Steers First Over 7 Feet?

[Guest]

I have read in a couple of places that Lester Steers jumped more than 7 feet in the high jump in 1941 in two "unsanctioned" meets. This was from a German publication I found on Google. I also read in a Joe Faust post that recently deceased Charlie Dumas was the first to "officially" clear 7 feet.

Any comments?

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

See my comments on the "Best Practice/exhibition Marks" thread...

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

>See my comments on the "Best Practice/exhibition Marks" thread...<

Which is on the Historical Board, which is where this question should have been posted. Something that happened in 1941 is not exactly a current event.

[gh]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

Steers jumped 7-1/2 in Eugene on February 27, 1941. The date should give you a bit of a clue. It was an exhibition, I think during a basketball game. I suspect the floor was one of those "sprung" ones that gave a few extra inches (the kind I could dunk from).

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

A 'sprung' basketball floor? I'd like to know the surface, if anybody alive remembers (...for a book I'm doing ..which won't be 'done' for another
few years, if ever)

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

check out Maples pavilion on the stanford campus.

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

enter the term "sprung floor" for lots of citations, including this FAQ

http://www.sprungfloors.com/s.cgi?faq-001

[gh]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

"sprung floor" courts I played on back in the day were always said to have a 6-inch layer of horsehair between the flooring and the base

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

Horsefeathers!

[Conor Dary]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

Only a Californian would say Mac Court is full of horsehair!

C.D. U of O '78

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

>>See my comments on the "Best Practice/exhibition Marks" thread...<

Which
>is on the Historical Board, which is where this question should have been
>posted. Something that happened in 1941 is not exactly a current event.

This IS the historical board....

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

>>>This IS the historical board....<<

It wasn't here originally. The webmeister must have moved it.

[billthedog]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

Somebody out there must have access to the files of the Oregonian or the Eugene Register (as I think it then was). I've always understood Steers' jump was at half time of a basketball game, as gh says, but that must be based on my recollection of a story in the SF Chronicle. I'd love to see verification and a description of the exhibition. He also jumped 6-10 on February 14, same place.

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

I know somebody who lives in Eugene and I am going to ask them to go to the library and see what they can find.

[Guest]

Re: Steers First Over 7 Feet?

Right. You'd have to think that the next day's local paper would have lots of info on the event.