Woods holds the Oregon pole vault school record with a height of 18-6 1/2 (GoDucks.com) |
1. After placing third overall at the indoor meet, you just missed out on the scoring by taking ninth at the outdoor meet. Were you satisfied on how your 2002 season played out?
No I wasn't very satisfied at all, but I am not the type of person who is very satisfied with my vaulting. I think the only way I would have been satisfied would have been if I had won the indoor NCAAs, outdoor NCAAs and the Pac-10 championship, but that is a very tough chore to accomplish, with all the great vaulters there are in the U.S. I was dissapointed how I finished the season, because after I jumped 18 feet in mid-April, I tailed off a bit at the end during all the big meets, and I have always prided myself in being a big meet jumper and to not jump well at the big meets outdoors was dissapointing. But at the same time, I was able to join the 18ft club, and I put myself in position to place well every big meet. Indoors I had the same height as 1st place, but got 3rd on misses. At the Pac-10s I had the same height as 2nd place, but finished 4th on misses, and at the outdoor championships I had the same height as 4th place, yet finished 9th on misses, so I had the opportunities to place better and all that has done is add more fuel to my fire this year.
2. You posted breakthrough sophomore season, competing in nine outdoor contests and was above 17 feet in every one after five similar marks as a frosh in 2001. What are some of your goals for this season?
I am pretty ambitious with my goals this year, in that, I would like to win the Indoor NCAAs, Pac-10 Championships (both individually and as a team), and the Outdoor NCAAs along with vaulting well at the U.S. Championships. As far as height, I would like to make 5.75 (18'10 1/2). All are very big goals, but I am a firm believer in setting very high goals for myself and my team. Are those goals a bit lofty? You betcha! Especially with all the good vaulters there are in the country. But I put in a lot of hard work this summer and fall getting stronger and more fit and now I feel I have put myself in the position as one of the favorites and am I really excited to try and take the next step and become an elite vaulter.
3. Currently you are ranked second in the Pac-10 among returning collegians based on last year's outdoor bests. One of the returnees for the indoor season include Brad Walker of Washington. How much of an advantage is it to have a close rival like Walker to help push you above your limits?
First of all, I have nothing but admiration for Brad as a vaulter and as a person, and I think it is awesome have him as a close rival. He is #1 in the country, and probably the favorite to win every collegiant meet he enters, but I guarantee I won't let him off that easy without and very tough fight. And I believe it is that kind of rivalry that produces very high marks, and makes for an enjoyable competition for ourselves and the fans. I will face him a couple times indoors, and outdoors he will come down to Hayward a couple of times, and I know the fans will be excited for the matchup and the hype it brings. It all creates a great atmosphere for us to chase after records.
4. In high school, you were a letterwinner in basketball at guard and quarterback for state semifinalist football squad. Do you miss competing in the other sports you participated in high school?
I love sports in general. I have played organized basketball, football, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, and gymnastics and I used to snow ski during the winter, all of which were a blast! I still play golf from time to time in the summer. But I miss the team atmosphere that came with high school basketball and football and I miss friday nights on the football field, especially during the playoffs. I remember being a lot more nervous for those than any vault competition I have been in thus far. But really, I don't miss those much more than that. I look at college football and it seems too much like a job for me to have done it in college. Besides, I love track and field and have always had an extreme passion for it, and I just feel blessed to be able vault in college (and at the Uof O nonetheless).
5. As one of the top vaulters to return this season, do you see yourself as one of the favorites for the indoor and outdoor titles?
Yes I do feel I am one of the favorites. I would much rather be the favorite than the underdog actually. When you are the favorite, everyone is chasing after you and that just increases the pressure, but I love knowing I have to perform or else I lose, because I HATE losing. It isn't very fun! Though I put myself in a favorites role, there are A LOT of great vaulters this year and I respect everyone of them, not only as vaulters but as people. (any vaulter will tell you we are one big family!) I have to compete against people like Brad Walker, Rocky Danners, Chris Steddum, Paul Litchfield, Mike Westlund, all the Arizona vaulters, UCLA vaulters, USC vaulters, Kansas vaulters and Texas Tech vaulters and so many more that are very, very tough. But one of the greatest sayings I have heard is "Respect all, but fear none" and that is my attitude this year.
