In the running high jump also the standard has improved. In 1864 a jump of 5 ft. 6 in. was considered excellent. The Scotch professional Donald Dinnie, on hearing that M. J. Brooks of Oxford had jumped 6 ft. 2½ in. in 1876, wrote to the newspapers to show that upon _a priori_ grounds such an achievement was impossible. Since then many jumpers who can clear over 6 ft. have appeared. In 1895 M. F. Sweeney of New York accomplished a jump of 6 ft. 5(5/8) in. Ireland has produced many first-class high jumpers, nearly all tall men, P. Leahy winning the British amateur record in Dublin in 1898 with a jump of 6 ft. 4¾ in. The American A. Bird Page, however, although only 5 ft. 6¾ in. in height, jumped 6 ft. 4 in. High jumping is done over a light staff or lath resting upon pins fixed in two uprights upon which a scale is marked. The "take-off," or ground immediately in front of the uprights from which the spring is made, is usually grass in Great Britain and cinders in America. Some jumpers run straight at the bar and clear it with body facing forward, the knees being drawn up almost to the chin as the body clears the bar; others run and spring sideways, the feet being thrown upwards and over the bar first, to act as a kind of lever in getting the body over. There should be a shallow pit of loose earth or a mattress to break the fall. The standing high jump is rarely seen in regular athletic meetings. The jumper stands sideways to the bar with his arms extended upwards. He then swings his arms down slowly, bending his knees at the same time, and, giving his arms a violent upward swing, springs from the ground. As the body rises the arms are brought down, one leg is thrown over the bar, and the other pulled, almost jerked, after it. The record for the standing high jump without weights is 6 ft., by J. Darby in 1892. By the use of a spring-board many extraordinary jumps have been made, but this kind of leaping is done only by circus gymnasts and is not recognized by athletic authorities. For pole-jumping see POLE-VAULTING. See _Encyclopaedia of Sport_; M. W. Ford, "Running High Jump," _Outing_, vol. xviii.; "Running Broad Jump," _Outing_, vol. xix.; "Standing Jumping," _Outing_, vol. xix.; "Miscellaneous Jumping," _Outing_, vol. xx. Also _Sporting and Athletic Register_ (annual). FOOTNOTE: [1] The verb "to jump" only dates from the beginning of the 16th century. The _New English Dictionary_ takes it to be of onomatopoeic origin and does not consider a connexion with Dan. _gumpe_, Icel. _goppa_, &c., possible. The earlier English word is "leap" (O.E. _hléapan_, to run, jump, cf. Ger. _laufen_).