Superstitious Michaela Stork wins discus at OHSAA state finals for Port Clinton track

Thank goodness Michaela Stork wore pants for a meet early this season.

The Port Clinton junior knows never to do that again. It reinforced Stork’s superstitious belief in superstitions.

So, what happened in the discus at the Division II state track meet? Port Clinton throws coach Phil Fought made Stork abandon her biggest superstition.

She reluctantly obliged on her way to a state championship.

“I was a little nervous; I fouled my fourth warmup throw and I scuffed one of my favorite discs,” Stork said. “That made me a little nervous. I always throw with one specific disc. Coach told me not to, and it helped.”

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Stork wears the same jersey and shorts for every meet. Shivering on a cold day a few months ago, Stork wore pants.

She fouled every throw.

“Even in the snow, I wear shorts,” she said. “Or I won’t throw good the rest of the day. It made me stern in my superstitions.”

She has many that she adheres to. She never wears socks that match at a meet.

Her only jewelry is a sentimental necklace. Her hair must be out of her face, with rare exceptions for bangs. She always affixes her grip on the disc before she enters the circle.

“I feel unbalanced; even a hair-tie on my wrist, I won’t spin right,” she said.

Sometimes, Stork devotes too much concentration to an adjustment.

“At a meet, I’ll focus on something specific and I focus too hard and it’s straight into the ground,” she said. “When I’m not thinking about it, that’s when I launch it. I’m throwing for six seconds the whole day; each throw is two seconds.

“I know how to throw. Not focusing on a throw is what makes me throw my best. When I trust myself. Trying to let myself do what I know how to do. Go there and throw, it’s what I train all season for.”

She wasn’t sure what to say when Fought discouraged her from using her comfort disc.

“He knew I favored that disc,” she said.

He wanted her to trust herself and stop thinking. She surpassed a season-long goal with a throw of 140 feet, 1 inch on her first throw.

That’s the type of throw that immediately has you thinking you might be on the podium. Stork responded with a heave of 150-6 to further bump her program record.

“I let go of 140, it felt flat,” she said. “I thought it was 120 if I was lucky. They said, ‘140.’ That was my goal the whole season and a crazy milestone. 150 didn’t feel good either, I thought I’d fouled. I smoked the whole goal for the season.

“That was very exciting.”

Her third throw at state of 141-2 also surpassed her best throw (139-8) entering the meet. She established a personal best by 11 feet to take a state crown.

“I was seeded second,” she said. “I was expected to get on the podium, so I felt pressure not to disappoint my supporters, and especially myself.”

She finished eighth at state at 126-3 in the discus last season. Her initial goal for this season was 130.

“Last year, I was very excited just to be there,” she said. “Sophomores don’t usually go, but I placed, too. That’s when I knew I had more. It showed me I could do more than I thought I could.”

She was also buoyed when she popped her first throw of 120 feet as a sophomore. It served as a springboard.

“That signified the start of my growth,” she said. “Hitting that mark was such a big milestone, and from there I kept growing. I gained 10 feet last year and got on top of podiums.”

Stork was discouraged after her freshman season.

“I didn’t do as well as I wanted and expected to,” she said.

Her teammates encouraged her and helped her find joy.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if not for my coach, but also my team,” she said. “I’ve had an incredible team for three years and if I didn’t have as much fun I wouldn’t have stuck with it with the determination to make it as far as I did.”

Stork has plenty of experience in Columbus this year as she also finished eighth at the state wrestling tourney. It was the first time she tried the sport.

“Just starting wrestling, I wanted to go far, but I had an exceptional season learning things,” she said. “I work hard, and I enjoy the effort and when it pays off. (I want to) get better and certain technique things.

“I don’t know much; it’s new. New moves. I would like to place next year.”

Wrestling helped Stork with throwing.

“My legs are stronger, because of wrestling,” she said. “Wrestling has focused on my lower body and it’s benefited me in the circle as well.”

Port Clinton’s track coaches allow Stork to communicate.

“His ability to listen to me and my ideas,” she said. “He understands that I throw every day and I understand. He listens to my ideas and interprets them into how he wants me to throw. It’s nice to know he trusts me as an athlete and he makes it better.

“He pushes me and rewards me on milestones.”

There aren’t many of those left unobtained, with a season to go.

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

X: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Michaela Stork wins discus at OHSAA state finals for Port Clinton track