Splashes galore as Frisian pole-jumpers reach for the sky 1111628 SHARE At 22, Dutch pole-jumper Sytse Bokma is getting to the top of his game -- literally. But on a muggy summer’s afternoon in rural northern Netherlands, things just weren’t going his way. Time after time, he scurried up a 13-metre (43-foot) pole before losing his grip and crashing into the water with an almighty splash. Welcome to the spectacular and age-old Frisian sport of fierljeppen. Translated from Frisian -- the second official language in The Netherlands -- the word fierljeppen literally means “far-leaping”. It’s a combination of pole vaulting and long jump. The athlete runs as fast as possible until reaching a ramp and leaping onto a carbon fibre pole, loosely anchored in the muddy bottom of a canal.