Athletics (British Sports Library)

r I I' I I• ill 1:: l!l 204 ATHLETICS If a competitor passes under the bar without attempting to jump, it is not counted against him as a jump, but three such runs shall be counted as a jump. The use of weights or grips is forbidden. A competitor may (and should) place a mark for his take-of£ and a handkerchief on the cross-bar for sighting purposes. The cross-bar should be triangular, Il 6 inches side measurement, and painted black and white in alternate bands. A sand-pit should be pro– vided for the jumpers to land in. It is hardly too much to say that high jumping throughout the world has stood still for a very long time. Jumps that were accomplished five-and– twenty years ago are seldom bettered to-day, except by those athletes who use what is known as the "American Western Roll" style of jumping. This style enabled Horine, Beeson, and Osborn all to beat 6 feet 7 inches, and yet it was hailed with a storm of protest and abuse upon its introduction. As this style has produced the three best per– formances on record, it will be described first. The athlete uses the usual 7- or 10-yard run and takes off on a 37 degrees angle from the line of the cross-bar. Going into the air, the feet are given twice the momentum of the head, so that when the athlete crosses the bar his body lies parallel to it