New Year’s resolution for WMA, USATF: Update your records ASAP!

USATF indoor vault records as of 1/16/2017.

The mess known as USATF and WMA masters records began decades ago. It’s about time to end it. The latest example involves the M70 indoor vault record. By all rights, Art Parry is the world recordman. His 3.35 (10-11 3/4) was ratified at the Orlando meeting last year. But Don Isett’s 3.25 (10-8) from 2013 is still listed on USATF and WMA record pages. The issue arose over the weekend when social media reported Hall of Famer John Altendorf clearing 10-8 at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno. It was called a world record. Actually, he made 3.27 (10-8 3/4). He described his sequence below. In a quickie Q&A, I asked him the all-important question: Have you changed your helmet in recent years or used the same one? He replied: “No. Still the red one. But I have been thinking it is time for a new one for safety reasons.” In any case, WMA and USATF need to post ratified records immediately — and pending records as soon as applications come in.

World Masters Athletics indoor vault records as of Jan. 16, 2017.

Here’s my exchange with John:

Masterstrack,com: Becca (Gillespy Peter) posted a FB video of you going 10-8, but I’m unsure of the topping WR claim. It appears to tie Don’s 3.25 indoor WR.

John Altendorf: For Dennis Phillips and me, they set the bar at 3.27. By the way, Don was on the pit next to mine and watched the jump and was the first to congratulate me.

Can you give me your progression in metric?

I’ll give the whole progression since it became nonstandard. I wouldn’t be able to remember all of this except that I had to get a copy of the score sheet to submit with the record application.

2.70

2.90

3.10. I came in at this height

3.25 for all competitors except Dennis and me. Ours was 3.27.

Next height was going to be 3.35 (10-11 3/4). They set it there by the standards, but when they measured it, it was 3.32 (10-10 3/4). Rather than changing and remeasuring, and since it would still be a new record, they chose to leave it at that height. They were in a hurry.

Obviously, I did not make this height. I don’t think they even told the other athletes.

3.45 Steve Klasen was the only make here. I assume he chose the next height.

3.66 Steve didn’t make it and only made 1 attempt.

Any circumstances, issues, challenges overcome this year? Were you pleased, disappointed, relieved by your Reno jumps?

The year started out OK in when I set the outdoor record at 3.49 (11-5 1/4) at a small college meet, three weeks after my 70th birthday. Then at the last practice I was going to have before the Hayward Classic meet, I tore the tendon-muscle connection at the top of one of the hamstrings.

That was about a 10-week recovery, so I had a couple of weeks of practice before one of the Hayward field all-comers meets. There, on my first attempt, I came up short — rode the pole down to the ground on the runway side. But I hit hard on my left foot, significantly bruising it and tumbled to the ground hitting my head. Even with the helmet, I experienced a bit of a concussion. That ended my frustrating season.

I was happy to get the record at Reno but disappointed in myself because I had a great practice last Tuesday, easily clearing an 11-foot bar.

I’m always pleased when I can vault with friends and walk away without injury, so that is fun and a relief.

What are your major-meet plans this year?

I don’t have any specific plans yet for this year. I would like to attend the Indoor champs, but it is always a problem for me to travel with poles unless I can drive. Driving to Reno is a 9-10 hour trip and that is about the maximum I am comfortable with. I have been lucky in that the pole vault club I jump with always has people driving, and I have been able to ride with them the last several times I have gone.

I am not content with either M70 records. I need to get each of them to at least 12 feet (3.65).

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January 16, 2017

10 Responses

  1. Peter L. Taylor - January 17, 2017

    Thanks for posting this, Ken. Many masters athletes like to look at the records in their age group for motivation and, for the elite, to guide their training in preparation for a record attempt.

    A few of us, such as announcers who are planning for the Hartshorne Memorial Masters Mile this weekend at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, look at the records to help with their announcing.

    This morning I looked at the American indoor marks for men in the mile; the M50 record is a wonderful 4:23.07 by new sensation Sean Wade set in February 2016. Surely that must be the world record as well, as it is “smoking.”

    I then went to the WMA list and found that the M50 world indoor mark is 4:26.75 by Hall of Famer Nolan Shaheed. I think I’m in trouble if an M50 athlete runs, let’s say, 4:25.50 this weekend. Oh, well.

  2. Jeff Davison - January 17, 2017

    Also check out
    http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/

    The application forms states the country record keeper submits to the wma record keepeer. There are many changes every year and lots of papewok to deal with. Hence I assume that means Jeff Brower is continuing conversations with Sandy

  3. John Altendorf - January 17, 2017

    This is a repeat post but fits here also. If you want to know if there are any submitted applications for Masters records, that information is available thanks to Jeff Brower.
    “I remembered something that puts the onus back on me and I feel bad that I forgot about it. When Jeff Brower took over the Masters Records at USATF he set up a status listing in the form of a spreadsheet and made that available on the web. You can check it out here http://www.usatfmasters.org/fa_recordsarchive.htm. This is for previous years but there is also one for the current year. The information I needed is there in plain site and I messed up by not remembering about it. – John”

  4. ventsi - January 18, 2017

    What about the WRs of Willie Gault in 100 and 200 m M55 from the spring of 2016:
    http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/former-chicago-bear-willie-gault-sets-world-sprint-marks-for-age-group-051216 ;
    http://gridironnow.com/willie-gault-still-world-class-speed/

  5. Steve Morris - January 18, 2017

    It’s nice to see Dennis Phillips vaulting again. According to Gerard Dumas’book “Who’s Who in Pole Vaulting III”, Dennis won the AAU indoor championships in 1968 (third in ’67, fourth in ’69) In 1967 he placed forth in the outdoor AAU championships. He joined the professional tour (ITA) in 1973. His PR was 17′ 1″ set in 1971.

  6. Weia Reinboud - January 19, 2017

    WMA has updated the records at december 31. I never understand why records are approved or not. Some records are official European records for quite some time but still are not on the WMA list.

  7. Peter L. Taylor - January 19, 2017

    Yes, Weia, it’s a puzzling situation. In reviewing the records this morning, I noted that the American indoor mile record for M45 is a superlative 4:12.33, set in the winter of 2015 by John Trautmann.

    Unfortunately for John (and for meet directors), WMA never accepted his record. Thus, the world indoor mark for M45 remains at 4:16.83. If I’m an M45 miler and I run 4:15.55, I am insisting to the meet director that he/she assist me in putting together a record application.

    If the meet director declines to help me with getting signatures, FAT photo, etc., I will assert my logic: The failure by WMA to accept a national mark from 2 years ago, 10 years ago, whatever the date, implies that that mark is illegitimate.

    This is a tough issue, Weia.

  8. Peter L. Taylor - January 19, 2017

    Weia (and others):

    I know I’ve exceeded my allowance for postings, but here’s another problem that concerns me:

    Next month, superstar Bill Collins will be running the 60 dash and other sprints at our Albuquerque indoor masters nationals. From looking at the USATF website we learn that Bill holds the M65 American indoor mark for the 60 at 7.65 seconds, which he ran at the 2016 indoor masters in Albuquerque.

    By consulting the WMA website we can learn that Bill also has the M65 world indoor mark at a slightly slower 7.69 seconds. Where did he set that mark? Well, it was at our indoor masters nationals in Albuquerque last year.

    If Bill runs 7.67 at nationals next month, what should the announcers say? Would this be a record or not?

  9. EM - January 20, 2017

    Numerous indoor WR relays were set a yr ago in NM. Still not on the books.

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