Drake Relays Street High Jump

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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs. ... 003/SPORTS

Jump for joy: A world-class event heads downtown
ANDREW LOGUE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

April 9, 2006


Drake Relays

You have a lunch date with Amy Acuff, and a lineup of world-class women's high jumpers.

Time: Wednesday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m.

Place: Nollen Plaza, downtown Des Moines.

Occasion: The 97th annual Drake Relays.

Brian Brown, in his first year as director of Iowa's premier track and field meet, made all the arrangements.

He got the idea from his own experiences as an elite high jumper and thought staging a competition away from Drake Stadium might help people connect with the athletes.

First place wins $1,500, second $750, third $500. Admission is free.

"These are the type of things you do to bring recognition to the event," Brown said. "It brings a little more of a flair."

Acuff used another word.

"Very spicy," said the three-time Olympian. "People know about the Drake Relays already, but hopefully this will attract more people."

It's an idea that became popular in Europe.

Acuff once entered an event in Germany where she ran around seated spectators during her approach to the bar.

She adapted to the setting, but it took a while for the crowd to embrace her choice in music.

Each jumper picked a tune to help set the mood. Acuff's husband suggested Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire.

"The (cartoon) bubble over their heads read, 'What kind of music is this?' " Acuff said of the look she received from German fans.

Brown, who set a Drake men's record of 7-feet 7-inches in 1997, remembers jumping on a pier in Oslo, Norway. He also competed in a parking lot near a shopping mall in Stockholm, Sweden.

An organizer in Poland turned the contest into a black-tie event, where people wore formal attire as they watched Brown and his fellow jumpers.

"You kind of let some of the anxiety go and you have fun," Brown said.

What makes it especially enjoyable is having the audience's undivided attention.

"I think every field event person probably at some point envied the sprint person on the track," Brown said. "There's a little bit of me as director (wondering) how can we draw attention to a fantastic event.

"I want to promote all of track and field, but I want to remember the event that was part of my roots."

Acuff, a 6-foot-2 Texan who cleared a career-high 6-7 in 2003, will be among the favorites at Nollen Plaza.

She is the reigning U.S. outdoor champion and placed fourth at the 2004 Olympics.

"It's an exhibition," Acuff said. "A chance to show people what it's all about without going to the track."

Chaunte Howard, a silver medalist at last year's World Outdoor Championships, is also expected to enter.

Howard has cleared 6-63/4.

"It probably gives you more adrenaline because of the newness and uncertainty," Acuff said of performing in a makeshift venue.

Drake officials will set up a regulation jumping area, including a special Mondo turf runway. Speakers will be in place so onlookers can clap in rhythm with each athlete's theme song.

This time, Johnny Cash probably won't make the play list.

"I'll have to put a lot of thought into that," Acuff said of choosing a personal anthem. "It'll be something appropriate and personal."