High Jump 1963, two meters, straddle style

Los Angeles Hi v. Dorsey, LA High Jumper wins at 6'6 3/4. Before the Fosbury flop with a hard landing on pine shavings or maybe sawdust

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• High School Hi Jump
• Straddle

[cask18]

This is amazing considering the pit. I straddled 2.09 in high school in '73, but on a mat, so there was no need to give any thought to a safe landing.

[Rushtown]

Most of the time the shavings were piled higher in the middle. David (the jumper) always landed at the far end of the pit where the shavings or sawdust were not usually piled high.

[cask18]

What's the jumper's height?

[Rushtown]

5'11" or 1.8034 m

[Zeegoner]

where's the pit? wow that must've hurt just falling in a pile of dirt

[Rushtown]

@Zeegoner Actually it was sawdust, yeah really "dust", and there was not very much of it. (In Europe at the time they often used sand). Later shavings started being used and then scraps of foam rubber. When they put foam rubber in string bags or made a complete foam rubber pit then jumpers could go over backwards (ie, Fosbury Flop) without breaking their necks

[GokusPHat]

sawdust. just how my grandpappy used to do it

[Zeegoner]

@Rushtown oh

[Rushtown]

Shot on Kodachrome 25 (RIP) 16mm in 1963---you can see that the colors are as accurate as the best video shot today.

[Rushtown]

You saw the standing long jump "video" (originally shot in 16mm---now attached here.) That was my twin brother doing standing long jump in 1960. He graduated to straddle high jump in 63. Both his events, or at least one event and one technique, have disappeared---as have sawdust pits and 16mm amateur movies