http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArti ... M_ID=15700DRAKE RELAYS RELEASE #21
APRIL 16, 2009
DES MOINES, IOWA – Ten athletes, ranging in ages from 31 to 62 years old will compete in the inaugural master’s invitational pole vault at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 23, of the Drake Relays.
“This is an elite field for this very special event with athletes ready to jump high,” said Doug Sparks, who is coordinating the event.
Athletes are expected to be wearing their most recent USA uniforms since the goal of most every high school and collegiate athlete is to represent their country.
Jeff Hartwig, the American indoor and former outdoor record holder in the pole vault, will be the master of ceremonies. The two-time Olympian is an eight-time Drake Relays champion. He set a master’s pole vault record by clearing 18 feet 9 ½ at the age of 40.
John Altendorf, 62, from Corvallis, Ore., is the oldest competitor. He is the only 60-year-old in history to clear 13 feet. He owns the indoor and outdoor world records (60-64) at 13-1.25. He recently captured the 2009 U.S. Masters Indoor title and won the 2008 World Indoor championship.
Jeff Kingstad, 56, of Winchester, Wis., won the 2008 US. Master’s Outdoor title (55-59) and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the world. He won the 1974 Big Ten Conference championship competing for Wisconsin.
Doug Sparks, 55, from The Woodlands, Texas, was ranked third in the world in 2008 (55-59) with a mark of 13-5.25, which was one inch off the American record. He won the 2009 U.S. Masters Indoor title.
Gary Hunter, 53, from Fort Wayne, Ind., owns the current Masters 50 indoor and outdoor world records,
Don Curry, 52, from Spring, Texas, was the 2007 National Senior Games champion (50-54) and was runner up at the 2007 U.S. Indoor and Outdoor Nationals.
Paul Babits, 48, from Fort Wayne, Ind., competed in both the 1984 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials and has set numerous records in his 36 years of vaulting.
Trevor Richards, 42, from Des Moines won the 2007 World Masters Championship (40-44) in Riccione, Italy. He is an assistant track and field coach at Drake.
Dan Holton, 40, of Chicago, Ill., was a two-time; U.S. Masters Outdoor champion (35-39) and three-time U.S. Masters Indoor winner, while also (2006, 2007, 2008), World Indoor Champion (2006).
Brian Carrel,4 0, from Champaign, Ill., was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference champion from Indiana State and has served as the men’s and women’s pole vault coach at Illinois since 2001
Des Moines resident David Lindenberg, 31, is the youngest vaulter in the field. He earned his way into the competition by winning the Masters30 division at the 2009 U.S. Masters Indoor Championships in Landover, Md. last month. He is a fourth-year medical student at Des Moines University.
