Allison Harper, a senior at Greenwood, who chose to participate in track her freshman year because she wanted to become as fast as a cheetah and make it to the Olympics, has broken the school record for shot put multiple times in the 2015-2016 school year.

This field event is where an eight-pound metal “shot” is thrown and measured where it hits the ground. Allison’s farthest throw as of May 10th is 38’7”. She feels elated in having broken the school record multiple times and is happy that she “can make a difference in the field events at Greenwood.”

At the beginning of the season, Allison was number one in the state in all classes. She is currently fifth in the state but is working hard to “reclaim that title [number one in the state] very soon.” When asked how she felt about her number one title, she jokingly said that she had expected to be “fed grapes while laying down on a fancy couch.”

She then seriously added that she felt like the town’s hero because people would always be coming up to congratulate her on the achievement while she was shopping or in town. She also had many throwers from other schools Direct Message her on Twitter and say that they were always trying to be like her in their own track program and that she was their hero.

Allison has chosen to attend Berea College in Berea, Kentucky (about 35 miles south of Lexington). She has chosen to throw for the Berea Track and Field program to continue on with the sport she loves. Her advice for any athlete who is wanting to break a school record is to “practice your heart out and to pretend that every practice is a meet.” She also says that your main goal would be to be better than your previous throw.