April 4, 2023 by Sean Martin
It was an early start for the weight throw at the indoor track and field state championships this year as the athletes reported bright and early at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.
In the process, Greenwich senior Keegan Collins found out she just might be able to classify herself as a “morning person.”
Filled with anticipation, Collins woke up early on the day of her event and was ready to go when her turn came, winning the state title to earn her the Athlete of the Year for indoor track and field.
“We had to get there around 7:30 or 8 a.m.,” Collins said. “It was an early morning and I made it earlier for myself by waking up early with nerves and excitement. I was ranked third so I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen. I was hoping to medal, get on the podium, because I knew there were girls ahead of me but I had to focus on myself that day.”
Collins rose to the occasion in her biggest moment.
“I got in there, I was able to throw a two-foot PR and was able to pull out the win,” Collins said.
Practicing the weight throw can be tricky during the winter months as throwing in gymnasiums is hazardous to the floors so Collins and other weight throwers have to adjust their practice routine.
“We can’t throw our regular 20-pound implement in our school gyms,” Collins said. “We have a light 15-pound indoor one that is more a bag so we use that to practice turns and stuff like that inside. It can help and hurt with the 15-pound bag. You can work on your turns and your speed and your technique but if you only focus on that one and don’t work with the real weight, you’ll probably have trouble with the real weight and getting used to having that much more weight pulling on you.”
Sean Martin, a local freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to the Times Union.
