Amy Linnen of Arizona

Linnen is the collegiate indoor record holder in the pole vault (arizonaathletics.com)

1. You had an outstanding season which included the NCAA indoor title and record in the vault with a clearance of 14'10.25". Although your outdoor season marks were just short of your top indoor mark, was there any difference in your jumps from indoor to outdoor?

I have been learning so much and I still have a lot more to learn. Going from indoor to outdoor I needed to step back and go over learning the basics again. I was learning some new things that made me take steps back in order to go forward. I lengthened my run and raised my grip, which are all positive things. The result of this was that my timing was a little off. It started to come together but it was just a little too late.

2. Considering the warm weather year-round in Tucson, how much of an advantage does this give you since you can train outdoors most of the time?

One of the main reasons of why I came to Tucson was because of its beautiful weather year round. I do find this to be an advantage to practice all year round in. I practice outside in fresh clean air, sunshine, and head and tail winds. We have a north-south pit but sometimes we practice into a head wind and I feel that only makes me stronger physically and mentally. This way I am prepared for any condition. If it is too hot I practice later in the day and during the winter months it is comfortable.

3. You overcame a tough no-height at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to finish 13th at the USA Championships in a great field. What have you worked on over the summer to help improve on your performances from last season?

Over the summer I went back home to New York and had lots of fun. I volunteered my time with my high school coach to help teach the vault. Teaching others helps reinforce what I already know. I also learned how to surf and I spent a lot of time at the beach. I did a lot of swimming and running on the beach to maintain and recover.

4. Your high school career was decorated with being ranked the No. 1 female vaulter in the nation and the US high school record holder from the state of New York. Considering your options of the number of schools out there, what was your final decision in choosing Arizona?

My senior year was fun and exciting and full of decisions. One of those decisions was to choose the next road on the map of my life. Not only was I choosing between the top notch colleges in the country I was deciding where I was going to train and who I was going to be training with. I would be adopting a new family and spending the next 4 years there. I have enough trouble in the morning figuring out what cereal to eat, or what shoes to wear. This wasn't easy for me. Every school and every coach had something special to offer. They put all their time and energy in wanting me to be a part of there family. It came right down to the last signing period and I knew that I could go and be happy at any of these schools. I had to consider a number of variables that were important to me. These included coaching, academics, facilities, support, and weather. All of these needs were met by my selection of Arizona.

5. How much has gymnastics helped you in the vault today?

Being 5'10" people would never guess that I have done gymnastics. I grew up flipping and flopping around the house, in food stores or wherever. I walked more on my hands then I did on my feet. I have learned so much from the sport of gymnastics. It has helped shape me into the person that I am today. I learned how my body works and moves. The most important thing it taught me was my self-awareness. I was taught to be disciplined and how to handle winning, losing, stress, competition, injuries, and the ups and downs in life. I have used my experience and knowledge to my advantage and applied what I have learned to the vault. Gymnastics gave me only one bad habit that I am working hard on trying to break and that is I being Doric-flexed in my ankles. Otherwise I have gained strength, coordination, flexibility, awareness, and discipline to achieve bigger and better accomplishes in the pole vault. I have found the perfect sport for me.

6. The women's vault is getting better as each year goes by. How much longer until we see the first woman over 16 feet?

Not too much longer I don't think. There are a lot of great women vaulters out there that possibly could break the barrier. I know a lot of people think sixteen feet is not possible for women to vault. I disagree I think sixteen feet is a very attainable goal and I would like to be the first one to prove it. With the combination of knowledge Coach Hays can give and my desire to succeed, a goal of 16 feet will soon turn into 17 feet.

7. How long have you been competing in the vault and how did you come about picking it up?

I started competing my spring season of my junior year in High School. What got me interested was that I asked one of the guy vaulters "Do girls polevault?" and he said "no they aren't strong enough and don't make poles for them." That struck my interest right there. My high school sweetheart was a vaulter so he encouraged me to join track and I turned him down at first and said I don't like to run a lot. So he responded saying that I could do other things like hurdles and high jump. Well I thought that didn't involve too much running so I agreed.

At the same time all I really wanted to do was prove to the boys that girls could pole vault plus it looked fun and challenging. I was getting tired of being injured all of the time from gymnastics. So I stayed with track full time. Eventually I learned at a camp and pole-vaulted 9 foot by the end of camp. So when my high school coach found that out he called the county offices seeing if we could approve girl's pole vault for our county. Suffolk County didn't have it but other counties in New York did. So by spring season of my junior year girls started to vault. It was a great turn out. The first meet we had there was over 50 girls and the bar started at 4 feet. YIKES!

8. How often to you get to visit back home with your family and friends?

I only get to go home for winter break and summer break. I really miss my family, friends and the beach a lot.

9. Who has been the most inspirational person in your life at this point?

The most inspirational person should really be people. They are my parents. They would give me anything. And I don't mean material things, those are not important to me. They gave me love and support and made me the person I am today. I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for them. They give me strength and reassurance and believe in me. I am proud to have such great parents.

10. Who are some of the athletes you have met during your collegiate career so far and how have they helped you along the way?

I have made lots of friends through the sport of track and field. Not only have I become friends with the athletes, I have made friends with coaches and parents. First I train with a great group of vaulters and athletes. We are always there for one another and push and pull one another along the way. We all want to get better and want to see each other succeed. The pole vault family is big. Each year there is a gathering of vaulters at the annual vault summit that UCS Spirit hosts. This is where vaulters of all ages and abilities have a pilgrimage to the Mecca or Reno. I have met some of my closest friends there. I have also met world class and Olympic athletes as well. Stacey Dragila I have to say is really setting an example for the future generation and I thank her for that. At USA nationals, she was there for me and she might not even know it. She guided me along and took me under her wing in a sense.

11. Should helmets be required for all vaulters to wear during competition?

The issue of helmets is a very debatable and political issue. I personally feel that helmets shouldn't be required to wear during vault competitions. The sport of pole vaulting is rare and not highly publicized. So when people hear about vaulters getting injured it is major news because it doesn't happen a lot like other sports. I feel that under the right supervision pole vaulting is one of the safest sports. I feel that helmets give false confidence to vaulters and may do things that they wouldn't dare doing if they didn't have a helmet on.

12. What kind of courses are you studying and how do you manage your time between classes and practice to focus on school?

I am taking physiological sciences and physical education courses. One day I would love to teach and coach.