Years of wasting practice time unpacking and then re-packing Sweet Home High School’s pole vault pit are about to end.
A new pit cover was installed last weekend by a crew of volunteers led by Coach Billy Snow and contractor Chet Unruh.
“This saves us the wear and tear on the mats,” Snow said. “Every time we pull them in and out we risk ripping them.”
Snow said the shelter cost about $3,000. He hired Unruh to fabricate it out of aluminum after Unruh built a similar structure for Lebanon’s track. The cover sits on wheels and can simply be rolled back when the pole vault pit needs to be used.
“Now we only need to pull it out in the spring and put it back in the winter,” Snow said of the pit.
“This gives us more practice time. We wasted half an hour pulling them out and putting them back.