Friday, April 20, 2007
USATF on Friday hosted a teleconference with Suzy Powell, who broke the American record in the discus a week ago.
Powell won the Maui "Big Wind" Discus Challenge in Wailuku, Hawaii, with her record throw of 67.67 meters/222-0.
Excerpts from her teleconference are below.
SUZY POWELL
Q: Tell us about your record throw.
A: I've had some coaching changes, and I'm working with Dan Pfaff this year. Having his guidance on a daily basis has been a huge boost to my training, to have the technical expertise along with the guidance. I've been telling people that to throw so far so early is a nice reward for all the work we've done. We've done lots of volume and lots of technical work. I can't say the record comes as a surprise, but I'm certainly enjoying it.
Q: Suzy, you had this record once before [in 2002, when her mark was not ratified due to the throwing sector sloping downward]. Is there any satisfaction in throwing the record in an atmosphere with much less doubt?
A: When I broke the record in 2002, I wasn't aware there was any problem with the field. For years, people had been throwing there and getting qualifying marks. So initially, I thought everything would be OK in 2002, but lo and behold, there were issues with degree of slope. It's gratifying to be in that kind of shape again and throw those sorts of distances. Bud Rasmussen and Bart Templeman did a great job in setting this up. The field was pre-certified, making sure that if someone were to break a record, it would hold up. Maui has been a good island for me. I was married there in '04, and one of my mother's wishes before she died was to go to Maui, so it has a special place for me.
Q: What are your goals for the World Championships?
A: Just to be able to be in good enough shape to throw 65 or 66 meters in stadium conditions. We are very process-driven, so we're just sort of chipping away to get to that point.
Q: Dan Pfaff is known more for jumps and sprints than for throws, isn't he?
A: He made the comment that he would be known as a throws coach again. He's coached some great throwers, including a javelin thrower from the Bahamas (Eve Laverne) who was sixth at the 2004 Olympics.
Q: Where are you training in California?
A: A good friend of mine, a land developer, has donated a parcel of his land and we've built a 10,0000 square foot indoor facility in addition to some outdoor jumping and throwing areas. It was a good opportunity for Dan to spread his wings a little bit. What we're trying to do at our facility at Tiger Bar Sports is give post-collegiate athletes a place to train. After graduation, a lot of us bounce around between locations and coaches. A lot of places see events like ours [throws and other field events] as a liability, and they are space intensive. That's why we built it. We're on Twitchel Island, across the river from Rio Vista. We're using about 10 acres of this property. Right now we have Amy Acuff, Tye Harvey, Becky Holliday and other people showing interest in training here.
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