good cheers. T&FN INTERVIEW T&FN: Yet you’ve preferred high jumping to hoops. Why? Acuff: I think I’m probably just a little bit more introverted, and in a team sport you’re limited because you may be willing to work harder and longer than your teammates, whereas in track you can just go out and go nuts and it’s all on your shoulders—both the blame and the success. Amy Acuffsleeping or my mood or the color of my tongue T&FN: And the financial risk and reward. You by Sieg Lindstrom High jumper Amy Acuff earned her first World to get an overall picture of what I need more did a shoot and made the cover for their Ranking and U.S. No. 1 a decade ago, yet set her of and if I’m overtraining or I’m pretty well “Women of the Olympics issue” last year. Did first PR (6-7) in six seasons in ’03 and last sum- recharged and ready to go. I have a much better that pay well? mer earned her highest-ever global championships idea of how much I have in the tank. Acuff: I have to say that’s pretty much placing at the Olympics, 4th. T&FN: What is your strong suit as a jumper? why I did it. Having married World-Ranked vaulter Tye Acuff: I really rely on my nervous system T&FN: Was it hard for a self-described introvert Harvey last fall and finished a degree in Oriental and rhythm and the coordination. I’m definitely to pose for Playboy? Medicine and acupuncture this winter, Acuff is not nearly as strong as, let’s say, the Olympic Acuff: I think the funniest thing for me is currently preparing at the ARCO Olympic Training champion. She can probably squat maybe 20 people have certain expectations of you and Center in California. “Being in a technical event, times more than I can. you know, you don’t really get it together until T&FN: Literally? you’re maybe in your early ’30s,” she says. “I’m Acuff: Yeah. I don’t “I’m 29 now and feel like this 29 now and feel like this will be my best time—the do any squats and if I did, next four years—for competing and achieving some I might be able to squat will be my best time—the next really high heights.” maybe 40 kilos [c90lb] or We asked her to elaborate: something. And I’m sure four years—for competing and she could squat 400lb achieving some really Acuff: Pretty much, my running style has [c180kg] or something. really opened up and become more powerful The difference is that high heights.” through being more open. I’m not losing so I can coordinate and be much speed through the end of my approach. explosive and rely on my In fact, I’m acceler- technique. I just don’t — Acuff Facts — ating, whereas by have that raw ability to •Personal: Amy Lynn Acuff; the way that I ran I come in on my jump leg, born July 14, 1975, in Pt. used to kind of put sink down 6 inches and Arthur, Texas. 6-2/146 on the brakes at the take off from it. (1.88/66) end. And I’ve done I have to have this •Coach: Dan Pfaff (Todd a lot of work on my very consistent way of Henson overseeing work- running up and utilizing outs) structure. the forces and the timing •Education: Calallen (Corpus That’s kind of a Christi) ’93 (HS Athlete Of battle to keep ev- of it, as opposed to run- The Year); UCLA ’97 erything together, ning up and muscling •Club: Asics but through old in- over it like some high •PR: 6-7 (2.01) ’03 (2, 5 A) jury patterns and school basketball player •Major Honors: 3)USJ ’91; old scar tissue you or something. 1)USJ, 9)WJr, nq)OT ’92; sometimes can’t T&FN: Have you ever 1)USJ; 1)NCi, 2)NC, 1)USJ, get in the positions done squats? =3)WJ ’94; 1)NCi, 1)NC, 1) you need to get Acuff: Yeah. It’s never US, =8)WC, 8)WUG ’95; 3) into, so I’ve been really worked out. The NCi, 1)NC, 3)OT, nq)OG ’96; more Olympic lifting I’ve 1)NCi, 2)NC, 1)US, nq)WC, really working on 1)WUG ’97; 3)USi, 2)US my thoracic mobil- done, the slower and the ’98; 2)USi, 2)US, 9)WC ’99; ity and my hips. lower I jumped. =3)OT, nq)OG ’00; 1)USi, T&FN: Does I do a lot of Swiss 4)WIC, 1)US, =10)WC ’01; your expertise in ball dynamic type stuff 2)USi, 3)US ’02; 2)USi 10) Chinese medicine with instability. That WIC, 1)US, =9)WC ’03; 1) USi, 3)OT, 4)OG ’04 and acupuncture works really well for me because I have to re- •World & U.S. Ranks: ’93—x, help you? 7; ’94—x, 3; ’95—10, 1; Acuff: Acu- ally prepare my nervous ’96—x, 3; ’97—5, 1; ’98—5, puncture’s great. system to fire in those 2; ’99—x, 2; ’00—x, 4; Through the edu- positions where I’m off- ’01—6, 1; ’02—x, 2; ’03—10, cation that I got in balance. That’s the kind 1; ’04—5, 1 Chinese medicine of training that really has it’s been really helped me the most. wonderful to learn how to see things coming T&FN: You played high from far away, rather than running into health school basketball on a Texas problems and wondering why does this hap- State title team. How good were you? after being in that magazine, someone who pen. You can really have a lot of foresight and Acuff: Well, I was in a dunk contest this meets you who’s never met you before, they indicators. January with , might expect you to be a certain way. For example, I pay attention to how I’m and Charles Clinger, and I got some pretty Even about just maintaining your appear-

