JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?{RGҕFOntҚ9OxP;q@ccv /CJT\RxC&8:T 85,eFRn )8*/k^$]CmSy8ʖc_ .4jHX zSYG {]Jyd-#(QV0OˡPܜi*n*{(8F8*RʛhfDW;S#*2(SS\`gp1@=7¤#(6ǥ0JE5) )Q@a҅ґGny4O#t/SJrHN^x%k?okr{5WgzRſŝs+)c5U,̖:y\G[f|Amu tmu=ALgMҢa_Z {E3.3 @È3Q\n/+F¼[)b/6uf>b1ӷZ {M aViBS^Oɮo4!RXNFs4KEggf-GG(0 j#I3A OqXCsh 60wskF!Pa/c\e(1JW,03H)5p0<.#+`LpF)N:I9vtI'@~j;8j(V)2Gzp:4£u=$mЎ1Gjq_0!uO֊{J(g^zqQpHȤ2Ar0E=H})tqkMbĺqi[[ >#'k>0"(W^kj#Q,&]vE/N6kfN|c1R\䥷08F^z`r8 9mH@4fGR@Z}­Жe[ľ ]ʬKg'o]j3E¶TʒfЬ֌Jz\lpߗz7Q_Z=$W9mx#{iDl=8?Qm&L6cr>/zhTtgc ڢx.H˽euVڜG? z|W0acUE'5y8P.UL1\ͤ%#6qz`JFƹ[dek)0^6a\bIƤ/xv Am{{WV>SE3s] p]]<-f6ЖeFt3]$br/'5 oJYs l1.[g>) w246AǒNO[ͭ_S@jNqڒ[)2UKig1on>l.qu~~+Ѷ`+5=Zd):A֧۩e;`U]G<: TTғW2^d+-V#?S^WoqKhn2;PxN"g!~1ck}2!^9ȡ2C 6:j !?>keqec= :׋h"+ȌrtK_\/c޵K>SOrI2`|֨PrpFI[otjluż-0z']lKy4$8 D~oST' \/5+-yDa@k3w" rg {=rHuf(#+SdDڣ=`x52. '_sgIE1 I9籮g=J7ib)8~Ҽv$WN|@QN=٣Q̊:0#WxFyW<`>u*Gs^x[Fe3^XDҞFo:V>Ѵ;EWr\4@ 9-YumE I&3dv͇8VrIj&vۖ`ZLlT!Oo¥Cג= ΅BpdF$kհE=L E(JL Pr{tC* };Us*D$Kdygmozj|AvaxZYǁ/.v) ,ΧBq')5I " @RGcoKQN*M3Eaٰ23^WҼwẟNl)>afӥ0"+2*r/n>_oM"an{SFG'*r)>DÊF3ҡhBh  g֪}i .^(ǴX^o~ Ѹ'Wȭ9"d皍?HTpzc_JQrŷ?d~(mrbGJk%H9ET;fv 3|ct wn8OvY12y%Nzu\}i0$'RN-/F8֠ʞ1Pgj9  >TI0N2mx+L"V䑎ނ?JͰbn)7(ݙՊ3SwuҐ0'˜qN1@Ǩ4QӧJ~qS@3 QrW:GZ?:b܎ߕq +"b(1?j Ue [lҀ}*AiݳRhGO—CRcڤ?k ?ձq\`T |2*۹Qu@09Jwiԟvz6\0["hdy-<ҡ"H35i7x #ؚ ڱmKE+$ w)@:֊gz ^ԹUD\yHsVJxl`ҵ;OҴ=JomŮC$F}o4_^qꬩjk?|HD*^xu:)CڰtEn=+Ynr+nm8&eFrsҮl;J6l~bcdX 4ZdU{S%>ե4R2ӛd_diE$ϥ)Ml5 ' $QFCz+~AHQ`&e؀?J tp*ŜX 9QYv{u(\UsqSHoeC\ZzDQ6?֝rQDW8DZt-"NI|ǽ CS7LXeQ G|TGIaPrUyXw5h21Yb2)VJ^ewuRy54B*qo9TR4L)%۳3J< 8N u6ؽnT4_8׷%ȹNjU%n0Ƅ3IN6M=XGzMe|0Gҳ+|і=iX r) Ҟ0t\sǧ@<$OZ6>q=G_AFn~tFs֢#'}) }OHd$p) L Rn ~=E)w 0{S c֏><NJc^B(VF`9!Ac_0EF)hŅ pAݳYQ6qށfp\`/չ R ~#J,4 gڕ.< 'h O4H0EJù4f+gW$1y%ŘpI?P:tTle{{uFCSVƱIDhՔ^G Uݶ0A!Pq %X[hnRIH`+r=G.Xɢ{&p !(QVa$ud7/W Ã0i^b$w7S3r="$¦X@) ̥A‘q1V|i}TӸ@# HgՓ?*BGN\ Fh*BФ7 €!h~TQLE' d 9*Sb~?oƤfnA-Sя7vTž-zS3 #*2=N0 Iuǧq@e#b2OL0֘U۟; C1M&9XKfgp1]9Uo~5"֯ra+ w˵=qddOd(_When Amy competed in the Texas Relays, a top event on the US Track and Field circuit, she crushed Dawn Ellerbee's American hammer throw record of 210-8, by nearly ten feet. Amy stepped in the ring using her three turn spin technique, hurled that hammer towards the blue sky, setting a new American record of 220 feet 1 inch, third best in the world! Incredible, for someone who has only been throwing the hammer for three years.<br>Tapio Kuusela, an Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting champion from Finland (who also happens to be an old lifting buddy of BFS President, Greg Shepard), is Amy's coach. He commented on Amy's technique by explaining, "Most throwers use four turns, but Amy will never have to learn a fourth turn because she reaches her max speed in three. The fourth turn was designed for people who are quick, but not explosive. Being explosive is talent." Kuusela is a former BYU All-American hammer thrower himself.<br>Since Amy picked up the hammer in 1996 she has only gotten better. It is amazing that Amy has only been throwing the hammer for such a short time and is doing so awesome. This last year she placed second in the hammer throw and fourth in the shop put at the NCAA finals. She competed in the US Track and Field Championships and took second place. Having so much success, she was selected to participate in the Pan-Am Games and took third. While competing in the Goodwill Games in New York, she won the bronze medal. Coach Kuusela said, "Amy is a very talented athlete that knows what she wants. Good athletes need to be able to think and understand and Amy does a good job at that. She has lots of potential with a good power level, but it is not fully converted at this point. As a young athlete still in the beginning phase of hammer throwing, she has a real shot at breaking the world record."<br>Weight training is very crucial to a thrower's success. Coach Kuusela explained, "the power clean is the most beneficial lift you can perform for the hammer throw, but remember, as a hammer thrower, she only trains with weights, to help benefit the throw."<br>So what is the key to Amy's success in the hammer throw? Many coaches and teammates claim she has great technique and I will agree to a point, but, the key comes from her great explosive power, which she has developed through training with heavy weights. Amy is the strongest female athlete I have ever met in my life. I watched her power clean 220 for 3 reps with perfect form as if it were nothing. Then we went over to the squat rack where she worked her way up to 410. She was just recovering from the flu and said she wasn't feeling that great, I can't imagine how she trains when she is feeling well and at total capacity. I was disappointed to hear from Coach Kuusela, that I had just missed watching her squat 520 for a new personal record, a few weeks ago. Since then, Amy has moved into a