High jumping is simple. You set a horizontal bar on some posts and then ask athletes to jump over it. Simple. But when you get into the realms of high-level competition it becomes kind of a surreal exercise.
Take Alison Wood for example. A former state high school champion at Newberg High, and an all-American in college at Western Oregon, she continues to compete in masters events.
And at age 49 she still can leap above her own height, most recently at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Participating in a seven-person field that included men and women, Wood cleared 5-4.25 to win the event in impressive fashion. Runner-up Amy Haddad cleared 4-10.5, while Wood also cleared 4-11, 5-1 and 5-3. Wood had 3 tries at 5-5.25, which would have broken her own American masters record of 5-5.
For the record Alison Wood is 5-3.75 but seems taller. Maybe it is the spring in her step.
“Drake was amazing,” Wood told Our Town. “It felt like the whole town was in attendance and they certainly treated all of the athletes like celebrities. There was a bit of a pause in the action on the track during the high jump so the stands around the high jump were packed. The fans were super knowledgeable and very supportive.”
Wood was given a flag and ran a victory lap around the stadium.
“This was certainly one of the greatest laps in my entire career,” she said. “I was high-fiving everyone and it was absolutely powerful to feel the excitement in that stadium.”
Wood, who lives on a farm in Sublimity with her partner and 40 chickens, six sheep, three cats and “one exceptional dog” works by day as a network engineer for the State of Oregon while also coaching high jumpers at Regis High, a position she has held since 2010.
“I enjoy working with them and seeing their confidence grow every week,” she said. “They inspire me so much to jump well.”
Her three jumpers, Tim Crowell, Josh Blish and Kaila Hayes, all finished in the top 5 at the recent district meet, with Crowell taking second and Blish tying for eighth at the state meet.
Wood set the Newberg school record of 5-7 in 1991. Her all-time best is 5-7.75, set in 2015.
Wood will turn 50 later this year. And because of the way masters track is organized she will enter a new age bracket, 50-54, with possibilities for new records and continuing success.
“The track and field community is my community,” she said. “I volunteer at Hayward Field [at the University of Oregon] as often as I can to support the athletes that are competing (usually that means that I escort them to the bathroom or media tent). I love everything about this sport.”
