Denby broke the school record in the 60 meter hurdles while also winning the title at the Big 12 Championships (Texas sports photo) |
1. After placing 5th indoors in the 60 meter hurdles and 4th outdoors in the 100 meter hurdles, what are some of your goals for the 2003 seasons?
One of my goals is to win nationals. My ultimate goal is to win what Bev (Kearney) calls the Ofour rounds, which is indoor and outdoor conference and nationals. I also want to break both school records in the short hurdles, and I just broke the indoor 60-meter hurdles record (8.10) this past weekend at the Big 12 Championships.
2. What do you feel you have to improve on the most in order to achieve what you would like to accomplish?
I need to improve in some technical areas of hurdling like improving my body position going into and over the hurdle.
3. How has your training and preparation been so far up to this point during the indoor season and heading into the outdoor season?
My training has been awesome. I've been training very well from the conditioning part all the way through the speed and endurance parts. I've run faster in workouts than I ever have before. So my preparation has been excellent.
4. You placed second at the Big 12 Championships both times indoors and outdoors in each of the short hurdle events. How motivated are you this season in wanting those titles to bring back to Texas?
Extremely hungry. I want to win both titles this year. I won indoors last weekend, and I want to continue that through the outdoor season.
5. It should be another great year in the hurdles with stars such as Danielle Carruthers of Indiana and Perdita Felicien of Illinois. How do you mentally prepare for the big meets when you line up against some of the top athletes in the country?
I don't think about the people in the lanes next to me. I focus on myself and my lane. They (Carruthers and Felicien) are great hurdlers, but I can't put all my energy into focusing on what they do, because it would take away energy I need for myself to get my job done.
6. Sports Illustrated recently ranked Texas as the number one sports college in America. Just how big is athletics in Austin?
Athletics are big here. I do feel we are the number one all-around sports college in the country, because we have a lot of great athletes and coaches and we win titles in nearly every sport.
Denby looks forward to the NCAA Outdoor Championships (Texas sports photo) |
7. The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be returning to your home state of California in Sacramento this season. How much are you looking forward to the meet?
I'm really looking forward to returning to California. We'll be running on a great track. I've already competed on it at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, so I¹m familiar with the track. Many of my family members will be able to attend since it's close to my hometown, so that will be something else I'm looking forward to.
8. What do you enjoy the most about competing in your events?
I enjoy competing in the hurdles because it's a very technical event. It is an event that brings a lot of attention from the fans. It's also a very competitive event and I like competition.
9. How difficult is it to be a student-athlete on the basis of trying to manage your time between everything?
It's very difficult being a student-athlete because you don't have time for anything other than school and your sport. It's hard to balance the two because both are very time-consuming.
10. What are some of your favorite movies and music that you listen to?
Movies: OLove and Basketball and OScarface. Music: Tupac, Jay-Z, 50 Cents and Eve. I also make my own CDs with different rap and R&B songs.
11. What has been the best kind of advice anyone has ever given to you?
You have to believe and want it for yourself more than anybody else wants it for you.