High Jumpers High Jumping In A Grocery Store Because That's What Iowa Does

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WAUKEE, IA (KCCI/CBS) – The week of the Drake Relays began Monday with a new tradition to kick off one of the country’s most famous track and field events. Ten elite high jumpers put on a show inside the Hy-Vee grocery store. The event, dubbed the “Hy-Vee High Jump,” was the first of its kind in central Iowa. Several years ago, Drake Relays director Brian Brown began a push to take events out of Drake Stadium and into the community. It began with a high jump exhibition at a city park and then expanded to the “Pole Vault in the Mall” event. Erik Kynard won the men’s event with the fewest misses, clearing 7’6″. Inika McPherson won the women’s event. Nearly 1,000 people attended the exhibition.

Ahhhh home sweet home.  No better place than the state of Iowa.  Home of the Drake Relays.  And how do you get people in the community excited about the Drake Relays that start this week?  Radio spots?  TV commercials?  Road side billboards?  Guy in a track suit waving a sign at a busy intersection?  Nope.  Not creative enough.  That stuff is old news.  You need to take the product to where the people are and think outside the box.  What do you do?  You set up a high jump at the local grocery and have some of the state’s top high jumper come in and just start jumping.  Duh.  Sneaky genius.  People need food so there’s no way they can avoid the grocery store.  That marketing scheme is so ridiculous that it might actually work.  If people won’t come out to the track and watch, bring the track to them.