05/16/2008
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Staff photo by David Leamingfrom the Kennebec Journal
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Staff Writer
On her right foot, the one she uses to pivot while throwing the discus, Anna Niedbala wears a white, textured sock with powder blue outlines. On her left foot, the 18-year-old Erskine Academy senior sports a thicker, dark blue sock. They're not even close to matching, which, of course, is the point.
"I'm slightly superstitious," she says with a wide smile that nearly connects the ears. "I never wear matching socks. Oh, I always have to eat steak and potatoes before every meet. And I always throw better if I eat a piece of cheesecake the night before. Always."
The superstitions are just a part of what makes Niedbala one of the top throwers in the state, particularly in the discus. The year-round commitment to the sport, extensive weight training and a fierce competitive streak also play significant roles.
"I set high goals for myself and I obsess over them," she says. "Sometimes I get emotional if I don't reach them or don't do well. I just like being good at things. I always want to be able to say I gave it the best I had."
Niedbala, who lives in Palermo, shifts the javelin from her right shoulder to her left. She pauses, then continues.
"If I don't throw well, sometimes I pout," she says. "I'm trying to work on it because I am a captain, but I do get upset. I'm getting better, though. The best thing for me, if I didn't do well, is to go off and be by myself. My emotions do help me throw."
Her work Thursday afternoon in a meet at Winslow High School -- discus, javelin and shot put -- is done. She threw well, but not as well as she'd like.
"You come to these meets looking to beat yourself, because if you can't beat yourself, who can you beat?," she says. "I wanted to throw 140 feet in the discus. That would've qualified me for nationals, but I missed it by two inches. Qualifying for nationals is one of my goals. Winning states is another, but it's negotiable."
"Intense is the best word I can use to describe her," Erskine track and field coach Ben Willoughby adds. "She's very competitive, and she's very hard on herself. If she doesn't feel she's meeting her expectations, she gets very hard on herself."
Niedbala has come a long way in her four years at Erskine.
Last season, she finished second in the discus at the Class B state championship meet, throwing 121 feet, 2 inches. She was third in the shot put and fifth in the javelin as well. This year, Niedbala is routinely throwing well more than 130 feet in the discus, which again will make her a contender in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and state meets.
Not bad for a girl who picked up the sport her freshman year because she failed to make the softball team.
"I knew my tryout didn't go well so I figured I'd give track a try," says Niedbala, who is ranked in the top five of her class and will attend Dartmouth College in the fall. "When I first saw the discus, I was like, 'This is an over-sized Frisbee.' Now it makes me mad when people call it a Frisbee. It's not a Frisbee, it's the discus, and it's really cool.
"Discus is my favorite event, but I hated it my freshman year. But then, suddenly, it was like the technique set in."
The technique set in during her sophomore year, when Niedbala again finished second behind Greely High School's Becky O'Brien in discus at the Class B meet. She threw 118-01 at the 2006 meet.
Like Niedbala, O'Brien is also a senior.
"I wish I was one year younger," Niedbala says with a laugh. "It's frustrating, because I've come in second in the states two years in a row, and I want that state championship. I know it's going to take the throw of my life."
O'Brien and Niedbala are close friends, with each constantly updating the other on their progress.
"She sent me a text message earlier this season and said, 'Guess what I threw?' Niedbala says. "I wrote back, 'I don't know, 150?' Then she said, '156.' I congratulated her, breathed a sigh of frustration and went out to start throwing again. But Becky is great. She pushes me to do better. I mean, everything happens for a reason, right?"
Niedbala's drive to thrive shapes her commitment to track and field. She's a member at Gilly's Gym in Waterville, where she trains in power and Olympic weightlifting, which focuses more on explosiveness.
At her best, she says she can squat 260 pounds and bench press 137. During the offseasons, Niedbala is usually throwing or practicing.
"When it's raining, I'll draw a chalk circle on the floor in our garage and just practice spins and glides," she says. "Like I said, it's become an obsession, but a good obsession."
Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515
bstewart@centralmaine.com
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