intro.asp) of the Int’l Amateur Athletic Federation; my WAG is that Olympic/collegiate/etc rules are very similar: > [@](#): > > Section 143: Clothing, Shoes, and Number Bibs > > 2.[…]shoes, however, must not be constructed so as to give the competitor any additional assistance, and no spring or device of any kind may be incorporated in the shoes. Which would seem to rule out stilts, as a “device…incorporated in the shoes.” However, further down in that section is: > [@](#): > > 1. The sole and/or heel may have grooves, ridges, indentations, or protuberances, provided these features are constructed of the same or similar material as the sole itself. > > In the high jump, the sole shall have a maximum thickness of 13mm and the heel shall have a maximum thickness of 19mm. **In all other events the sole and/or heel may be of any thickness.** Seems like maybe one could get away with it, if you molded your stilts from the same material as your sole and attached them to your shoes… ---
**Author:** ![Thirsty4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Thirsty4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirsty4)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-to-stop-someone-going-over-a-high-jump-in-stilts/41839/13 "2000-11-24T18:23:20Z")
Sorry I couldn’t see the video of the dangerous pole. My work’s proxy server wouldn’t let me access it because of extreme, gross, or indecent content. Must of been pretty good.