Charles Austin at 47 sticks with story he can still clear 7 feet
Charles in 2008, when he’d just turned 40.
Here’s the AQ Q&A with Charles:
How did you get your start in high jumping?
Honestly, in my senior year of high school, it was a way for me to hang out with my friends. They talked me into doing it. I hadn’t jumped since my seventh and eighth grade years. My friends wanted me to hang out with them on the track team while we were getting ready to graduate. I asked the coach if I could do it, and he said no (laughs). One of my friends and teammates, Robert Blackmon, he went on to play in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, went in and talked to the coach and convinced him to let me jump. I jumped 6’11” that year. Went to Texas State, (It was called Southwest Texas then.), and came in second in the NCAA Championships in my junior year. Won in my senior year. In my first year out of college, I won my first World Championship and set the current American record.You also suffered a very serious knee injury during that time.
I tore my patella tendon during my senior year of college, but I continue to jump on it anyway, during 1990, ’91, ‘92, and the first half of 1993. Finally, I had to have surgery. It was completely shredded. Four different doctors, two in Europe and two in the United States, told me I would never jump at an elite level again. So I had the surgery and began my own rehab program. I was always my own coach anyway. In 1996, I won the gold medal at the Olympics.Had anyone ever come back from that type of injury before?
I don’t know if anyone had done it at that level. To me, it wasn’t rocket science. I listened to my body and paid attention to it. I was always really into efficiency, knowing when my body felt at its best. Once I committed to being the best I could be, I just studied and learned just like you would anything else.Did you ever doubt yourself?
Never! I liked the challenge. It was time to get to know myself and what my real potential could be. It was on me to make it happen. The payoff was that it also allowed me to discover the ability to focus at a high level. The doctor who did my surgery, he said there was no way I would be able to tolerate the force and stress at that level of jumping. We laugh about it now. I enjoyed the challenge. If you give me a 1% chance of making something happen, I’m always going to bet on myself.Once you reach the pinnacle of competition again, did people start to seek you out?
Sure. To this day, because I trained myself, no one knows how I trained. Some of my competitors came out to train with me, but the workouts were a little too tough for them (laughs). It was all right there for me. I would watch video of the best athletes in the world and I would try what they did. I would be at these meets with the best athletes in the world, and I would talk to them. There was all of this knowledge right in front of me. I wasn’t shy to ask someone, “Explain this exercise to me. It looks interesting.” People would offer the information. I would apply it to what I was doing. If it worked, I stayed with it. If it didn’t work right away, I’d store it away in my head, and when I felt my body was ready, I would try it again. Most people would have paid a lot of money to have that kind of information.But now you train a lot of different people not just in performance, but in fitness as well.
Yes, I started my sports performance and fitness training business in 2001. John Starks was my first client. I was still competing at the time. I competed in the world championships that year. Once we talked, he said he wanted me to train him. I was figuring out what my transition was going to be from being an athlete to the next phase of my life. I had started competing in 1990, and I was getting burned out. Physically, I could still compete, but mentally I was done. I had ridden that horse long enough. Once I started with John, I applied some of my training to him. He had great results and enjoyed it. I also started working with David Robinson. I opened up a studio shortly thereafter. Now I work with everyone from pro athletes to kids to people who want to get into better shape.What was the inspiration behind inventing the Total Body Board?
I’m always looking for ways to improve my training. One night, I took some magazines home, and looked at the fitness equipment in them. I wanted to see what was the latest and best thing out there. But it all seemed the same to me. At 2 a.m., I woke up with the concept. I had everything in my head. I tried to blow it off, but I couldn’t go back to sleep. So I typed everything into my iPhone, all my thoughts. After that, I fell right asleep. The next day, in between working with clients, I would run to Lowe’s and buy particleboards. Then I’d run back to get clamps and bungee cords. By 3 p.m., I had something functional. I still have it to this day. There were some baseball players that came into the studio during that time and they would use it. I used it for a while, just to make sure I wasn’t crazy. Then I drew another sketch and took it to a woodcrafter to have it built to my specs. I used that one for a year and a half. No one even knew about it, unless they were in my performance center. Finally, I hired a designer to get the picture in my head out. We got it exactly how I wanted it to look and feel. We launched it at the IDEA World Fitness Convention this year, and we’ve already received great feedback from it.Lots of people have ideas but never get them to the marketplace. What was the toughest obstacle in getting that idea from your mind to a final product?
Truthfully, dealing with other people (laughs). Remember, I was my own coach. I like to be in control, because I know the work I am willing to put in, and I’m going to grind to get it done. Now, I need a team to achieve the success I want to have. I want this part of my life to outdo my athletic career.You’re a world champion and Olympic gold medalist. That’s saying a lot!
