June 8, 2007

Some might call them the Three Musketeers. They call themselves competitors, but now that their season’s have ended in Sacramento – they now are the Gamecocks’ biggest cheerleaders at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. They get up for early morning shake-outs to help motivate those still competing, attend every meeting and do anything they can to help them out. USCsports.com sat down the threesome to talk about the meet, what’s great about being a Gamecock, the competition and who they are looking forward to seeing compete this weekend.

They are senior graduate Tyler Trout (TT, hammer, Goose Creek, S.C.), Derek Pressley (DP, Easley, S.C., triple jump) and Erik Heymann (EH, Westwood, N.J., javelin). Trout and Heymann both competed in the prelims of their specialty events at the NCAA Championships and did not advance. Pressley, the SEC runner-up in the triple jump, came to meet to work as the team’s manager.

The NCAA Track and Field Championships run through Sat., June 10 and will be shown on CBS live from 1-3 pm EST on Saturday.

USC: What is your favorite part of the NCAA Championships?

TT: My favorite part is being able to watch all these great people compete against each other. The standard is so much higher here than at other meets.

DP: Basically the same as Tyler. To be around future Olympians – it gets me crunk for next year.

EH: The opportunity to come out to California – I have never been here before and to compete against some of the best. My goal is come back here and win next year.

USC: Who do you look forward to seeing compete for South Carolina in the next two days?

TT: I wanna see the men’s 400m hurdles the most. I really look forward to watching Jussi and Thomas tonight. Jussi is my roommate. I really like to watch Thomas race. He gets so intense when he gets on the line and he can do some amazing things when he gets on the line and it gets me pumped.

DP: I would say the men’s 4x400m relay. It’s the last event of the day and they were third indoors. Everybody looks forward to that. I think with Thomas coming back off the 400m hurdles – he will be the key leg on the 4×4. Jamil James brings so much motivation to that 4×4 because of the moves he makes. He just flew past that guy on the first curve and he just runs so fast with the baton. Maybe he should run with the baton in the open 400m – he would win (he said smiling).

EH: The 400m hurdles has always been my favorite event. Krystal Cantey is from Jersey and she is an animal, like a cougar or something – she is gonna run a great time. She is a future national champion and future Olympian. The 4×4 is also a great race. I look forward to seeing Natasha Hastings break the collegiate record in the 400m. She is so talented.

USC: All three of you are at the NCAA Championships for the first time. What has impressed you the most?

TT: The thing that impressed me the most was the shot put. It was awesome. There were a couple guys that threw automatic and they had to throw so far to advance. I have never seen so many great throws in one day. They had two rings next to each other and it was just throw after throw. People just know so much about what is going on all around this city with the meet.

DP: Walter Dix running 10.05 and he wiped his face 60m down the track! I couldn’t get over it – he wiped his face and ran 10.05. It was A-MAZING!

EH: As far as performances – the overall atmosphere. I never been to a meet where everyone knows what is going on. The guy at the grocery store stocking shelves was asking us last night about a bunch of different people – he knew a lot about South Carolina. I am also impressed with the people at the meet. There is such a buzz at the meet.

USC: Who is the funny person the team?

TT: Thomas Hilliard. He has a really quick sense of humor and really witty. I really enjoy it – he can respond to anybody and make a joke about it. But he’s never mean about it.

DP: `YEAH!’, `NO!’ The funniest person on the team is Jamil James with his imitations of the coaches. He can do any coach – he does everybody. He does a really good Coach Frye. I don’t know if his accent (he’s Trinidad & Tobago) – or what – he’s just really good. He makes people laugh.

EH: Coach Stan is pretty funny sometimes. He says some really funny things. Chiquita Martin is probably the funniest woman. Ray Miley is pretty funny, too.

USC: Any funny stories?

TT: We were running across the street to the grocery store. The lights are a little different here than they are in South Carolina. Derek and I were jogging a bit and the cars were coming really fast and so we had to run really hard. All of the sudden Derek yells `I think I pulled my hamstring’ and grabs his leg. He starts limping. It was a `grrreat day to be a gamecock!’

DP: Coach Sergent at the NCAA Region meet dinner. We gave someone 6 claps (the team gives 3 claps for everything and sometimes more if they make a special contribution). Coach Serg went seven, everyone looked at him and he got so mad at himself. Everyone laughed so hard.

I was training with Natasha here – running 150s. Natasha started running hard and I think I might have pulled my hamstring.

EH: Ray Miley talks in the van about some funny stuff. He just looks out the window and says stuff about the trees, really anything – it’s just funny. He saw a guy with his head shaved out the window and Ray Miley is saying `people got square boxes in the back of their heads man’. He imitates people, too.

USC: What’s great about being a Gamecock?

TT: I love wearing all the gear they give us. We all dress alike and walk around as Gamecocks. Makes you feel good.

DP: `It’s a great day for the Gamecocks!’ – that’s what Coach Frye always says. We consider ourselves not just a team, but also a family. We are there for each other.

EH: The comraderie with my teammates. Talking, hanging out. The south is a lot different than the north. Everyone moves slower and people are nice. If you walk across the street in front of a car, they slow down or stop for you. In the north they try to run you over.