Altendorf’s birthday present: Story in local paper
John Altendorf turned 61 last Monday. Yesterday he woke up to see a nice article about his recent vault exploits in the local newspaper. But what caught my eye was how John became aware of masters track — an article in the newspaper. “Dennis Phillips . . . held the American record for the age group I was in at the time, 55-59,” Altendorf said. “I read about that and thought, ‘Wow. I didn’t know there was a place for old vaulters to still do that.’ ” So yeah — publicity matters. So when you finish your events at Boston, hook up with Bob Weiner (our masters media chief) and let him help you prepare a news release for your hometown paper. Who knows? You might inspire the next John Altendorf.
Here’s the article in case the link goes bye-bye:
Locking up a vault record
By Aaron Yost
John Altendorf was a decent pole vaulter in high school, but not someone the masses heard much about.
He was not a national name, having cleared 13 feet, 4.5 inches on his best days. But fast-forward through 40 years and Altendorf’s standing in the event has dramatically changed.
Drawn back to track and field by an article in the newspaper about masters pole vaulting, Altendorf has rocketed to the top of the American record book as well as claiming the world record in his current age group.
“Dennis Phillips in Philomath, he held the American record for the age group I was in at the time, 55-59,” Altendorf said. “I read about that and thought, ‘Wow. I didn’t know there was a place for old vaulters to still do that.’
“It took me awhile to get up the audacity to call him.”
But with his curiosity piqued, Altendorf did make the call and eventually found himself making friends on the international stage in connection with pole vaulting.
A retired engineer, Altendorf analyzes everything and found that, while his youth was mostly behind him, there were a lot of positives working in his favor.
“My mindset, I wasn’t a cocky 18-, 19-year-old. Now I’m old enough to take instruction,” said Altendorf, who turned 61 on March 12.
And give it. He spends time as a volunteer coach at Crescent Valley High School, working under Dave Gable, which gains him access to the pole vault pit. He has also studied with a former Australian national coach at clinics, working to perfect his approach and form.
Altendorf established the 60-64 age group indoor world record on Feb. 11 at the University of Washington, tying the 13-0 mark he holds in outdoor competition.
For the time being he is the individual everyone in his age group is pursuing, and the pole vaulting masters know who he is.
Aaron Yost is a sportswriter for the Gazette-Times.
John Altendorf
Age: 61.
Residence: Corvallis.
Occupation: Retired engineer; volunteer track coach at Crescent Valley High School.
Family: Wife Jodi; sons Eric, 29, and Kyle, 25; daughter Kira, 19.
Misc.: Only person over 60 to ever clear 4 meters in the pole vault.
2 Responses
Regarding Dennis’ American record comment in the article about me, I think he had set the record not long before the article about him. His jump, in fact, still stands as the M55-59 American record at 4.13m, or 13′ 6.5″.
Last year we held a wake for Larry Kennedy (NCAA discus champ in 1962) that was attended by many old elite throwers. Many got excited about throwing again but stopped when they found out how difficult it was.
It took me three years before I could train hard without injury or extreme fatigue. Gradually, it got easier.
Most masters know that our sport is extremely rewarding. Former athletes must realize that training and competing takes courage and a significant committment. Courage involves the capacity to fail repeatedly and perform poorly for several years without it crushing your ego. You cannot compare your present condition to your form in college, high school, or open competition.
Time does not stand still. Even the most disciplined and genetically talented masters athlete will deteriorate with age. With intelligent training and hard work, however, it is possible to hold off the track and field grim reaper for a long time.
I look at masters as another day in the sun. I am so grateful for our sport and wish more people would participate. Every one of us should attempt to get publicity for the sport whenever we can. We should encourage local papers to report results and do stories on local athletes and we should seek sponsorships from major corporations. The babyboomers are a large, fairly affluent generation with economic clout. Perhaps we could get Wheaties to put Phil Raschker on a cereal box.
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