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Stacy Dragila (former Placer HS, Auburn/Idaho State University), and
David Krummenacker speak to media
NEW YORK - Olympic gold medalist pole vaulter Stacy Dragila and top-rated
American middle distance runner David Krummenacker on Monday spoke to
a
meeting of the New York Track Writers via telephone hook-up. Dragila and
Krummenacker both will compete Saturday (Feb. 1) at the first stop on
the
Indoor Golden Spike Tour, the adidas Boston Indoor Games. They also will
compete at the Verizon Millrose Games on February 7 at Madison Square
Garden
in New York. Dragila and Krummenacker discussed their upcoming participation
in the both meets with the Track Writers. Below are excerpts:
STACY DRAGILA
Q: How are your preparations going?
SD: Things are going well. I had a great fall. As everyone knows, I didn’t
have a great year last year. My foot is healthy, and training is going
well.
I’m looking forward to coming out to Boston and then out to Millrose.
Q: Talk about your injury last year.
SD: It’s kind of a mystery to everybody. I started having a pain
in my
[left] foot. I was going into last year not knowing what it was. X-rays
didn
’t show anything. I had a bone scan, which showed hot spots in both
of my
feet in similar areas. At times it felt better, but when I’d get
back into
intensive training again, it would come back. We went back and got an
MRI,
which didn’t show anything. So it’s still a mystery. Everything’s
feeling
good now.
Q: I understand you triple jumped recently.
SD: We had an intrasquad meet the week before Christmas break [at Idaho
State, where Dragila is an assistant coach]. We divide the team into Orange
and Black teams, and we have alumni who participate. We made our own alumni
team and thought we could give the other teams a go. I thought, I’ve
never
done it before [triple jump], let’s see if we can do this. I think
I went 32
or 33 feet, or something like that.
Q: Tell us about the use of larger poles on the way to clearing 16 feet.
SD: I have up to eight poles in my bag. I number all my poles from 1-8
[with
8 being the longest pole]. I don’t necessarily need to have those
bigger
poles to jump 16 feet – it just depends on how fast I’m running.
Coming into
Boston and Millrose I know the tracks are fast, so I may not need my bigger
poles.
Q: Last indoor season, you saw your indoor world record beaten by Svetlana
Feofanova of Russia. Are you motivated to regain your world record?
SD: I’m pretty dang motivated right now, because I’m healthy
and I’ve got a
spark back. I know I’m still in the hunt and can jump another world
record.
I’m ready to get out there. I had two great years before last year.
I think
I was pretty fatigued. I didn’t want her [Feovfanova] to just go
out there
and take the record from me, but that’s what she did. I’m
looking forward to
going against my competitors to show them I’ve been working on some
things
on my technique. I think I have more strength, and I’m ready to
take it up
on bigger poles.
Q: You’ve always competed well in the United States, and in 2003
you are
competing in the full Indoor Golden Spike Tour. Is competing so much
domestically part of your plan to get back your old form?
SD: The schedule is really appealing to me. It’s pretty easy for
me to do
the U.S. circuit and to stay with Dave [Nielsen, her coach and also the
Idaho State head coach] as much as I can. I want to be with Dave as much
as
I can and get on a roll. I want to make sure the cobwebs are knocked out.
Q: Tell us about your training in the weight room.
SD: We have a new guy on staff from Virginia. He does a lot more explosive
things in the weight room. He concentrates on the Olympic lifts a lot.
I’ve
been under Dave’s weight-training plan for 9 years. It was getting
monotonous and I felt like I needed a change. I’m leaner than I
usually am
at this time of year, and I’m a little lighter and stronger when
I go in the
weight room.
Q: Whether a world record, American record or meet record, you’ve
always
saved something special for the Verizon Millrose Games. Do you have anything
planned for this year?
SD: The Millrose crowd is always an awesome crowd to jump in front of.
