USA high jumper Chaunte Howard talks dancing

The latest in spikesmag.com's series focusing on athletes interests away from the track, we look at why former World Championship high jump silver medallist Chaunte Howard loves to boogie!

"I don’t know why but I just love to dance. It started with my mom. Every night we used to turn on the radio and we would dance. When I was 9, I joined tap, ballet, hip-hop, jazz... I did it all. It has helped my high jump because it relaxes me. It comes so natural to me. I have been guilty of turning up the volume so loud at home I turn my house into a club. I just put my headphones on and just go.

"When I first went to Atlanta to be coached by Nat Page, I went to track practise and put my headphones on and started dancing. I got told, 'we warm-up together as a group take those headphones off and stop dancing.' I think dancing has helped my high jump because it has allowed me to control my steps. If you can control your feet it is going to help you in the high jump when you need to widen your step on the approach.

"I get quite jealous when I see Blanka [Vlasic] dancing at the track meets and maybe I will have to do a dance in Berlin at the World Championships. I’m pretty sure something will come to mind. I’ll have some sort of jump in there, a turn and a back-flip finish with the hands up. My dream is to join a dancing group. If I was at a track meet and I could dance at the same time I would be happy.

"What do the athletes think of my dancing? They don’t say anything but I probably get on their nerves when they are really focused. It is kind of distracting. A couple of them look at me strangely.

"I don’t always like to do organised dancing. I’m the sort of person if you caught me in an elevator I will dance until it comes to a stop. And I’ve been caught doing that a few times. Once I did it in a see-thru elevator at the Lennox Mall in Atlanta. When I got to the bottom I was given a round of applause. It was so embarrassing."