The Arcadia Invitational is a high school track and field meet held at Arcadia High School in Arcadia, California and was first held more than 40 years ago. It is considered to be one of the most competitive meets in the country and has been billed as the "Home of National Records." The Invitational attracts the top prep athletes in the United States and internationally (Canada, Mexico, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand). The Meet has played host to 25 national high school records and has helped to produce 152 U.S. Olympians.
Art White initiated my involvement in the Meet in 2007 and I have been a meet official managing the Girl's High Jump each year since then. I was a high jumper in school during the 1950's and selected managing the high jump because of my continuing interest in that event. I was fascinated watching Dick Fosbury revolutionize high jumping style as he won the Gold Medal in the Mexico Olympics in 1968, setting an Olympic record with a jump of 7' 4 1/4". His unorthodox performance, going over the bar backwards, has become the only jump style used and is called the Fosbury Flop.
The meet is a two day/three category affair. Friday night (the Relay Meet), Saturday during the day (the Open Meet), and Saturday night (the Invitational Meet), held this year on April 5th and 6th. I have always managed the high jump in the afternoon Open Meet. Harry Terrill joined me working at the high jump last year and worked with me again this year.
We only had 15 jumpers this year, a low number based on my past experience (we had 25 jumpers in 2009). We began the jumping at 5' 1" and raised the bar 2" at a time for jumpers making the previous height. The winner, Alysah Hickey of Coronado, CA, jumped 5' 9". She was also the winner last year and is listed in the 2018 Official Program as holding the Girls Open High Jump record of 5' 9" jointly with Erica Menzel of Santa Barbara who jumped that height in the year 2000. After Hickey was the only jumper that had cleared 5' 9" and was therefore the winner, she and her coach decided to have me raise the bar to 5' 11 1/4", which if she made it would break her school record. She missed all three jumps at this increased height. If I would have realized she held the Open record jointly I would have suggested she try 5' 10" first which, if made, would give her sole possession of the Open record.
The photo below shows Harry and I with Hickey, showing the bar at the height she jumped.
As an aside, the Girls Invitational High Jump record was set by Vashti Cunningham from Las Vegas, NV in 2014 at 6' 2". This year the event was won by Jessica Haney with a jump of 5' 8", one inch lower that the winning height in the Open Meet. The winner of the Open Meet is always allowed to participate in the Invitational that evening, but Hickey, this year's Open winner, also participated in the Open Girls Long Jump and said she thought she would be to tired to also participate in the evening Invitational Meet. Too bad -- if she could have jumped 5' 9" again she could have won the Girls Invitational High Jump.