In my mind, my athletic career wasn’t so hard. After my sophomore year of college, I committed myself to it. It became my oxygen. It sounds a bit psychotic, but it’s who I was as a person. That’s what I’m feeling now with the Total Body Board. I want it to be better every day. I’ve come up with over 200 exercises for it. But I have to rely on my team to do their part. Manufactures have their part to do. I can’t expect that they are going to drop everything to make my boards. I have to wait my turn.And you’re still competing! You just set a masters record in the high jump at age 47!
Well, I really just did that to promote the board (laughs). Someone mentioned that they were having a masters track meet at Texas State. I called the school and they asked if I would compete in it. I said, “Give me two or three weeks, maybe I’ll surprise everyone.” Well, then the people at the gym wanted me to jump. My family got in on it. I hadn’t jumped in over two years. My middle son graduated from high school as one of the top two jumpers in the country. So I would take a jump with him now and then. I figured I would train for two weeks and see how I felt. When I heard the record for 45-50 year olds was 6’8”, I said no problem. That day, I did, 6’3”, 6’5” and 6’8 ¾” and called it a day. But I’m not actively competing.That’s amazing! How have you managed to keep such a high skill level for so long?
I trained really hard for a long time, from 1987 until 2004 at a high level in a track and field setting. I did it right. No shortcuts. No supplements. Your body will remember all of that. If you keep yourself in decent shape, you’re never far off from being able to do things. I may not be able to do 7’10”. But if I train, I can still do 7’0” with no problem. I worked too hard over the years to let it go to waste.
14 Responses
The big story here, at least for me, is that Charles Austin broke the world record in the South Texas USATF Association meet but will not be credited by USATF with the record.
A huge irony, of course, is that breaking the record prompted USATF to recognize Charles as USATF Athlete of the Week, but that did not ensure ratification by USATF of the record. Sometimes we have trouble explaining masters T&F to the average person, and this would surely be the case here.
The problem is USATF rule 262.3, which mandates at least three competitors (the 3+ rule) for a masters record. Having at least three competitors seems appropriate for open records, but we’re talking masters here. Masters T&F is different from open T&F in so many ways, and we need exceptions from the open requirements.
Rule 320.8, for example, provides for acceptance of masters records when both sexes compete in the same event. You wouldn’t expect to see both sexes in an open 5000 on the track, for example, but you can get a record in such competition for masters.
Ken, we need a masters exception for the 3+ rule. I wonder how Charles Austin benefited from being the only competitor in the South Texas USATF Assoc meet in which he appeared to set the record. Did he jump higher because of his situation? I doubt it.
Similarly, Flo Meiler (W80) set an apparent world mark in the pole vault at the Adirondack Open/Masters USATF East Region meet last summer but was turned down because there was only one other woman. There were also three men, but I guess they didn’t count.
Regardless, Flo jumped 1.83, and the others jumped 4.05 (W23), 4.30 (M20), 3.20 (M16), and 3.20 (M49). I fail to see how Flo jumped higher because there was only one other woman. If she did not get an advantage, why deny her the record?
Ken, many masters with record potential seek out USATF championships (association, regional, national) because they think ratification would be likely. After they break a national/world record at such a meet it seems wrong to deny them the record unless there was some outright rules violation, in which case they should have been disqualified.
As an aside, I have been following the 4 x 800 situation from Winston-Salem nationals last summer. In the non-club races for women there were two teams, one anchored by the fabulous Kathy Martin (60-69) and the other by the wonderful Lorraine Jasper (50-59).
Both squads broke the world record for their 10-year age groups, and what a joyous occasion it was. The 60-69 record was accepted as an American and world mark, but the 50-59 record got no recognition at all. Nothing — the old marks still stand. Too bad.
Pete brings up some good points. All this does is discourage and frustrate people from further doings with USATF at the masters level.
Pete, on Dec. 3, Charles told me via email: “There were 2 others after all. They finished before I started.” Mark is still eligible.
Ken, I misread this at first. You mean that “The MARK is still eligible”, yes? At first I thought you were referring to a gentleman named Mark.
Anyway, as you recall from your Dec 2 post, the apparent world record of Mr. Austin was rejected for two reasons, and I quote:
“Proof of age and only competitor.”
I have a strong suspicion that Charles Austin turned 47 just under 2 weeks ago. Why do I think that? Well, he is a member of the USATF Hall of Fame, and the Hall lists him as having been born Dec 19, 1967.
Now that we know there were three competitors, I think that Charles should be in good shape as far as getting his record.
