The real reason why Central's Kati Davis no-heighted at the NCAA D2s, & other vaulting misadventures...

Thanks to the power of Twitter, I happened to read a tweet posted by KING 5 news anchor Allen Schauffler asking Brad Walker asking why pole vaulters can't get a break with the airlines.

Shauffler tweeted, "Hey @SkyWalkerPV check out this news script from tonight. Can't you PVrs catch a break with the airlines?"

He then proceeded to post this picture (left/photo courtesy Allen Schauffler, @schauffKING5) of a script from Sunday night's news about Central Washington's Kati Davis (below/photo by Paul Merca), the GNAC runner-up, who no heighted Friday at the NCAA Division II championships in Pueblo, Colorado after she was forced to jump with borrowed poles, because her poles didn't make it to Colorado with her when she left Ellensburg on the Tuesday before the meet.

According to the press release from Central Washington, "Davis' supply of poles, which she had taken at the beginning of her trip earlier this week, was lost in luggage and did not make it to Colorado until Friday afternoon when they arrived in Denver, a two-hour driving trip from Pueblo (under normal conditions). However, heavy traffic between Denver and Pueblo resulted in a tardy arrival of Davis' poles, meaning that she had to start the competition -- scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time -- with borrowed poles."

Schauffler's tweet to Walker referred to an incident involving the former Husky and current American record holder, who, after competing in the Shanghai Diamond League meet on the 19th, was stuck for an extra day in Shanghai because the airlines refused to let him travel with his poles.

In a series of tweets, Walker stated that in departing Shanghai, he bought four liters of water worth about $30 AFTER clearing security, only to have all of them confiscated before boarding the plane, "And that was after I got into it with the supervisor who refused to let me fly with poles and had to stay an extra night in amazing China"

Walker sums up what vaulters have to put up with when they travel by saying, "it's a stress no other track and field athletes will ever understand! Imagine just flying with a pair of spikes. One can dream."

NOTE:  You can follow Allen Schauffler, who will be covering the London Olympics this summer for KING5 on Twitter at @schauffKING5; Brad Walker can be followed at @SkyWalkerPV; and of course, if you're not doing so already, you can follow this very blog at @paulmerca70601!