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PHOTO BY BEN MILLER

FINLEY

Athlete Spotlight: Amber Finley

By Ben Miller

Tacoma Weekly: When did you start playing sports?

Amber Finley: I grew up with a twin brother (Austin) all my life so I was always with him and doing sports. I really fell in love with basketball in fourth grade so I really started doing that, and then I started doing track to get better at basketball and ended up being better at track.

TW: Do you play any other sports besides track and basketball?

AF: I’ve tried lots of sports. I’ve done volleyball, I’ve run cross-country, I’ve done cheerleading, I’ve done basketball all four years and track all four years.

TW: Do you have a favorite sport?

AF: I’m gonna have to say track, just because I’ve had the most success in track. That makes it more fun. Basketball was good this year, we got eighth in state, but just because I won state my freshman, sophomore and junior years, this has just been my most successful thing, so that makes it more fun.

TW: What do you like most about track?

AF: I like the competition, I like to go and see what’s out there. Track is a sport that you can go from a little school and still do well. It’s not a team sport, it’s individual. You can do what you do best. You can excel even in a small school in track.

TW: Why did you start going to Tacoma Baptist?

AF: My mom went here, my aunt, my uncle went to this school – so I guess it’s kind of like a family thing and once you go to a small school, it’s hard to leave it. It’s kind of like a family environment, not as big as a public school.

TW: Is your family proud of all the track accomplishments you have achieved?

AF: Yeah, they are. All my grandparents, all my cousins and aunts and my parents are always coming to my meets. Anytime I go to a big meet, like Pasco or any traveling involved, they always come. It’s just fun for them.

TW: What races do you do?

AF: This year I’m doing the four by [100], 400, 200 and four by [400].

TW: What is your best race?

AF: My strength is the 400. I’m not as quick, but I can keep a pace. I’m not very good at the 100. I do it more for speed work. I’ve won state for the 400 meter in 2005, 2006 and 2007. I’ll have to see this year what happens. I also won the 200 in 2006, my sophomore year.

TW: Is there a lot of pressure on you to get that fourth straight title?

AF: Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure, but it’s all good, it will be fun. It will be a challenge, but it’s something I want.

TW: What is your team like this year?

AF: Our team really consists of seniors and a lot of freshmen. We don’t have a lot of middle ranged ages. Other than a few senior girls, it’s a very young team, so they can improve a lot throughout the years. I’m a captain and I just try to encourage the girls to find something they enjoy in track and focus on that – a lot of girls don’t like running so I say jump or throw, there are things to do.

TW: Is your team pretty close?

AF: Yeah. Our coaches really encourage relays, so it makes track almost seem not like an individual sport. You’re running for other girls when you’re on relays so they encourage team bonding in a way. When you know you’re running for someone else, you do go faster.

TW: Where are you planning on going to college?

AF: I want to run at the UW. I got accepted and I haven’t got a scholarship, but if I run better I could. Right now I’m a walk on. For my school, I could be the first girl to get recruited D-I, the Pac-10.

TW: What do you like about the UW?

AF: I was really impressed with their coach and their facilities, and just that pride of track there. They really take it seriously, and that’s what I found attractive at that school. It’s a lot bigger. It’s a lot different from B to the Pac-10.

TW: Does that jump make you nervous?

AF: Not really. Track is track anywhere. I know it’s going to be a lot harder in college, but I think I can do it. I have a lot of people and I know with God’s help it will be fine.

TW: What was it like playing basketball this year and taking eighth in state?

AF: It was great because we were the first girls team from our school to place at state for basketball. It was a great experience; it was probably my best high school memory.

TW: What frustrates you most when you are running?

AF: Washington’s weather. It’s so cold here. Everyone will get so excited when it’s even just 60 degrees.

TW: Who inspires you?

AF: Well I get all my inspiration from Jesus Christ. I’m a Christian, so He comes first. He inspires me to always do my best for his glory. I’d say that my dad. He was a really good athlete in high school and he got third in state in wrestling for 4A. Just following his advice as in the hard work ethic is really valuable to me.

TW: What are you most proud of?

AF: I think that I’m most proud of probably continuing the winning streak of three championships because sometimes it’s tiring. Track can get old but you really just have to stick through it and find something you enjoy about it. You really just have to enjoy what you do to keep with it. Not everyone thinks running is fun.

TW: What do you find fun about running?

AF: Running is fun when you get to compete against girls who take it just as seriously as you. It’s really going for the prize, that’s the fun part, just the competing. Workouts aren’t that fun, it’s when you go to meets and you show what you can do, that’s probably the fun part.

TW: What has been your toughest moment in sports?

AF: Junior year track actually. It was a dull year. It wasn’t happening for me. It was a year where I really didn’t get better – I didn’t [get a personal record] that year. It was really frustrating to come back from junior year, now with confidence.

TW: What is the most important thing you have learned from sports?

AF: I have learned that hard work can get you through most of the trials. You need talent but if you set your mind to it and are willing to put in those extra miles running, the extra weight lifting, that it does a lot. You can only get so far on talent; you have to work hard too.

TW: What is your favorite television show?

AF: I love “The Hills.” It’s a reality TV show; I think it’s pretty fun. I don’t have a lot of drama in my life, so watching their drama is kind of fun.

TW: What is your favorite kind of music?

AF: I love hip-hop and country. Those are two opposites. I love hip-hop because I love to work out to music with more of a beat, and I grew up on country. My whole family grew up on country.

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