If you’ve searched for pole vault coaching in Idaho Falls and landed here, this post is for you. Here’s who we are, where we came from, and why we built this.
From Hillcrest High School to Southern Utah University
Coach Dillon Dopp grew up in east Idaho and attended Hillcrest High School — a school that didn’t have a pole vault pit. For a kid who loved the event, that was a real barrier. He managed to develop enough of a feel for the event to go on and compete as a pole vaulter and decathlete at Southern Utah University, but the thought was always there: what could I have done with more runway time?
That question didn’t go away after college. It became the seed for everything that followed.
East Idaho Pole Vault Academy — Where It Started
After moving back to east Idaho, Dillon and his wife founded East Idaho Pole Vault Academy — a club built around one simple idea: athletes in this area shouldn’t have to wait for track season to touch a pole.
Track season gives most high school vaulters about three months of pit access per year. Three months to learn a six-phase technical event. Three months to build the muscle memory, timing, and confidence to improve. For an event as technical and physically demanding as pole vault, that’s not enough.
East Idaho Pole Vault Academy set out to change that — offering a place where athletes could train year-round, regardless of what season it was on the school calendar.
The Equipment Problem
There was a second problem: track and field equipment is expensive. Pole vault poles alone can run several hundred to over a thousand dollars. Families stretched across a full track program — spikes, uniforms, throws implements, vaulting poles — feel that cost acutely.
So alongside coaching, we set out to sell track and field equipment with two goals:
- Make quality gear more accessible and affordable for east Idaho athletes
- Put the proceeds back into growing the sport in this region
That mission is what eventually grew into TetonVault — a full pole vault equipment shop carrying brands like UST-ESSX, Gill Pacer, FiberSport, and RockBack, alongside the coaching operation that started it all.
What TetonVault Offers Today
The club has evolved, but the mission hasn’t. Coach Dopp is now the head pole vault coach at Thunder Ridge High School and continues to coach privately through TetonVault. We serve athletes of all ages and skill levels — from first-timers who’ve never held a pole to high school competitors chasing personal records and collegiate goals.
Here’s what’s available right now:
Private Coaching — One-on-one sessions with Coach Dopp in east Idaho. One hour, focused entirely on you. $100/session, all skill levels welcome.
Summer Pole Vault Series 2026 — Three months of structured group training in Idaho Falls, June through August. Beginner and experienced groups, limited to 15 athletes each. This is the year-round access East Idaho Pole Vault Academy was built to provide.
Online Coaching — Video reviews, 30-minute consultations, and full camps and clinics available remotely. No matter where you are, there’s a way to work with Coach Dopp.
Equipment — Poles, bags, throwing implements, and accessories from the top brands in the sport.
Serving East Idaho Athletes
We know this community. We coach and compete in it. Athletes coming through our program come from schools all across the region — Thunder Ridge, Idaho Falls High School, Skyline, Hillcrest, Bonneville, Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Shelley. If you’re in east Idaho and you’re looking for pole vault coaching, this is built for you.
The kid at Hillcrest who doesn’t have a pit shouldn’t have to figure it out alone. That’s what drove this from the start, and it’s what drives it now.
Questions about coaching, equipment, or the Summer Series? Get in touch here — Coach Dopp responds to every message personally.
