JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?Pݍ;ө7P4&8XMR%8=ZJ`+dGZ]Ďi(E3=(w RRhvfgRPnP}KN )Pc0#(@N)9;ӻSH֗ZЦ8Ӥ#zQɪe+"/GHw.I) AJ)17gLPzS IMe4PT@ۊpZoqEIP)@jq=,DfX϶(˱ u(Ǡܼj{ =;j`tL\p? ydm}jAZ@@<$}h pS-epA튈b*P7+h4ةd4^7ky+n Vx_pzKyWqIm4y*B*a :hW!)aB(2(7iE8P6O phqS$y~Z4,DXfᷬ(z Jjo{/9hR!4:AdgʖM*|=uǷH\kBb5g{rM'4)yu֞rЙȕ$dUWw&OJ*̱QNU*hӚbUT$Mv0E6>aZH&R+Cle$%)yj9aVẌ́ɟFϵl5 mRujF\?} -/ g5s-NLk-(v}ʤcnR1BNVI(v)#@2KurkQ^ʠ۫Y&]&Z#E09-uWWdW: @[2NqTfrMsf!g18'F:W?0(Tɡ} Qm}i[ǥ[7 #5VvcA/2J*YcQ84")Q@j1r*+ȭ(GJЄX",ʭ]h)8v)41fNF ۸@we$UMGȇqbO;1IZF ;^' IK I rG<ƹi|Lq @ Zqmsb&lm?3YkrgZps[2{ ~ 皲ܱ&b[N F S E.(` h@՝G{pI<~UjfJ QmB΅'dgR)뺸^[0FX'ipPV<]Gq楷@9S:|5W:;RK#­7NEq%$d_Jm/ReSzq$~Y5`O5 ,(4RFh&\Cg{ Y:yHocbZ[pcXy gn1*Ҩ:AHͻEx1)"q5^ AڰN =cZj6_l .?Ŀjৃ _SN[;灂I5+ANGV`++[ t*k4it^{'J) ΑȮtY*zr+Mfg Ix!vxmݐ_-?S\[3УYͨPҬe֦$mGcaXmJpD@1xdKKb턡ѫn5[~TXTQX=xJX)$:vq9␜hNsM@f=SA)vb-ȼ}Ee4ʲTlJEIyd<ӒUNC ۊ:*E6vd\$ikD2Oz>zDR r_ң5aJ=;$GF7})5nI#:m% #{x`cXzL٢4Rͦ;S/:uE'hF;*uǭL*5RgZ$4@x42AO⣀bI'H=G)j\o e)RsJp:)T R2/sLl2U WDa޳ҁ~жw_qT zȡ+k"Lr+3#p8tqjBO%<Ϊ5.Yr<ǸbTM{I.eø< N[ ʳ1HUI,ϸmu%e9 ψ:'t1Q4 W̩jPeCkڑ哏cdn6CUbt>ōduWR T|מ)*#MM5`LFOQY|+!=9RW1B=B*E(}+u=zy-Ey1ڭC 854S0iYv98CqҨ41G(p$U+nOV=U|A#܊6nIڜ[84zO|(b%'_FuZ)KnW׮;ԡҝblϭjx{Tm#]VCOZON=)wq(z;B.6Ȏ{dv9!#R3W/i7C=g dUK̫ yuU8 ҄[=m.,_!= vSs  k[! $B 2]S|ijΣf|j/H$$y?{[HL3Fv3Nⰳ#̈E{)z6{P9SJ"<Ҹu5gy)ؒK~Kf+1_Jƈ99=EjJGN '8\X,mq,\{C@=Omq^fbIGZ(u#7-Iy׎N5^$_JOvdx rFHC)%O'Qx?JLqLO:^rIE?LKCDcP1hzʺc_AQW)-0W4}"Qxini>ƴs)~CSz")XAے>i~ȴrj e#F+RvG?\)>=yң@FTd#[fZ>̴Ô4qJ((9L?b[f}h lE lI-fZ\c ͞VEÔ{Ux.[wYզ} R4c<Ϋ⊊F3Ebduced to the hammer throw. Believe me, I have been privileged with the opportunity to watch Amy train and it is truly impressive. I couldn't believe the intensity and the tremendous amount of energy this athlete is able to generate and thrust into the hammer throw. As she unleashed every ounce of energy that she was able to put in that throw, I thought to myself, "Man, the great cannons of the civil war would have been put out of business if Amy could have been there to launch one of her hammer throws."<br>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 a