Meet Alabama Long Jumper Quanesha Burks
4/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
April 22, 2016 
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a part of the UA Track and Field team?
A: "I enjoy being able to represent my state and going to The University of Alabama. When I am traveling out of the state, I am representing The University of Alabama -- that is my state. Having it on my chest just feels so great."
Q: Coming from a small town, what has it been like adjusting to a large university and to college competition?
A: "It was really tough at first, because when I came down here no one knew where Hartselle, Alabama, was. I'm thinking, `You don't know where Hartselle is? It's in Alabama.' That made me think, `Why do people not know where my hometown is?' Then I realized it is a pretty small town."
Q: Being from Alabama, did you always want to attend UA?
A: "My main plan was to get out of the state after high school but, when I came to The University of Alabama, I immediately felt at home. I really enjoyed it and I knew this was the place to be."
Q: Now that you have two national championships, 1 outdoor and 1 indoor, what achievement do you want next?
A: "Right now, at the end of the season, we have our goals, but my main goal is to jump seven meters (23 feet). I know jumping seven meters could bring a lot of accomplishments and achievements with it, including an SEC title, another national title and, possibly, making the Olympic team."
Q: What is your favorite memory over the past three years?
A: "I remember last year at the SEC Championships, right before I won, I jumped 6.8 meters (22 feet, 3 ¾ inches) in the long jump. My mindset was only on meters so I really didn't think about what it was in feet. I kept jumping numbers out of my range and then they told me I jumped 22 feet and I thought, `22 feet?! Whoa!' It was just crazy because I didn't realize what I was jumping. That was one of my favorite memories.
"The best memory is making my first USA team my freshman year because it was not expected. When I was able to make it, my coach and I had kind of prepared for it, we had to go through a process getting registered and I remember we had to catch a flight. We were running, trying to get through the airport and I had my uniform on and I was trying to get in the bathroom and change. We made a lot of memories right there."
Q: What is the greatest advice you've gotten from your coaches over the years?
A: "To be consistent. Good enough is not good enough. My mindset has changed and it has helped me a lot throughout my years, especially in tough meets because I need to single out people and have confidence in my training and my coach (Miguel Pate). We know our opponent will jump a big one, but they are really inconsistent, and they will do it early or will do it later. Our main focus is to stay consistent and we know everything will be just fine. So be consistent and good enough is not good enough."
Q: What is your number one motivation?
A: "I feel like I have a lot of them. Every time I am on that runway, I am doing it for an audience of one. It is bigger than what it is. I have a purpose and I have God-given talent. Whatever the outcome is, I go out there and glorify God and just know that he brought me this far. I really didn't think it could be like this and just to be able to be out there. And not just people that see me out there and ask -- Quanesha Burks, The University of Alabama, the track star -- but more as a Christian. My motivation is to remember that people are looking up to me and to know that I can help other people or show God's life through me in competition is what I want to do -- whatever the outcome is. Another motivation is my family, my sisters. Keeping God first and my family second."
Q: Off the track, what do you enjoy doing the most?
A: "I like to spend time with my family. Last year around this time and into the summer, my sisters, ages five and eight, they were able to come down and spend some time with me when I had a break. And I FaceTime my family when I am not at home. But, other than that, just sleeping and going to church. So overall, family, sleeping and going to church."
Q: What are some challenges you have faced over the years?
A: "One big challenge is getting out of my comfort zone. I need to be safe and comfortable in where I am at. To get the results that I want, I need to step out of my comfort zone and do something that I have never done before. And one thing that was a really big challenge -- that I had to change a lot -- is confidence.
My sophomore year was really great, but a lot of people do not remember my freshman year, when I struggled a lot with confidence. Physically, I was ready to do a lot of things that I am doing now but, mentally, I was not there because I was not confident in myself. I believe in myself, but I doubted myself a lot. I got really frustrated with that, especially getting beat a lot. I freaked out at SECs, or when conference meets came. I knew I was ready and my coach believed in me and knew I was ready. He knew physically I was there, but mentally wasn't. He always told me, you have to be 50/50 -- 50 percent physically and 50 percent mentally.
So over my freshman year, I had confidence, but it wasn't enough. Sophomore year that all changed. Every time we would compete I would think, `I am going to jump far, I am going to be different, I am the best of the best.' My mental game caught up with my physical game and that really helped me a lot. Now I still get nervous at meets, but I am relaxed. I am confident in myself, I trust the training."
