SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Stacy Dragila, the world champion and world recordholder in the women's pole vault, declared herself fit enough to clear 16 feet at a Wednesday press conference held in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials. Dragila, whose world record is 4.62 meters (15 feet, 1.75 inches), opens competition at the Olympic Trials with the women's pole vault preliminaries on Friday, with the finals Sunday. A northern California native, Dragila attended Placer High School in Auburn, Calif. - roughly 30 minutes from Sacramento. Below are excerpts from Wednesday press conference. For a full biography of Dragila, visit the USATF Web site: http://www.usatf.org.
Stacy Dragila Press Conference Q: What precautions will you take so you won't no-height like Jeff Hartwig in the men's pole vault? SD: "The way I approach any competition is to go in at a safe height, and given the weather factors, like it could be windy out at the track and it's not set up in an ideal situation, but if we don't have any wind it's going to be fine for us. But usually it's a north-south wind and we're setup to compete east-west, and that's not ideal for pole vaulters. It showed on the final day of the guys pole vault as they struggled with it. So I'm definitely going to open up at a safe height, and not take any chances that way." Q: Is the pole vault one of the most difficult events in all of sports? SD: "It's one of the toughest. I competed in the heptathlon and I know some of those other events and you have to be out there for a long time. It's not that you're out there for just 50 seconds running a race. You have to be out there enduring the weather and the other athletes. There's a lot of pressure involved in the event, and there's so many things involved with the run, the takeoff and the gymnastics maneuvers in the air, and everything else. There's a lot involved with the pole vault." Q: How ready are you for this competition? SD: "I've had some good practices lately and I feel I'm right there. I think 16 feet could happen on a good day, and it wouldn't be that big of a deal." Q: Is there more pressure on you competing in Sacramento where you grew up? SD: "I feel real comfortable. My family has been real supportive, and I have tons of family and friends here. But they know I'm here to take care of business, and they're willing to wait until after my competition to yell 'Stacy, Stacy' or whatever. They told me they'd love me no matter what happens and they're just excited that I've come this far and that I've done something in track and field. I don't feel the pressure from them." # # # |
