Mark Jones was born with a high jump legacy, but the quest was long and at times frustrating before he matched the feats of his father, Bob Jones.
Bob Jones was a senior at East Brunswick (N.J.) when he cleared a state-record 7 feet in May of 1977. Bob, who was 5-foot-11 ½, later met and married a 6-foot high jumper named Susan while they were competing in track at Cornell University.
Now a 6-7, 200-pound senior at
Summit (N.J.), Mark had attempted the magical height five times during his junior year before finally clearing 7-0 this winter at the Group II Indoor Relays in Toms River, N.J.
"It was getting a little old," he said of earlier failed attempts. "It was a lot of relief, actually. Everybody started cheering. It was a great moment in my life."
Mark Jones clears 6 feet, 10 inches.
Photo by Bob Jones
His mom and dad couldn't have been any prouder.
Bob said, "I was so happy for him. We all knew he was so capable. It had been elusive for so long. His jumping 7-0 wasn't for me; it was for him. I've been his biggest fan of trying to beat the old man."
Even though Bob had held the previous state record of 6-10¼, he emphasized that the pressure was much greater on Mark.
"For me, it was just another height. It wasn't as magical then. It never impressed me that way," Bob recalled. "I celebrated joyously, but it wasn't so meaningful. It's a little fuzzy, but I remember trying 7-0 only one other time. Mark had newspaper articles for a year (asking when he was going to conquer that elusive 7-0 barrier). Back then (in 1977), it wasn't talked about as much. For him, it was more of a mental barrier than a physical barrier."
Ironically, Bob's record stood for only about four hours before Tim Carr of
St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.) cleared 7-0¼ on the same day at a different meet.
Bob Jones clearing 7 feet in 1977.
Courtesy of the Jones family
Though both of his parents were accomplished high jumpers, Mark played basketball and soccer, too, as a youngster. He started track in fifth grade, but concentrated on the hurdles, sprints and long jump. The high jump was not even part of the program at that level.
"We had no pre-designs on that," Bob said of pushing his son into the high jump. "It was not genetic engineering. Our older son (Doug, who is 6-4) was a swimmer. It was always their decision."
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