It has been almost 40 years since I last competed for the DHS Indians in The Dalles, Oregon. Coach Al Miller talked to me about trying out for the track team. He thought I might be able to learn how to pole vault. As a sophomore in 1962 I attempted vaulting for the first time. It took a persistent and patient coach to help me struggle through the first several weeks of practice. Al would stay after everyone else had left and stretch a string or yarn across the standards at a ridiculously low height, just to make it so I could clear something. Eventually I caught on and proceeded to have reasonable success throughout my high school days.

(The dates in these tables are when the article was published, not the date of the meet.)

   John Altendorf  --  '64                       April 3, 2007

click on a link below for a results page from:
college  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011 

1962 Dalles High School track meets
Al Miller - Head Coach
date opponent(s) location links to
articles
my height place
06-Mar-62 introduction   Chron    
27-Mar-62 pre-meet   Chron    
29-Mar-62 Hood River Home Chron N/A  
04-Apr-62 Reynolds Away Chron N/A  
09-Apr-62 Bend - Elks relays Away Chron N/A  
10-Apr-62 HR and Reynolds   Til N/A  
12-Apr-62 pre-meet   Chron    
14-Apr-62 Pendleton Home Chron 8' 0" JV 3rd
17-Apr-62 Goldendale Home Chron 8' 6" tie 2nd
19-Apr-62 pre-meet   Chron    
24-Apr-62 Goldendale   Til    
24-Apr-62 Wa-Hi Relays   Chron    
26-Apr-62 pre-meet   Chron    
30-Apr-62 Hermiston Home Chron 10' 0" JV ?
02-May-62 Hood River/Concordia Away Chron 9' 8" tie 2nd
07-May-62 Bend Bulletin Away Chron 10' 6" tie 2nd
08-May-62 Hermiston & Hood River   Til    
10-May-62 Goldendale JV   Chron    
11-May-62 article   Chron    
14-May-62 sub-district   Chron 10' 0" tie 4th
16-May-62 pre-district article 1   Chron    
18-May-62 pre-district article 2   Chron    
21-May-62 districts   Chron 10' 6" tie 6th
23-May-62 article   Chron    

1963 Dalles High School track meets
Al Miller - Head Coach
date opponent(s) location links to
articles
my height place
12-Mar-63 introduction   Til    
21-Mar-63 6-way meet   Chron ? ?
26-Mar-63 article   Til    
28-Mar-63 pre-meet article   Chron    
05-Apr-63 pre-meet photo   Chron    2nd
06-Apr-63 Mid-Col Invitational   Chron 10' 6" 2nd
09-Apr-63 article   Til    
11-Apr-63 Redmond/Goldendale   Chron 11' 6" 1st
16-Apr-63 Hayward Eugene Chron NH  
23-Apr-63 article   Til    
25-Apr-63 pre-meet article   Chron    ?
27-Apr-63 Bend Home Chron ? 2nd
03-May-63 pre-meet article   Chron    
06-May-63 Bend Bulletin Bend Chron 11' 0" 2nd
08-May-63 article   Til    
10-May-63 pre-meet article   Chron    
13-May-63 sub-district Bend Chron 11' 11.25" 2nd
14-May-63 sports banquet article   Chron    
17-May-63 pre-district article   Chron    
20-May-63 district Bend Chron 11' 6" 3rd
21-May-63 article   Til    
24-May-63 pre-state article   Chron    
27-May-63 state Corvallis Chron 11' 6" ?

1964 Dalles High School track meets
Al Miller - Head Coach
date opponent(s) location links to
articles
my height place
10-Mar-64 introduction   Til    
17-Mar-64 pre-meet article   Chron    
19-Mar-63 Jefferson Portland Chron 10' 6" 1st
24-Mar-64 article   Til    
27-Mar-64 pre-meet article   Chron    
30-Mar-64 Willamette Relays Salem Chron ? ?
01-Apr-64 pre-meet article   Chron    
04-Apr-64 Mid-Col Invitational Home Chron 11' 6" 1st
07-Apr-64 article   Til    
04-Apr-64 Wy'east/Goldendale Wy'east Chron 12' 4.75" 1st
17-Apr-64 pre-meet article   Chron    
04-Apr-64 Hayward/Wa-Hi Eugene Chron 12' 9" 2nd
21-Apr-64 article   Til    
25-Apr-64 Bend Home Chron 12' 0" 1st
02-May-64 4-way Home Chron 12' 0" 1st
05-May-64 article   Til    
07-May-64 photo article   Chron    
09-May-64 Pendleton Home Chron 13' 4.5" 1st
18-May-64 Bend Bulletin Bend Chron 12' 0" 1st
25-May-64 sub-district Bend Chron 12' 6" 1st
29-May-64 photo article   Chron    
30-May-64 district Hermiston Chron 12' 0" 2nd
02-Jun-64 Skandara article   Chron    
06-Jun-64 photo article   Chron    
08-Jun-64 state plus.. Corvallis Chron 12' 6" ?
16-Jun-64 Fiberglass Era article   Chron    

click on a link below for a results page from:
college  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011 

Green background in the "height" column indicates a school record jump.

(Newspaper abbreviations in "links to articles" column)
Chron = The Dalles Chronicle
Til = The Dalles HS Tillicum
Ore = Oregonian; Portland
Sta = Statesman; Salem
GT = Gazette Times; Corvallis