By Joe Werkmeister
They had hoped for a better sunset to glisten against the Pacific Ocean touching the sky. But when Amy Linnen and Morgan Hoesterey saw the results of a diving/photographic expedition, the results were more than they imagined.
Linnen, a Mount Sinai graduate who became one of the most accomplished high school and collegiate pole vaulters ever, was living in Hawaii last year during the heart of training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She and Hoesterey trained together and decided to take a day off one afternoon. Photography was a hobby of Hoesterey and she had just gotten a new wide-angle, "fish-eye" lens. For a test run, the two decided to explore an area called China Walls, which is located on the southern tip of Oahu, Hawaii and sits on Maunalua Bay, which flows into the Pacific. A secluded spot, China Walls is not the typical tourist destination. Just perfect for the adventurous duo.
As a pole vaulter, and earlier in life a gymnast before height became an issue, Linnen was well accustomed to flying through the air. But she does admit, "Diving is not something I'm good at."
Linnen's definition of "good" is clearly different than most people, judging by the images of her dives brilliantly captured by Hoesterey.
From a spot roughly 10 feet high on a rocky cliff, Linnen dove about 30 times into the bay, each time trying a different dive. The swan dive, where she really looks like she's flying, is her favorite. The back-flip also developed into a fan favorite.
"I liked being behind the camera and she didn't mind being in front of it," Linnen said.
Looking back, Linnen admits diving off a cliff probably wasn't the smartest idea considering she was in the middle of training. The hardest part, she said, was getting back up after hitting the water. "I had to wait to be patient," she said. "I had to wait for waves to roll by."
To get back up she had to climb a rock wall, which was covered in sea urchins — which have round, spiny shells — among other creatures.
"The first time I never thought I would get back up," she said. After the second and third tries she found foot and hand holds which she repeatedly used to repeat the process all over again.
"It's amazing what one can accomplish with the support of a friend and a positive outlook on life," she said.
Pushing the limits has always been Linnen's way. It's how she could clear 15 feet in the pole vault, one of the most challenging feats in sports. While fear holds most us back, it drives Linnen to the do the unimaginable.
"At first I had a little fear," she said of diving into water that was no more than 8-10 feet deep and even shallower at times. "You have to get over a fear when you do certain things."
The day after her diving exploits, Linnen said she arrived at practice more focused. Mental preparation can be as important as the physical for elite athletes. Linnen's ability to focus separates her from most athletes. Even on the golf range, she says, she's intently focused on being consistent.
As she stared out at the water that day, a scene of tranquility, her athletic instincts took over. Landing in water was different than landing on her feet, but the dives quickly shaped into form. A career in diving, perhaps? Maybe not, but had she begun diving at a younger age, perhaps that would have been the sport for which she trained at the highest level. Water is a natural home for Linnen, who's also an avid surfer. In her pole-vaulting training she often incorporated many water activities into her regimen, the kind of "activities" that make diving off a cliff seem mundane.
"It keeps my soul happy in a sense," Linnen said of her aquatic life.
Part of her training included rock running, which involved sprinting under water with the weight of a heavy rock held against her chest holding her on the sea's floor.
While her competitive pole-vaulting career is likely over after her Beijing Olympic bid came up short, Linnen's involvement with the sport is far from finished. In her competitive career she attended the University of Arizona and Kansas. Now she's back east at SUNY-Cortland where she's finishing a degree in physical education. She's also volunteers with the pole vaulters on the track team as an assistant coach.
"With everything I learned," she said, "now it's my time to pay it forward."
After the team's first meet at Cornell a few weeks ago, the pole vaulters all performed well, prompting positive feedback for Linnen.
"It made me smile," she said. "It was reassurance that this is what I was meant to do."
Linnen arrived back on Long Island this week for the holiday break. She'll spend two weeks of her break working at Westhampton Beach schools as part of her field observations requirement.
For the first time in a long time, school is Linnen's top priority right now. While she never neglected her academics, it always fell a short second behind her athletic goals. It's a new challenge now, one she readily looks forward to, to put her full effort toward academics. Her first semester at Cortland went really well, she said, giving school "110 percent of my time."
During break Linnen said Hoesterey plans a visit to Long Island to stay with her. Born in California, Hoesterey has spent the last 10 years in Hawaii and hasn't experienced surfing in the frigid Atlantic waters during winter. Linnen said she can't wait for Hoesterey, whom she described as like a sister, to stay with her. During their adventures they plan to film it, a sort-of mini documentary. She's already made several films, which are on YouTube. A disclaimer before one video fittingly says: "Adventures with Amy, while extremely entertaining, are potentially hazardous, and should not be attempted by the faint of heart of by the weak of stomach."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWu_l8vjxCU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X6n_V4iCK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr8RHYEkHw8
Each day presents a new challenge for Linnen. She wouldn't have it any other way.
"If there's no guided path, if there's no goal in mind, I feel kind of lost," she said.
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