Interval Session #62 - Erin Pendleton By Dave Devine, June 12, 2008 For fans of girls' high school throwing, the name Pendleton will certainly ring a bell. Emily Pendleton was the predominant force in the discus for the last two years--winning back-to-back Nike Outdoor National titles before matriculating to the University of Michigan and a collegiate throwing career. This year there's another Pendleton on the scene, Emily's sister Erin Pendleton, now a junior at Woodmore HS in Ohio. Erin isn't exactly new to the national scene--she was a podium finisher at last year's NON with a sixth place showing of 149-03 and represented the US at the World Youth Championships-- but this season she's catapulted herself to the upper levels of the event with a series of marks which culminated in a US#2 168-10 at the Ohio Division III State Meet, where she surpassed her own sister's year-old state meet record. Now she trails only Anna Jelmini on the yearly national list, and as Erin indicates below, they'll soon have a chance to resolve that question in person. DyeStat Assistant editor Dave Devine catches up with the latest Pendleton powerhouse as she prepares for the post-season.

1) You had quite an Ohio state meet in the discus, getting a new PR of 168-10 and beating your older sister's state meet record in the process. Can you talk about your series, how it felt to let go of the big throw, and what went through your mind when you knew you'd topped Emily's record? Well going into the state meet I was feeling pretty good because I love the ring and it's a great throwing facility. My series was pretty consistent in prelims, and in finals I just wanted to give it my all. My first throw in finals was a little weird (the disc fell off my hand so it only went about 100 feet), but I just laughed it off and concentrated on the next throw, which broke Emily's record with 163' 9" and then on my final throw. I threw 168' 10" on that one,and we had to wait a little bit while the officials walked in the tape. One of them had a big smile on his face so I knew something good happened!  I was very excited about it and so was Emily! 2) For a lot of up-and-coming athletes chasing the national leader in an event, that person is an abstraction on a list, someone on the far side of the country. But for you the last few years, the national leader was sitting across the dinner table from you. Were there things you learned from Emily, or approaches to competing she passed along, which have helped you as you've risen to become one of the top discus throwers in the country? I've learned a ton from Emily. We would always practice together and would always help each other out. When my dad couldn't come to practice, sometimes we would critique each other. My dad always told me, what's the point of getting nervous when you compete with the best in the nation every meet? 3) Now that Emily is in college at Michigan, the national leader really is on the other side of the country: Anna Jelmini in California. Have you followed Anna's progress this season or kept track of her marks? Have you ever had the chance to compete against Anna, or connected with her through camps or other events? Yes, I've kept track of her a little bit on DyeStat. Unfortunately, no, I haven't competed against her but we will be [competing] in about a week at Junior Nationals, which I am very excited about! 4) My impression is that your dad is one of your coaches at Woodmore, just as he was for Emily. How does that relationship work out, finding the balance between coach/father and athlete/daughter? What are some of the important things you've learned from experiencing this yourself and watching Emily in that coaching situation? My Dad and I have a very good relationship, both on and off the field. He is an amazing coach and I am very fortunate to have him as a father also. He is the person that knows me best, so he knows what to say at the right times to help me keep improving. 5) You hear stories about families of throwers having throwing rings in their backyards, and I thought I remembered reading that Emily got into the sport when your dad found some implements from his own throwing days in the family barn. Do you have a facility at your house where you can practice, or does most of your practicing take place at the high school? When Emily comes home for breaks from school, do the two of you work out or have competitions together? Most of my practicing takes place at school. It's easier to go and practice right when school's out instead of going home to practice and then going back to the school to get into the weight room. But occasionally we do practice at home. In fact, this past weekend Emily came home and we did practice together. It's nice to look at someone who has almost the same technique and then have them give you pointers to improve. 6) I can't believe how many top-level high school athletes I've interviewed this year who were part of the World Youth team last summer. Was that trip to Ostrava pivotal in any way for you, in terms of realizing what it takes to compete at a higher level? How did it feel to wear the Team USA uniform, and is there a particular memory (or memories) that stands out from the trip, relating to things you saw or people you got to know? Coming back from Ostrava made me realize that I wanted to do something like that again. It was such a fun experience that it opened my eyes and made me work hard all year long to get another chance, whether it's this year or years to come. Wearing the USA uniform was one of the best experiences I've had so far. It was this great feeling that you were representing your country and that you not only wanted to do well for yourself, but for your team. The thing that stands out to me the most is probably running around the track opening day when almost no one was in the stadium; it was very colorful and exciting! I have this thing where I always have to run around the track no matter what meet it is, big or small. 7) High school track athletes this year have a difficult decision to make, with Nike Outdoor Nationals and USATF Jrs on the same weekend. Junior Nationals are close to home for you, in Columbus, Ohio, but there is a two-year streak of Pendleton family discus wins to defend at NON. Have you decided which meet, if either, you'll compete in this month? And if so, how did you come to that decision? I'll be competing at Junior Nationals. I would like to go to NON, but Juniors seemed like the best choice for me. It is closer to home, only two hours compared to the nine it takes to get to Nike. Plus there is a chance of going to Poland and I feel there will be bigger competition because college freshman can compete. Photo by Dean Utendorf

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