Shana Woods
(Long Beach Poly)
Interview with latest Jackrabbit Great!! 7/19/05

Shana Woods (Long Beach Poly)

One of the disappointments at the end of the spring track and field season was the lack of participation of the nation’s top all-around young athlete, Shana (say it “Shay-nah”) Woods of Long Beach Poly. Woods, the National Indoor Pentathlon Record Holder, and #2 US Soph ever in the outdoor Heptathlon (5052 points last summer), is an athlete who can show up all over the place during a track and field meet, with sprint, hurdle, jump, and relay efforts very noteworthy during her three year prep career. She has lifetime bests of 11.62 (100m) - 24.17 (24.14w) (200m) - 55.88 (400m) - 14.00 (100mHH) - 41.74 (300mH) - 5-03.75 (HJ) - 20-10 indoors (20-07.75 outdoors) (LJ) and ran on National Record setting 44.50 (400m) - 1:33.87 (800m) and 3:35.49 (1600m) relay squads for the 2004 Poly Jackrabbits.

We had a chance to catch up with Shana at the USATF Mid-Summer Classic at Azusa Pacific University, where she took time out before heading over the javelin area for competition to answer a few questions.

1) Shana, could you give us some background on your injury–

–Actually I was hurt during the CIF Finals during the Long Jump. It had been hurting for a while like a mild strain, but on one of my jumps it pulled. I had kind of been competing through it and really ever since the New York Indoor meet (National Scholastic Indoor in March) I had felt some slight strain in there.

2) When did it finally go out on your totally?

–During CIF Finals (Southern Section) in the Long Jump it went out totally on me. It pulled and I could not run anymore on it.

3) Some people have said it was a back injury, but it was definitely a hamstring problem–

–Yes it was a hamstring pull not a back problem.

4) What have you been doing since the time of the injury?

–I went through some rehab and therapy and have started practicing again. It felt really good when I started back, but then the leg would get tight every once in a while, so we decided to take the rest of the summer off.

5) Has the extra time off given you some time to work on other events such as the javelin?

–Yes, I have done some more work on the javelin and the shot put. I’ve been working on the throwing events that are a part of the Heptathlon.

6) If you had been healthy how do you think you could have done in the World Youth Meet in the heptathlon and long jump? (5875-5611-5485 were the point medalists in the multi eventer and 20-11.75 - 20-7.25 - 20-06.25 were medal distances in the LJ there)–Shana scored 5052 last year in the multi-event and was 20-10 indoors this winter in the LJ - interestingly the winner in the World Youth LJ, Arantxa King from Bermuda attends high school as a sophomore in Medford, Massachusetts and had a best of 19-03.5 this past indoor season)

–I was disappointed because I know I would have been in the top three in the heptathlon and the long jump. In the heptathlon I know I could have improved in some of my events and in the long jump all I had to do is jump what I do jump and I would have been in there.

7) What has been the highlight of your high school track and field career so far?

–Probably the Penn Relay experiences and our 4x400 running along with my teammates Shalonda Solomon, Dashanta Harris, and Jasmine Lee.

8) What are some of your goals as you look to the next few years in the sport?

–I will continue to work on all the events in the heptathlon. I want to be in the 2008 Olympics in the heptathlon

9) When you get to college do you see yourself more as an individual event or a heptathlon type athlete?

–Definitely I will be a multi-eventer, but I will still continue to work on the long-jump and the hurdles individually.

10) How is your pole vaulting?

–Oh no, no pole vaulting for me. I hope they do not add that as a part of the multi-events because I don’t know if I’ll be doing it in that case.

Thanks Shana - Best of Luck!!