"He cleared 7-4.25 last week in Texas, but it didn't count as a state record..."
"It was a Colorado All-Time No. 1, but for it to be a record, he has to do it in Colorado..."
"He's hoping to do it today so it counts as a record..."
It seemed like everyone was talking about the Colorado high jump state record at the Frank Woodburn Invitational in Grand Junction, Colo. Saturday afternoon.
And with good reason.
The No. 1 high jumper in the country was eyeing a Colorado soil record of 7-4.25. And while he had cleared the mark a week ago, he had additional obstacles - excluding the bar.
Scottie Vines was racing the clock.
The clock, as in a brooding storm that loomed off to the west.
Intense winds and snow threatened to derail any record attempts.
It's true that Grand Junction experienced three Colorado seasons over the span of just a few hours Saturday.
There was wind. There was snow. And there was sun.
And there was Vines, eyeing the bar as it stood at 7-4.25.
He came in at 6-6 and made light-work of everything under seven-feet. Then he soared well over 7-0, and again at 7-2.
But with that 7-4 Colorado soil record on everyone's mind, including Vines', the bar was set high.
Three solid attempts but no clearance was the end result just as clouds of blue hues blanketed the landscape in dark shadows, filled with snow and wind.
But there was still that 7-2 clearance.
The De Beque senior and future Colorado Buff's performance at Frank Woodburn was his third-consecutive time over 7-2 this outdoor season.
He currently leads Colorado in the event by six-inches, and 1A by just under a foot.
Despite Colorado's bipolar weather, Vines still found a way to make something big happen.
"I didn't get to take as much time between jumps as I usually do," he explained of his strategy. "With the storm coming in, I had to make sure I got to jump while the weather was good."
The current - official - Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) high jump state record stands at 7-4, and it has been owned by Matt Hemingway for over thirty years.
This is what adds to the collective frustrated exhale - including by Hemingway himself - that Vines' 7-4.25 from the Texas Relays didn't count as an official record.
Editor's Note: There are only three Colorado (boys) state records older than Hemingway's high jump record.
Regardless, it was a US No. 1, and made Vines the No. 1 high jumper in Colorado history, even if the performance came out of state. Add that Vines is currently the only high jumper in the country to clear seven-feet outdoors.
"I'm not going to lie, I was a little upset when I heard it wouldn't count," Vines admitted. "But I'm not worried about doing it again. I'm working my body as hard as I can. Once I get fresh it's going to happen."
And so the show goes on for Vines, to another week, to another meet.
"The sky's the limit if I have a good day," he said.
And if the weather holds out.
