Take 10 with Jenny Green

Husker Track and Field pole vaulter Jenny Green woke up early in the morning last Friday and kicked off an action-packed championship weekend.  On Friday, Green took on a huge role in the Nebraska Alumni Association's annual Breakfast for Champions, an event to honor exceptional middle school students from across the state.  Then, on Saturday, she showed off her own championship material by taking first place in the Women's Pole Vault at the Big 12 Championships.  The championship was especially poignant for Green, who won an indoor championship in 2005 but had to sit out a season recovering from a broken back and had yet to clear 13 feet in outdoor competition after the injury.  After such a successful weekend, Huskers.com sat down to Take 10 with Green about Breakfast for Champions, her championship, and breakfast.

 

What is Breakfast for Champions?
1. This year the ninth annual Breakfast for Champions was a unique event that recognized 315 outstanding eighth-grade student leaders for their gold-medal efforts in school and community from across the state of Nebraska.

What was your role in this year's Breakfast for Champions?
2. I was the event coordinator.

How did you originally get involved with Breakfast for Champions?
3. I was actually an eighth grade member of the first class of Breakfast for Champions in 1999. I went on to receive the Breakfast for Champions scholarship in 2003 and participated as a Husker Champion my freshman year in college. I've had an internship with the Nebraska Alumni Association for the past four years, and when the previous event coordinator left in December, they asked me if I would like to be in charge this year.

This weekend, you won a Big 12 Championship in pole vaulting. What does that championship mean to you?
4. This Big 12 title might mean the most after the long year of struggles and frustration that I've had with the pole vault. I knew one of these meets I was going to put it together and this was definitely a good time to do it!

What's the best part about this latest championship?
5. The best part of the championship was that Big 12's were at home this year so I was competing in front of all my friends and family.

How does someone who was sidelined for an entire season with injuries that included a broken back come back to clear 13 feet and win the event?
6. My back injury has taught me a lot about life and that there are always obstacles to overcome when least expected. I had cleared 13 feet in the indoor season but had failed many attempts in the outdoor season until this weekend. A lot of it was just having confidence in myself again; knowing that this is the meet I train for all year – I've done well at Big 12's before – and having faith that all my hard work in practice will pay off when it counts.

Can you describe your day between breakfast and your championship?
7. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, the morning of the Breakfast for Champions, which ran smoothly thanks to all the great help I had from the Alumni Association staff and volunteers. I was done by about 3 p.m., then went over to the track to practice and cheer the multi's on. I went home to take a nap and just relaxed the rest of the night. I slept in on Saturday morning and then woke up excited to compete at home.

Are you a morning person, or would you prefer it to be Dinner of Champions?
8. I would prefer the morning. I love breakfast and I'm always amazed at how much I can get done when I get up early in the morning.

Rate your breakfast-making skills on a scale of “I can't even make a Pop Tart” to “I make Rachael Ray look like an amateur.”
9. I would say I'd give Rachael Ray a run for her money. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I sometimes make it for lunch or dinner as well.

As a newly crowned champion (again), what would you consider your breakfast of champions?
10. Ask any of my friends, I definitely love eggs. I made an omelet the morning of Big 12's with some fruit salad and a big glass of milk!