Dan Olson sets New State and Eastern High Jump Record!

7'4"!!!!
Albany Academy Senior Dan Olson sets new State and Eastern Record at Brown Invitational!
#4 All-Time US!!

He approaches the bar "lefty". There are no exact measurements, no precise numbers of steps. His warm-up consists of a few informal run-ups as he scissor-kicks over 5'10 or 6 feet, then he waits as the multitudes pull out their measuring tapes and fuss over their arcs and angles of approach. The Brown meet has a 3-man relay format, so Dan Olson is a loser today no matter what happens. He won't even show up in the results--but that's par for the course as his previous 7'0" jumps went all but unnoticed this season--people like myself failed to scan through results of his section 2 meets to note his accomplishments. Well, people began to notice today.

But Indoor track is often rewarding to the track athlete who deserves attention. At Brown, the high jump mat is on the turn nearest the crowd huddled along the wall, on the balcony and in the sparse bleachers. So as Dan became the last competitor left, it was showtime.

Dan Olson, moments after clearing 7'4"
Photo by Garret Meade/ Trak Shots

Not that Dan is a showman. There are no quirky preparation steps, no rocking back and forth, no trance-like visualizations, no excited jumping in place. He just walks a couple of baby steps, then there are only 4 or 5 bounding strides, eyes fixed on the bar, a perfect 90 degree arc, each step faster then the last, then bang!!!!! He's in the air in an instant. His tall thin frame bends to seemingly conform with the bar every time--just enough to get over.

Things could not have started any worse, "I felt weak, almost nauseous, before the meet", Dan explains. He's credited with a miss at 6'4"--his opening height--for interfering with the other jumpers. Dan was doing strides on the lefty side while the righties were jumping. Innocent mistake but still a no-no. Dan's high jump coach, Bob Mackenzie, assures him that it's on these days when the best things happen, and Dan proceeds to breeze through 6'4, 6'6, and 6.8. At 6'10 he narrowly clips the bar with his heel and the bar slowly topples off the standard. But the bespectacled Olson is clearly a student of the event. He exits his misses with head down, calm, seemingly calculating the necessary corrections.

The crowd is interested, but still preoccupied with the races endlessly whizzing by. Then he hits 6'10 on his second attempt and a polite applause ensues. He makes a nice attempt, but misses his first jump at 7'0". But now people are watching. When he clears 7'0" on his second attempt, the effect of the crowd-in-close-quarters is felt. The cheer is louder then you hear at most meets, and now you hear people asking "Who is he?" "What's the State Record?"

The bar is set at the State Record: 7'2". Track guru Larry Byrne is exclaiming that the bar should be set a quarter-inch higher, but the event forges ahead, not heeding Larry's advice. 7'2" is made on the second attempt and the crowd sends up a spontaneous roar, delighting in mild-mannered Dan's joy. But Dan quickly mutes his excitement as he heads right back to his starting position, waiting what must seem an eternity for the officials to diligently climb their boxes and measure the bar as is required at record heights. He misses his first attempt at 7'3", then on the second attempt, he amazingly doesn't touch the bar at all--no help from generous implements. Fists are pumping in the air. People who don't even know him act as if he's one of their teammates. A new State record. And now his luck turns, the re-measure finds the bar was officially at 7'3.25"---Dan is headed to Atlanta for the USATF nationals in March.

Now the debate starts. Should he quit now with the everlasting memory of such a great accomplishment? Is 7'4 realistic? Shouldn't he go out on a high note in an event that ironically always ends in failure? Others protest that he should go for it. This is the nature of the High Jump. When its your day, you seem able to do anything.

There is no such debate in Dan's mind. He waits patiently for the measurements to take place, then wastes no time on his first attempt at 7'4". The rhythmic clapping dominates the fieldhouse. Same speed, same arc, no sign of fatigue. His shoulders, then his backside brush the bar--but it stays! 7'4"--a new Eastern Record and Dan shows more emotion then we've ever seen from him. One has to admire the self-confidence and poise as he heads right back to make a go at the 22 year-old national record of 7'5" set by, oddly enough, Gale Olson of Sycamore, Illinois. His first and third attempts at 7'5.25" give us a glimpse of the real possibility that he will make this height before the year is out, but the bar won't stay. A prolonged applause ensues, and Dan raises his arms in almost embarrassed acknowledgement. It was one of the most exciting moments in High School track, with some in the crowd recalling the great 7'1"-7'0" duel of Oceanside's Alex Rosen and Carmel's Eric Muller at Yale in 1990.

And the best part is, it's clear that Dan appears undaunted by the task ahead, "It's only a matter of time, but I don't know when or where" says Dan. And now, the rest of us are believers as well. No one will overlook his name again. Thanks for a great afternoon, Dan.

6'4	6'6	6'8	6'10	7'0	7'2	7'3	7'4	7'5.25
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