I can
’t believe how well they run the Millrose Games. The last few years
I’ve
been there, more and more people know who I am. When I won and broke the
world record two years ago and everyone stayed to watch, it showed how
much
they care about track and field here and what it means for the fans to
see a
world record. Howard Schmertz always runs a great meet, and that crystal
dish [for Athlete of the Meet] was a pretty big inspiration for my world
record that year. I’m looking forward to some great heights and
hopefully
wowing the crowd again.
DAVID KRUMMENACKER
Q: Get us up to speed on your training.
DK: I’ve been in Tucson, Arizona, where I’ve been for most
of the winter. I
was in Albuquerque for 4 weeks. Training is going really well. I’m
really
looking forward to racing again. There’s a lot of talk about American
records and that kind of thing. [The adidas Boston Indoor Games is offering
cash bonuses for any American record.] My main focus is to race well,
mix it
up in front and to try to win races. That’s my main goal: to win
races.
Q: Do you think you’re in shape to run under 3:38.12 in the indoor
1,500,
the indoor American record?
DK: I believe if the rabbit runs a good race [at Boston], without too
much
pushing and shoving going on. Indoors is a different situation. If it’s
a
smooth race and the pace is good, I’m in shape to run that kind
of time. My
strategy will be to get up toward the front of the pack, maintain close
contact and to put a good surge on the last 400 meters.
Q: What is your training like?
DK: Coach Olivera has been giving us lots of endurance stuff right now,
so
the main focus is outdoors. Anything that happens indoors is icing on
the
cake.
Q: What are you looking for outdoors?
DK: My main goal is to get a medal at the World Championships in Paris.
My
belief is that if you’re winning some of those races to compete
at the top
level and you’re coming in 2, 3, 1 in those bigger races, the times
are
going to come. … The 800 has been my focus. I will run some 1500s,
but the
800 will remain center stage.
Q: Last year you opened at the adidas Boston Indoor Games with an American
record in the 1,000 meters (2:17.85). Compare your condition now to last
year.
DK: I believe I’m in better shape this year than last year. Coach
has given
us some harder training, and last year I had a few points where my hamstring
was bothering me and I had to take a couple of weeks off.
Q: You’re running the 800 at Millrose. At your height of 6-2, compare
running on an 11-lap [to the mile, the size of the track at the Verizon
Millrose Games] track vs. an 8-lap track [the size of the track at the
adidas Boston Indoor Games].
DK: I’m at quite a disadvantage at Millrose. Although it’s
tough for the
tall guys, it’s a classic event. On a small track, you can’t
save it for the
last turn. I was pretty fortunate to win Millrose last year. I don’t
think I
’ll play it quite as risky this year.
Q: You’re the first American in several years to really mix it
up with the
best in Europe in the middle distances. Tell us about what it feels like
to
have such high expectations on you.
DK: I try not to spend too much time reading what people are saying about
me. I just listen to my coach. I try to focus on what’s going on
at the
moment. I’m going to take each event as it comes and to take things
slowly.
There’s a lot of talk about how there’s a need for medals
in the middle
distances in America. Those kinds of things loom in the back of my mind.
When the time comes, I let my mind prepare and intensify for those kinds
of
things.
Q. Talk about last season.
DK: The entire season, I felt like it was one great surprise after another.
Winning the first Golden League meet in Paris was amazing. It was a coming
of age for me. Each race that I went out, I thought about how far I’d
come
in the last three years or so. Although the season was great, I need to
use
it as a foundation to build upon the next few years.
Q: Have you noticed a difference in how you’re treated by meet
directors or
competitors, since you had such a great year?
DK: Certainly. The first race I noticed it was at Portland (the adidas
Oregon Track Classic last May 18). They had guys who’d been ranked
in the
top 10 for several years. After the race they came up to me and said,
‘Who’s
this American guy, where’s he coming from?’ Then more guys
started saying to
me, ‘You surprised us in Portland, but it’s good to see you’re
running well.
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