Five Questions: Emily Pendleton
6/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field, Features, Olympics
Emily Pendleton just completed her freshman season on the University of Michigan women's track and field team as a thrower, winning the discus title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and qualifying for NCAAs. She lived up to the hype of being the 2006-07 Gatorade National Girls' Track and Field Athlete of the Year, a four-time state discus champion in Ohio, and two-time Nike Outdoor Nationals and USA Junior Outdoor Nationals discus champion.
She enters the USA Trials a long shot to make the Olympic squad but hopes to use the experience garnered from this shot at Beijing to help her prepare for a run at the 2012 Olympics. Pendleton's previous international experience came when she competed at the 2007 Junior Pan-American Games in Brazil, winning gold for the U.S. in the discus.
Q: How did your first year of college track and field differ from what you expected?
It's a lot more intense, and I like that a lot. There's a lot more competition, and it took me a little while to get used to going into competitions and maybe not having the best mark like I did in high school. I've learned to work past that and do the best that I can. It's made me a better thrower and it's made me a better person and has been worth it.
Q: Which event is your favorite and why?
Discus is my favorite event because it's not so much about being the strongest person or being the biggest person. You need to be strong, but it's about technique and finesse and being able to move in the right way. I like it because it doesn't mean I have to be the biggest person out there because I'm not. I'm 5-7 and that's nowhere near some of the girls out there throwing. To be able to compete at their level and not have to be as tall as them or as big or strong is pretty cool.
Q: What are your goals for this year's Olympic Trials, and do you have your eyes set on the 2012 Olympics?
I figure that going to the Olympic Trials in 2008 will give me that learning experience to make myself comfortable in what I'm doing and where I'm competing. I'll learn what's going on and how these things work so that when I come back in 2012, I'll be ready to go and have that shot at it.
Q: What has your experience been like in international competitions such as the World Junior Pan Am games?
To compete for the United States is the most amazing feeling there is. To put on the USA uniform and know that you're representing your country is the coolest feeling. The people on the teams are great and they work really hard and have the same dreams I do. They know the effort it takes to get there. The coaching staffs are amazing; they are there for you. The entire point of them going on the trip is to be there for you. It's amazing to work with people like that.
Q: What is your favorite Olympic moment?
In 2004 when they held the shot put in Athens in the original stadium where the first shot put competition took place (The Stadium of Ancient Olympia). It was so cool to be able to watch the competition and think, wow, this is where it all started and it's happening here again.
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