Bend couple enjoys masters national meet together.

Byline: Chris Hansen The Register-Guard

John Cleveland has scaled mountains, fought in World War II, captained a Los Angeles fire department and now at the grand age of 78 (he'll be 79 in two weeks), he's 14 years into a career as a competitive pole vaulter.

Tired of watching her husband from the bleachers, Cleveland's wife, Sabra, has recently decided to join him in the fun.

Both are in Eugene for the 36th annual USA Masters Track & Field Championships being held at Hayward Field. Sabra Cleveland, 72, will participate in today's 65-89 age group discus competition. John Cleveland finished third on Thursday in the pole vault with a clearance of 7 feet, 10 1/2 inches.

"Not too bad for a guy my age," John Cleveland quipped. "I'm still able to sit up, still able to take solid food."

Cleveland's initial foray into pole vaulting was cut short when the Navy came calling for the 18-year-old college freshman in 1943. Cleveland rediscovered the sport in 1989 when he was invited to give it try a while jogging on a track in San Diego. By then, pole vaulting had changed quite a bit. But then, so had he.

The bamboo poles Cleveland had trained with as a high schooler in Iowa had been replaced by ones made of fiberglass. The dirt and mulched-weed landing pads had been replaced by actual foam pads. He no longer needed to use a hoe to clear a runway path.

"The first time I landed on the foam pad on my back, it was like 'Whoosh!' ' Cleveland said. "I thought, `Geez, this is kind of nice.' '

And necessary, considering that Cleveland was 64 at the time. After that day, Cleveland began to compete on the masters circuit and in 1995, he won a national indoor title, which he topped by winning a gold medal at the world championships in 1998.

"I still try and learn everything I can about pole vaulting," said Cleveland, who now lives in Bend and is a volunteer track coach at Bend High School. "I'll do it as long as I safely can. I've always liked challenges."

Until this year, Sabra Cleveland joined John at each meet. Then she got bored.

"I just was tired of sitting around at all these track meets," Sabra Cleveland said. "This way we still go to meets together, but now he doesn't have to worry about me sitting in the stands."

For Sabra Cleveland, who has always stayed in shape through tennis and daily walks, picking the right event to enter was simple.

"Well, I don't like to run or hurdle, I didn't want to shot put and I certainly didn't want to pole vault, so that left the discus," she said.

She picked up the discus for the first time two months ago and has since won two gold medals and one silver.

"I'm a natural," she said with a laugh. "I didn't know it was so technical. I don't spin or anything, I just take a few steps. Spinning will come next year."

"I'm tickled, really tickled," John Cleveland said about his wife joining him as a competitor. "She's been working five days a week on it and is really strong. It's really special that we can share this together."

While the Clevelands were talking in the stands on Thursday, world records were falling out on the track.

Pole vaulter Lenore McDaniels shattered the previous standard of 5-7 in the 75-79 age group by clearing 6-2 3/4 . The 75-year-old from Virginia first claimed the record when she made it over 5-10 3/4 .

She then passed the 6-foot height, and after some coaxing from her competitors, conquered 6-2 3/4 on her second attempt.

Bill Carter, 80, set a record in the pentathlon by scoring 3,688 points to break the old mark of 3,410.

Former Olympian JoAnn Grissom, 65, set an American age-group record in the shot put with a heave of 32 feet, one inch. The previous-best mark was 30-6 1/4.

Grissom was a hurdler in the 1960 Olympics and switched to the long jump by 1964.

The meet continues today starting at 8 a.m. Finals will be contested in the 400 meters, 80, 100 and 110 hurdles, and steeplechase.