00:00As he launched himself over the bar, he didn't push the pole away far enough.
00:04So when he came back down and it angled towards him, he knew he was in trouble.
00:08Thankfully, it narrowly missed him.
00:10But when Zach McHorder had a similar thing happen to him at practice, the outcome was far worse.
00:16See, pole vaulting has always been one of the most dangerous sports in athletics.
00:20You can land on the pole, the poles can break, or you can knock the bar off with your junk.
00:25That one's actually not dangerous, that's just really funny.
00:28But the most dangerous part of the sport isn't really the pole at all.
00:32It's the vault box and the ground that surrounds it.
00:35Since 1980, the sport has recorded 20 deaths, 38 skull fractures, and at least 44 other serious injuries.
00:43Almost all of the fatal injuries result in the same way.
00:46The athletes launch themselves nearly two stories into the air, and when they come down, they miss the landing pad.
00:52And with only around 25,000 people who actively compete in the sport worldwide, the pole vault is statistically more
00:58dangerous than any other school sport.
01:01So when Zach, one of the best collegiate pole vaulters in America, launched himself during practice, he of course knew
01:07the risks.
01:07But as he released his pole and crossed the bar, there was nothing he could do to save himself.
01:14Zach had torn his ball bag open.
01:18Don't laugh, it's not funny.
01:20He screamed out to his coach for help, and luckily his coach, who was also his dad, knew exactly what
01:25to do.
01:26Zach's dad drove them to his office, where Zach lay down on the table and his dad stitched the wound.
01:34Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that his dad is also a urologist.
01:38It was obviously a traumatic experience for Zach, but honestly, after everything we've learned about pole vault in this short,
01:44I'd say he was actually incredibly lucky.
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