It was May 10, the day of the All-New England Women’s Track and Field Championships. Palma, a Westborough native who excelled in the discus and shotput for the Rangers, was now in her second season throwing for Westfield State. She was in the midst of a fine season, but on this day she was struggling.
She was having trouble calming her nerves, and her first two attempts in the discus went foul.
With one throw left, she stepped back in the circle. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. She focused on what she had to do. Shoot for the tree line. Bring your arm through at a higher angle. Swing your hip. Finish through the motion.
“It’s a lot of everything with discus,” said Palma. “It’s not as much like shot. It’s not as much of a muscle thing. It’s something that has to be very smooth, very thought out, and even the smallest change in the way you use your hand can cause the disc to release completely wrong.”
She took her position, settled down. And then she unleashed the best throw of her career. She knew it as soon as it left her hand.
“There’s something about a very good throw that feels right,” said Palma. “It’s hard to explain, but once you throw it you know that it’s right. You know a lot of things came together in that throw and it’s going to go far.”
To that point, Palma’s personal record in the discus had been 135 feet, 4inches. She shattered it by nearly 10 feet with a throw of 145-2, which also set a new school record.
Coming into the meet as the No. 11 seed, Palma walked out with the New England title.
“I put everything into that throw,” said Palma. “I didn’t want to back off.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, she also took fourth place in the shot put with a throw of 44-9. Not a bad showing for the Owl.
“I didn’t think that I would win, honestly,” said Palma. “It was definitely pretty exciting.”
It was a major highlight in a career that is already quite accomplished at its midpoint.
Palma certainly didn’t think success would come so soon. She didn’t feel prepared for the level of competition as she entered college. She had a decorated high school career, but knew she had relied on natural ability more than hard work.
“When I entered I wasn’t national material at all,” said Palma. “I didn’t lift a whole bunch at high school. Mainly I had upper body strength and that’s all arms. My coach turned my lifting routine around and whipped me into shape.”
A week after the All-New England Championships she went to the ECAC Division III Women’s Championships, placing second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.
This spring she qualified for nationals for the third straight season. But instead of continuing her recent string of success, it served as something of a reality check for Palma.
Palma first qualified in the shot put as a freshman in the outdoor season. She qualified again indoors this past winter, and this spring qualified in both the discus and the shot.
On May 24, she entered seeded 15th in the shot put and 17th in the discus. But it all went wrong.
Palma managed to throw just 122-5 in the discus, finishing 20th out of 22 competitors. She finished 22nd in the shot put, her best throw traveling just 39-1.75. In each event, she fouled two of her three attempts. It was a disappointing end to a fine season for Palma, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. In fact, it was the opposite.
“I was looking to go really big,” said Palma. “I wasn’t looking to come in 11th again and I took a chance and I threw the throw that I needed, but I just fouled it. It happens when you’re trying to go to the next level. Sometimes it just doesn’t work.”
It certainly wasn’t the finish she was looking for. Ultimately, though, she thinks it will serve a purpose —hopefully as a building block for a better finish next year.
“I’m disappointed that I didn’t perform well but I think it was a learning experience,” said Palma. “Anytime you go to a big meet, whether you do well or not, it’s something you can learn from, go back to the drawing board take it with you and try to figure out what you can do better the next time, and that’s a big thing. It’s something to work towards.
“This summer I know I have to lift harder I have to work harder for this upcoming season so it won’t happen again.”
And Palma does expect to be there again. At this point, qualifying for nationals has become a mere formality. It’s not whether she’ll get there, but what she’ll do when she does.
“I know I can do it,” said Palma. “That’s what I have in me. My real goal is to be an All-American. I know I have that in me, I can see myself making that throw. I know I’ve done it in practice. I just have to figure out how to do it in a meet.”
Right as it leaves her hand.
Honor Roll
The following athletes either from the local area or who attend local colleges received awards for the performance over the past two weeks: Ashland’s Jackie Connors (Worcester State, Women’s Lacrosse, ECAC Division III First Team All-Star); Chris Kucher (Babson, Baseball, ECAC Division III First Team All-Star); Hopkinton’s Anne Speranza (Connecticut College, Women’s Rowing, NESCAC Second Team All-Star).
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