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a part of the UA Track and Field team?
A: "I enjoy being able to represent my state and going to The University of Alabama. When I am traveling out of the state, I am representing The University of Alabama -- that is my state. Having it on my chest just feels so great."
Q: Coming from a small town, what has it been like adjusting to a large university and to college competition?
A: "It was really tough at first, because when I came down here no one knew where Hartselle, Alabama, was. I'm thinking, `You don't know where Hartselle is? It's in Alabama.' That made me think, `Why do people not know where my hometown is?' Then I realized it is a pretty small town."
Q: Being from Alabama, did you always want to attend UA?
A: "My main plan was to get out of the state after high school but, when I came to The University of Alabama, I immediately felt at home. I really enjoyed it and I knew this was the place to be."
Q: Now that you have two national championships, 1 outdoor and 1 indoor, what achievement do you want next?
A: "Right now, at the end of the season, we have our goals, but my main goal is to jump seven meters (23 feet). I know jumping seven meters could bring a lot of accomplishments and achievements with it, including an SEC title, another national title and, possibly, making the Olympic team."
Q: What is your favorite memory over the past three years?
A: "I remember last year at the SEC Championships, right before I won, I jumped 6.8 meters (22 feet, 3 ¾ inches) in the long jump. My mindset was only on meters so I really didn't think about what it was in feet. I kept jumping numbers out of my range and then they told me I jumped 22 feet and I thought, `22 feet?! Whoa!' It was just crazy because I didn't realize what I was jumping. That was one of my favorite memories.
"The best memory is making my first USA team my freshman year because it was not expected. When I was able to make it, my coach and I had kind of prepared for it, we had to go through a process getting registered and I remember we had to catch a flight. We were running, trying to get through the airport and I had my uniform on and I was trying to get in the bathroom and change. We made a lot of memories right there."
Q: What is the greatest advice you've gotten from your coaches over the years?
A: "To be consistent. Good enough is not good enough. My mindset has changed and it has helped me a lot throughout my years, especially in tough meets because I need to single out people and have confidence in my training and my coach (Miguel Pate). We know our opponent will jump a big one, but they are really inconsistent, and they will do it early or will do it later. Our main focus is to stay consistent and we know everything will be just fine. So be consistent and good enough is not good enough."
Q: What is your number one motivation?
A: "I feel like I have a lot of them. Every time I am on that runway, I am doing it for an audience of one. It is bigger than what it is. I have a purpose and I have God-given talent. Whatever the outcome is, I go out there and glorify God and just know that he brought me this far. I really didn't think it could be like this and just to be able to be out there. And not just people that see me out there and ask -- Quanesha Burks, The University of Alabama, the track star -- but more as a Christian. My motivation is to remember that people are looking up to me and to know that I can help other people or show God's life through me in competition is what I want to do -- whatever the outcome is. Another motivation is my family, my sisters. Keeping God first and my family second."
Q: Off the track, what do you enjoy doing the most?
A: "I like to spend time with my family. Last year around this time and into the summer, my sisters, ages five and eight, they were able to come down and spend some time with me when I had a break. And I FaceTime my family when I am not at home. But, other than that, just sleeping and going to church. So overall, family, sleeping and going to church."
Q: What are some challenges you have faced over the years?
A: "One big challenge is getting out of my comfort zone. I need to be safe and comfortable in where I am at. To get the results that I want, I need to step out of my comfort zone and do something that I have never done before. And one thing that was a really big challenge -- that I had to change a lot -- is confidence.
My sophomore year was really great, but a lot of people do not remember my freshman year, when I struggled a lot with confidence. Physically, I was ready to do a lot of things that I am doing now but, mentally, I was not there because I was not confident in myself. I believe in myself, but I doubted myself a lot. I got really frustrated with that, especially getting beat a lot. I freaked out at SECs, or when conference meets came. I knew I was ready and my coach believed in me and knew I was ready. He knew physically I was there, but mentally wasn't. He always told me, you have to be 50/50 -- 50 percent physically and 50 percent mentally.
So over my freshman year, I had confidence, but it wasn't enough. Sophomore year that all changed. Every time we would compete I would think, `I am going to jump far, I am going to be different, I am the best of the best.' My mental game caught up with my physical game and that really helped me a lot. Now I still get nervous at meets, but I am relaxed. I am confident in myself, I trust the training."
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