Generally speaking, Freedom Plaza is filled with suits and somewhat lost tourists on weekdays and, most of the time these days, sign-wielding protesters on weekends. Things are taking a brief, but pretty sharp turn from the quotidian. Why, yes, that is a pole vault set up in the middle of federal Washington.

DC Vault is hosting an exhibition today and a formal competition tomorrow, both of which are open to the public and free to watch. The reigning men’s world champion pole vaulter, several Olympians, and a 72-year-old master’s world champion are all in town to attend.

If the setting is a bit surreal, so, too, is the sport in many ways.

“When [the bar] gets over 15 or 16 feet, people ask ‘What is that over there?’ You don’t think ‘Oh somebody is going to jump over it,'” DC Vault founder Edward Luthy says about the settings that elite jumpers use.

Canadian Shawnacy Barber won the last world championships by clearing 5.9 meters—over 19.3 feet. Barber will competing in downtown D.C. alongside a number of other top pole vaulters, including fellow Olympian Kelsie Ahbe, the Dominican Republic pole vault record holder Joshuah Alcon, and a world champion in the master’s division, Howard Booth.

They will be participating in an exhibition today, between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., alongside other athletes in training with DC Vault.

“The jumps will look unbelievably impressive to anyone watching it. But for them it will be more casual,” Luthy explains. “The best jumpers will probably be taking it easy, saving it for the next day.”

The DowntownDC 2017 National Street Vault is set to run nearly all day on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. at the lowest settings, and then working up to the elite female jumpers (likely starting some time between 1 and 2 p.m.) and the elite male jumpers (about an hour and a half later). It will be certified by the sport’s governing body, USA Track & Field, meaning any record-setting jumps would be recognized.

DC Vault held an exhibition last year in front of City Center, but it pales in comparison to this undertaking (Luthy says a number of other elite athletes had also expressed interest in coming until they realized it was inadvertently scheduled on the same weekend as the U.S. national championship). It’s the highest profile event so far for the organization, which Luthy started in 2008.

He says the pole vault community in D.C. is growing, and DC Vault trains an average of 60 people a year—a mix of teens and working adults who wanted to give a new sport a try. They have several practice sites in D.C. and the suburbs, including a brand new location on the grounds of RFK Stadium.

“Just walk up and check it out … the crowd can really get pretty close,” Luthy says about today and tomorrow’s events. “It’s this explosive thing that happens every time. You’re sprinting hard and all of a sudden redirecting that energy … It’s like getting shot out of a torpedo.”

As for the potential rain in the forecast, Luthy says, “We will watch rain today and depending how when it’s actually raining, will hold or jump. It’s looking like Saturday is going to be clearing up and that’s more ideal for us as we have all vaulters present tomorrow in addition to the elites. We will be on site at 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. today and, if there is a break in rainfall, will definitely jump at that time.”