48 — June 2005 Track & Field News ance or whatever. I roll out of bed and I don’t even comb my hair and some- close to any of those experiences. It happens so times on the track if I have allergies I “Like A Movie I Saw Once” fast when you’re out there and you’re compet- just blow my nose in my t-shirt. I’m T&FN: What do you love most about track & field? ing. It’s almost like a movie I saw once and I really gross and I don’t care. Acuff: I think it’s one of the most beauti- wasn’t really there. Sometimes I forget and I’m It’s funny for me to meet certain ful sports. Sometimes when I’m at the World like, “Wow, I was really out there competing.” people who didn’t know me before Championships or Olympics, or even the Golden If I see it later, I’m like, “How did I even do and it’s just kind of like people think League meets, when I come back to the hotel that?” The way I experience it in my body, I’m there’s an alternate world out there that room and see it on TV—just the action and the just going through this habitual rhythm that I doesn’t exist. colors and the drama—the athletes are, I think, do all the time. T&FN: Do they have an image rather just the most athletic, talented people of any But then when I see it on film or something— than a person in mind? sport. I think it’s just so great to watch. animated—it looks really difficult, and I think, Acuff: It’s almost like a product. T&FN: And you are part of that spectacle. “Gosh, I’m not sure I could ever do that again. It’s something that someone else came Acuff: It’s strange because I don’t feel really That looks really hard.” up with. The funny thing is you have very little control of what that product ends up looking like anyway—as far as people view me. T&FN: Did you clear a bar in the vault? makeup and lighting. It’s almost like it’s not you T&FN: What’s it like being married to another Acuff: They put the cord up for me and I at all. It’s just someone else created a product world-class athlete? was able to clear 10ft so I figured I’d just stop from an idea that was once you. Acuff: One reason Tye and I get along so there while I was ahead. 1/ well is I’ve been pretty T&FN: For spectators, your pass at 2.02 [6-7 2] isolated my whole life, in Athens was mystifying. Had you cleared on first just training and not re- try, you’d have won the bronze medal. ally venturing out to do Acuff: I understand looking at it on paper, a lot of activities, and he but with the other things factored in, I’d have was the opposite. made the same decision today and that’s what Like if he had a track [coach Dan Pfaff] has said too. meet that day, he might Part of the little inside scoop is that when I still go out and do some line it up and get a piece of it, it’s enough for 1/ crazy activity like para- 2.04 [6-8 4], but when I don’t it’s a bad jump— 3/ gliding or kiteboarding. like I could maybe clear 1.95 [6-4 4], not much So it’s been kind of higher. So I have the Jekyll & Hyde jump; it’s fun to live a little bit vi- all a question of whether I lined everything up cariously through him, and kept the shoulders back. through his activities. Then the other aspect of that decision was And he shows me new that I can’t take a lot of high-level jumps, and stuff. that 1.99 [6-6] was a monster effort out of me. T&FN: What have That’s really high neurological effort. you tried? Also when it’s down to that few jumpers, Acuff: He taught me let’s say I did PR on my first attempt to clear how to fly the kite for 2.02, I get the bronze but there’s no way I would kiteboarding in Corpus have good jumps at 2.04. My legs would have Christi. I haven’t got up been wasted. on the board in the water It was a gamble to get a better medal than a yet but I was on a little bronze. I really didn’t expect that that Russian land board on the sand. [Yelena Slesarenko] was going to be almost T&FN: Have you tried clearing the World Record. pole vaulting? T&FN: Do you think you could jump that high Acuff: He made me [6-9/2.06]? try it once when we were Acuff: Yeah, I do, actually, but it’s going to in Arkansas at Earl Bell’s take some technical improvements. place. Just from like T&FN: What’s the best competition you’ve a 4-step or something ever had? because if you back up Acuff: I’d have to say the Olympics in any further than that Athens were my best competition ever: to stay it’s really scary. If you calm through 1.99 in the face of being in the get any kind of speed Olympic Games. then you have to do That’s part of the problem, why I haven’t something. You could jumped higher heights—that once you clear get totally just rejected 1.99–2.01, then the bar goes up to something back the way you came. really exciting like 2.03, 2.04, and then you start

MARK SHEARMAN T&FN: It’s a vertical thinking, “OK, I’ve got to try harder,” you get jump, but very different too excited and then you kind of blow it. from the . Whereas if you would just execute the same Acuff: Very different, kind of jumps that you did before it would work and vice versa. Tye tried out. But then also you have the fatigue thing T&FN: Does that bother you? to high jump one day and it didn’t work out setting in. So it’s kind of a delicate balance. Acuff: No, it doesn’t bother me. It’s kind too well. He couldn’t clear 6ft. He was trying But I’m working on it and I have strategies of strange sometimes, and I generally don’t really hard. He was convinced he could do it, for that, so I’m going to play around with that spend a lot of time thinking about how other but he couldn’t get that height. this summer and get a PR.

The Bible Of The Sport June 2005 — 49