Clippers hammer the competition
Cumberland’s Coppolino, Ducharme excel
PROVIDENCE — A small gathering of mask-wearing, socially-distant people assembled beyond the chain-link fence surrounding the athletic fields at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School late Wednesday afternoon to witness this year’s version of the Rhode Island Outdoor Track & Field State Meet. The scene was atypical of the one that unfolds each spring at Brown Stadium with high school athletes either closing out the season or getting set for New Englands.
And yet, a degree of normalcy was on display in South Providence on Wednesday, a reminder that sports do still exist and are never more than a few arrangements away from returning in full force.
With that in mind, the overall participation level for the throwing competitions was on the lower end of the spectrum with certain athletes opting out due to either health concerns or the limited time frame in which they were notified the event would be taking place.
The day featured four separate events (hammer throw, shot put, javelin and discus), with a number of local athletes figuring prominently in each one.
Phil Coppolino of Cumberland placed second in the hammer throw (200 feet, 9 inches) with the recent high school graduate glad to be back in action for the first time after a lengthy layoff. Set to take a gap year before attending Cornell next fall, Coppolino has been training recently with 16-pound weights, that which is used at the collegiate level. Returning to the 12-pound weight used by high school athletes, something he has not done in a little over a year, required a degree of adjustment on the recent graduate’s behalf.
‘‘I had to adjust pretty quick and I didn’t throw as far as I wanted to, but I guess I’m not really unsatisfied with the overall result,’’ he said of his outing.
Will Cauley of Barrington took first place with a throw of 205-11, while John Fay of Hendricken 195-2 came in third and Sam Bond of Rogers of Rogers in fourth at 188’-7.
Tommy Goggin, also of Cumberland, placed fifth, his best throw reaching 178 feet.
‘‘For me, I felt it was really consistent. All of my throws were over 170, so they were all basically PRs for me.’’ His best throw nearly eclipsed his personal goal headed into the day, falling just a couple of feet short. ’’The goal was 180, so I’m satisfied with that,’’ he said.
The chance to reach that coveted 180-foot mark will present itself on several more occasions in the weeks to come, with Goggin confident that the next time around will see him get to where he wants to be.
‘‘I know we have a few summer meets that we’re going to be at, so I’m confident that I’ll be able to hit that.’’
On the girls’ end, Hannah Moe of Cumberland recorded a throw of 117-1, placing 10th overall. ‘‘It felt like I could have done better, but it’s been my first meet in a while, so I’m hoping to compete more,’’ she said.
Nicolette Ducharme placed fifth in the event with a throw of 143-9 before recording a seventh place finish in the discus with a throw of 83’ even. Her best performance of the day was in the shot put, in which her throw of 36-11.75 was good enough for third overall.