FACES IN THE CROWD

SHAWN BARBER

KINGWOOD, TEXAS > TRACK AND FIELD

Shawn, a recent graduate of Kingwood Park High and this year's Texas 4A state pole vault champion, cleared 18'3½" to break the national high school record by half an inch at the AAU National Junior Olympics in Humble, Texas. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, he cleared 18'2½" to win bronze for Canada at the World Junior Championships in July. The winner of this year's Texas Relays, Great Southwest Classic and New Balance Nationals, Shawn will attend the University of Akron.

ZANA MUNO

HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF. > VOLLEYBALL

Zana, who will be a sophomore at Notre Dame High (Sherman Oaks), won the AAU Best of the Beach 16-and-under tournament in Santa Monica in three sets alongside partner Gianna Guinasso (Huntington Beach), to become the first athlete to win the AAU Triple Crown of junior beach volleyball. In her hometown in July, she won the 16-and-under titles in the two other major tournaments on the AAU tour, the nationals and the Junior Olympics, with two other partners.

MARC ARNOLD

NEW YORK CITY > CHESS

Marc, a recent graduate of Columbia Prep, won the 2012 U.S. Junior Championship in St. Louis, ranking No. 1 in the preliminaries before defeating Alec Getz (also of New York City) in a two-match final. His win earned him a spot in next year's U.S. Championship. The week before, Marc tied for third at the World Open in Philadelphia, the largest tournament in the U.S. Already an international master, he currently holds a 2540 FIDE rating, the 30th best in the world among juniors. He will attend Indiana.

KALLIE MYERS

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO > SOAP BOX DERBY

Kallie, who will be a senior at Bridgeport High, won the 75th annual All-American Soap Box Derby's Super Stock division (10- to 17-year-olds) in Akron with a 29.4-second final-heat finish on the 989-foot track. Competing in her final year of eligibility, she had to repair a broken rear axle and replace her wheels in under an hour when a competitor lost control and rammed her after she had crossed the finish line in the first heat. Kallie came back to defeat 127 drivers for the title and a $5,000 scholarship.

CHARLES ANTHONY

SWANSEA, MASS. > GOLF

Charles, a recent graduate of La Salle Academy (Providence), shot an ace on the 18th and final hole of the Rhode Island Junior PGA Championship to win the title by one stroke. Trailing runner-up Steve Letterle by two going into the par-4, 304-yard final hole at Montaup Country Club, he finished with a 22-over 164. As team captain at La Salle, Charles led the Rams to an undefeated season (14--0), including wins at the McCampbell Cup and Challenge Cup. He will compete at Bentley University.

CARLY BEDINGHAUS

COLUMBUS, OHIO > EQUESTRIAN

Carly, a recent graduate of Hilliard Darby High, won the Western Rider of the Year title at the Interscholastic Equestrian Association nationals in Oklahoma City. Riding for the Dare Equestrian Team, she took first in the varsity open horsemanship event and was sixth in open reining to earn overall high points, beating out 11 other riders. The president of her 4-H Club and vice president of the Franklin County Junior Fair Board, Carly will attend the Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

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RAISING THE BAR

World records in track and field often come down to hundredths of a second and fractions of an inch. But since the first modern Olympics, in 1896, small improvements have, in some cases, amounted to great change, especially among female athletes—look no further than these four events (whose current records survived the London gold rush).

[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]

% CHANGE IN WORLD RECORDS SINCE 1896

300% 100% 75% 45% 15%

MEN

WOMEN

1,500 METERS

17.7%

35.0%

TRIPLE JUMP

22.6%

76.0%

LONG JUMP

24.3%

110.1%

SHOT PUT

56.8%

248.2%

PHOTO

MATT DUNHAM/AP (HIGH JUMPER)

PHOTO

SCOTT TATE PHOTOGRAPHY (BARBER)

PHOTO

MARY ANSELMO (MUNO)

PHOTO

BETSY CARINA DYNAKO (ARNOLD)

PHOTO

DANIEL MAINZER (MYERS)

PHOTO

TRACY ANTHONY (ANTHONY)

PHOTO

BOBBI BEDINGHAUS (BEDINGHAUS)