Regardless, we need a masters exception for the field events, especially for women and most particularly for the pole vault. Historically, women were not permitted in the pole vault, and to demand that a masters pole vault in a USATF meet require three women for a record is not reasonable.
the three competitor rule seems as rediculous as when ,in my profession of auto body repair, an insurance company will ask a claimant to get 3 estimates for their damages , then disregard all three, and write their own ,significantly lower than all three provided . a primary reason i love the sport of track and field is because of it’s pureness… here’s charles in a sanctioned meet, clearing a specific height, with certified officials attending, where a wind guage is not needed, and he gets more length of red tape than the amount it took too measure his record setting jump…i saw charles jump in the holmdel international nj some years back, and i will continue cheering him on ,to keep jumping..:)
The rule regarding the number of competitors in an event for record eligibility comes directly from the IAAF Rules. In Rule 260.9 it states:
9. For individual events, at least three athletes and for relay events, at least two teams, must be bona fide competitors in the event.
This is, therefore, a case of WMA following IAAF and USATF following both of them. Any change, or even a US masters exception, would therefore have to come through the USATF rules process. The next time new and revised rules can be presented is at the 2016 annual meeting in Orlando.
Having said all of that, if there were other competitors in the event where Charles Austin jumped they would have been on the event sheet, which had to be submitted with the record application for it to even be considered. The only circumstance I can think of where all the competitors in an event would not be on the event sheet is if the meet management printed separate sheets for each age group and did not put everyone on the same sheet – something I’ve seen happen because of how the Hy-Tek operator set up his/her system. If that was the case then the record application submission would have to include all of those sheets with a note from the meet director certifying that is what took place.
Then there is the strange situations one may encounter at a state “Senior Games.”
Sometimes they start the high jump for all age groups at a very low height for the older athletes, then the younger athletes start jumping whenever the bar reaches their normal opening height. So technically, you are jumping in one event against all the competitors, even though you may be the only one in your age group. (USATF Masters Regional T&F Championships also tend to run the High Jump this way with age groups sorted out later.)
At at least one State Senior Games, they have an open high jump pit for two days. You go and high jump whenever you have extra time between your other events. Even if there were two other high jumpers in your age group, they could both have jumped on another day. Does this mean a violation of Rule 260.9 assuming an age-group high jump record might have set?
I understand the need to have standards for setting records but it sounds like our current procedure si a mess.
Commenting on David’s mention of meets which have an open pit, this is very common at senior games and they usually call it a “drop by” event. All of the “drop by” HJ events that I have participated in were poorly officiated and would not hold up for submission of a record by even very liberal standards. They are really a form of trial or exhibition rather than a real competition.
just wondering whether the competitors in the event must be in the same age category, eg: high jump… 5 entrants; 2 age 36, 1 age 41, 2 age 46…if a few are out before another starts, are there still 5 competitors..? seems to me there needs to be more defined rules . what if a M45 is the only master in the “open “lineup…are the younger athletes sufficient to fill the bill against a master..?
I don’t understand the reasoning behind needing a minimum number of competitors for a record to count – you either beat the existing mark or you didn’t. If anything, more competitors makes it “easier” to set a record (as if records were easy to set!).
Dan, I can’t comment on the original reasoning for the rule, as I don’t know. I do know it makes for some very unhappy campers. Consider the M75 80-meter hurdles at Winston-Salem last summer.
One of my heroes, Bob Paulen of Delaware, really “spanked this bad boy,” winning by daylight in 14.84 seconds. Unfortunately for Bob, the American and world record, set way back in 2005 by Jim Stookey, is a spectacular 13.62 and thus essentially out of sight.
But we’re dealing in hypothetical situations here. What if Bob had run 13.61 in Winston-Salem? As the wind was legal, would he have gotten his mark? Not on your life.
Bob was the winner of a two-man race in Winston-Salem (I just watched the video, and thus I can confirm there were just two competitors). There were four pre-entrants in M75, but it scratched down to two.
Imagine telling a 75+ man who is still flexible enough to hurdle that he just lost his record because there weren’t enough people in the race. I would not envy the person who had to break the news.
IAAF 260 is only about world records for Open Class and juniors, see rule 260.8.
I fail to find a WMA rule about the number of participants.
Peter gives a good example: because of the many specs it is rare for hurdle races in the older classes to have 3 participants.
In say a 100 meter it would be easy to fill the lanes, and we have seen races with young girls together with an M85 women. The girls running at very low speed for their age, and shouting to the record attempting W85. Is that a proper race with at least 3 participators??
Athletes who are attempting AR/WR’s should choose their meets wisely. Not all masters meets are created equal! Many Senior Games and/or state games are not record eligible for various reasons. For that matter, there are USATF Association meets that fall into that category also.
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