"What else could you ask for?" she said this afternoon.

"I’m in shape and I travel the world. I’m a professional. I get paid for what I do."

And what Dragila does for a living is leap more than 15 feet into the air and over a bar.

She’s a pole vaulter and she’s coming to the Drake Relays later this month. She’ll compete in the women’s invitational pole vault at 1:30 p.m. April 26.

"I may not make NFL money, but I love what I do," the 32-year-old Dragila said. "Nike and Oakley sunglasses pay me to do what I do."

Dragila, who is from Pocatello, Idaho, won the first-ever Olympic pole vault in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Her appearance at Drake will mark her 2003 outdoor debut.

She set the world indoor record of 15 feet 8 ½ inches at the U.S. National Indoor Championships March 2 in Boston. Dragila set American indoor records earlier with a 15-5 ½ clearance at the Boston Indoor Games, then raised it to 15-5 ¾ at the Millrose Games.

"I’m excited to come to the Drake Relays," Dragila said. "My coach, Dave Nielsen, has participated at Drake. I have a close friend, Bill Trease of Iowa City, who has officiated many of my pole vault competitions. I’ve heard tons of great things about Drake.

"This will be my first trip to the state of Iowa, and I know the fans get excited at the Drake Relays. They pack the stands. My coach has told me it’s an awesome experience. I’m really excited to be doing it the year before the Olympics."

Dragila knows that there’s some talk out there that, at her age, time may be against her as a vaulter.

"But if I’m healthy and still having fun, I think I can push the envelope to the 17-foot barrier," she said. "My (immediate) goal is to jump 16-4. But my ultimate goal is to get over 17 feet."

Mark Kostek, director of the Drake Relays, said he’s been trying to lure Dragila to the meet for 2 ½ years.

"It’s a thrill for me to get you here," he told Dragila.

Attracting Dragila to Drake is the biggest coup to date by Kostek, who has quickly made his mark in his three years as the director. Dragila is one of the top three names in U.S. track and field, with the other two being Maurice Greene and Marion Jones.

"It’s remarkable to see how many women are fired up to learn the pole vault," she said. "For so many years women were told they couldn’t do it. Now they see it on TV. I think it’s a daredevil-type sport, but a lot of people also see how much fun it is."

Dragila said Nielsen "grew up in Iowa City and went to the University of Iowa, where he pole vaulted. He and Bill Trease talk about Iowa constantly. Bill always tells me how Iowa is doing in football and basketball, and he’s really fired up that I’m going to visit his alma mater.

"We’re going to Iowa City the day after the Relays to see where Dave grew up and where Bill lived."