6. What are some of the most important drills a vaulter should work on to improve their technique?
The vault all starts with a good rythym in your run and a good plant at take-off. If you dont have either one, it doesn't matter how good your top-end is because you aren't going to jump as high as you could. This a big focus for me right now actually. Some great drills are; rythym runs into a slide box, and push plants with a partner. I also believe all vaulters should incorporate gymnastics into their training. Being an ex-gymnast (8 years), I feel there is a direct correlation between vaulting and gymnastics. The other important drill is mental visualization. That's very key if not the greatest key to becoming an elite.
7. How much do plyometrics and weight room exercises play into the role to help you during competition?
All pole vaulters have to be long jumpers, so plyometrics are very important, but also important is lifting weights and getting stronger. Having had two full years in our strength coach's weight program has made me a much better athlete. As far as how those things help me in competition, its all preparation. There is the saying, "The hay is in the barn", and once you get into a competition, its just about competing. If you did all the plyo's and worked hard in the weight room before hand, then hopefully the results will be what you are looking for within the actual competition.
Woods looks to bring home 10 valueable points for the Ducks at the national meet (GoDucks.com) |
8. What is the atmosphere like on the Oregon campus and at Hayward Field during a meet?
It's unbelievable! There is the aura of Hayward Field that you feel when you are out there competing. Knowing that there have been so many special performances that have taken place at Hayward somehow makes the experience magical. Then there is the passion and knowledge that fans have that makes Eugene "Track Town U.S.A.". They appreciate every event from the Hammer throw, to the 100, to the 10,000 to the pole vault. The fans know who you are and they are loud and enthusiastic for every event. Last year we had a meet in early spring, in which the conditions weren't very good, and at every other track in America, there might have only been 1000 people watching, but that day, there were nearly 5000 fans and they had our wooden grandstands rockin! Plus, as a vaulter, we have the whole eastside of the grandstands (the backstretch) to ourselves, and that is where all the "pole vault-junkies" (as I like to call them) sit and they are such knowledgable, energitic and wild fans, which just motivates a vaulter to jump high and give them a great show.
9. When was the first time during your career that you realized the pole vault was an event you can really succeed at?
I got into the vault because I realized I wasn't fast enough and I couldn't jump far enough or high enough on my own (without the use of a stick). I started pole vaulting in the summer after my 6th grade year, and I think it was in my junior year in high school when I won our state meet with a 16ft jump that I realized that this event could take me places.
10. Do you prefer to compete indoors or outdoors in the vault?
I love indoors. In fact, I think the indoor NCAA championships in Arkansas is one of the most enjoyable meets I have ever competed in. They pack so many events in such a small area, its like a three-ring circus. But outdoors is what counts. The measuring stick on how good somebody is, is how well they compete outdoors. I feel that there is more at stake outdoors which ups the pressure and I love the fact that the weather can be a factor in competitions, because it can separate the men from the boys.
11. If you could step into the shoes of one person for a day, dead or alive, to experience what their life is like, who would it be and why?
I love this question! There are so many people to choose from. People like Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King Jr., or Tiger Woods all would catch my interest. But if I were to choose one person, it would be Jesus Christ. He was a such a great man. He was humble, loving, a servant, a teacher, a healer, filled with compassion for everyone, and not to mention he performed many great miracles such as turning water into wine, giving a blind man sight and walking on water. Thousands upon thousands of people followed him and if nothing more, wished to just touch him and be healed. He provided wisdom and hope for so many people. At the same time, he was also hated to a degree that no one could compare. He was hated to the point where he was flogged 39 times, beaten, bloodied and then nailed to the cross to be left for dead. I can't imagine what kind of pain that might have been. Just to be able spend one day in his shoes I think would give me such a different perpective towards things that matter now, and I would cherish every minute of joy or sadness that came with that day.