'OK as a Judge,' Retired California Jurist is a Record-Breaking High-Jumper
A former high school social studies teacher and prosecutor, as well as a retired judge, John Dobroth still hears juvenile cases in Ventura County, Calif.
But although he is known for the thoughtful, creative sentences he metes out, the 70-year-old considers himself only “OK as a judge,” he tells the Ventura County Star, and he thinks of himself as a member of the judiciary only when he has his robe on.
His real calling, he feels, is as an athlete. And he has the record to prove it, having not only recently won first place in his age group in the high jump at the World Master’sTrack and Field Championship in Sacramento, but set a U.S. record for his 60-75 age group with a 5-foot-1-inch leap.
“I wanted to break the American record for my age group, and I’ve done that,” Dobroth said. “I’d like to go after the world record, too.” He appears to be less than 2 inches away from it, according to the World Masters Athletics records page.
