Deadspin: pole vault

German Pole Vaulter Trades In One Pole For An ... Oh, I Can't Go On With This Headline

Rick Chandler — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:30:02 EST

Here is German pole vaulter Balian Buschbaum, who used to be Yvonne Buschbaum. Through the miracle of medical science, she is now a he, although his competitive pole vaulting days are now over. That's because the testosterone treatments required for the sex change made him ineligible to compete.

Not only is Buschbaum flourishing in his new identity, but so is the German press; especially this writer for Deutsche Welle magazine, who seems to be harboring a wellspring of hidden gender feelings himself.

The sky is wide open for Yvonne Buschbaum, who feels the lightness of being after undergoing extensive surgery to become the man he always felt he was. Now, the athlete goes by the name Balian Buschbaum. "Courage is the road to freedom," said a recent diary entry on his Web site. "I woke up in complete freedom today. The sky is wide open." Buschbaum is not ready yet for interviews as "I am still flying on my clouds of freedom and won't land until the end the November, at the earliest."

Buschbaum will now become a coach at the USC Mainz club in central Germany, where he will teach others how to pole vault.

Sky's No Limit For Gender Changed Vaulter [DW World]

Allison Stokke Madness Resurfaces With A Vengeance

DAULERIO — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:50:00 EDT

Once again, University of California pole vaulter Allison Stokke is being hunted by the wandering trolls of the internet, thanks to the emergence of new photos featuring the athletic teenager wearing her required sporting uniform and holding a giant pole .Her dad, the chronically annoyed and litigious Allan Stokke, is most likely taking this latest outbreak with the same degree of fatherly aghast which compelled him to try to figure out some way he could file suit against every single person who used the internet the last time. (It's understandable, but be reasonable, old man.)

For now, according to Busted Coverage, Cal is taking a stand by pulling all visual evidence of Ms. Stokke off of its website to protect its star freshman from the millions of creepy men looking for a photo of her newly muscled physique.

Cal's message: You won't be masturbating to Allison on our bandwidth. Go elsewhere with your unwieldy erection, you pervert.

Allison Stokke Photos Pulled From Cal Track Site [Busted Coverage]
Allison Stokke [Cal Bears]

Get Your Popcorn Ready ...

rickchand — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:00:11 EST

Our own Rick Chandler loves the old Saturday afternoon serials, and he really loves comic strips. So, to fill the time and Super Bowl piffle, he put together this special installment of Hercules' misadventures in our little world. He put a lot of time into it, so enjoy, or at least appreciate.

It all happens after the jump ...

In England, prison officials are teaching...

rickchand — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:25:08 EST

In England, prison officials are teaching inmates how to pole vault. I see absolutely no way this can end bady. [Daily Express, via SportsbyBrooks]