Palmetto’s Elizabeth Atkinson charges into state meet for discus

The most successful discus thrower in Palmetto High School’s history began her throwing career as a favor to her father.

Chris Atkinson took over as the Tigers’ throwing coach when one daughter, Christina Atkinson, was a junior. It was originally supposed to be a brief stint, until Palmetto could find a full-time replacement.

Six years later, Atkinson is still coaching the Tigers’ throwers and his most accomplished pupil yet. Elizabeth Atkinson stepped on campus in Palmetto the fall after her older sister graduated as the school’s record-holder in the discus. Elizabeth was going to play volleyball and soccer. Her father, though, needed some help.

“Hey, we need some throwers,” Elizabeth remembers her father asking. “I came in and I was like, ‘Of course, Dad. What can I do to help?’”

On Thursday, Elizabeth added another mark to her already unimpeachable resume as a discus thrower for the Tigers. She overcame a shaky start at the Class 3A-Region 3 meet in Clearwater to win her second straight region title with a throw of 129 feet, 4 inches and qualify for the Class 3A meet for the third time.

Atkinson will throw next Friday at IMG Academy, trying to follow up last year’s fourth-place finish with a state championship.

Briefly, though, Atkinson worried she wouldn’t even have a chance to win the region championship. The circle at Clearwater High School marked its sectors off differently than Atkinson was used to. She lined up wrong, and her throws suffered. Just barely, Atkinson said, she sneaked into the finals.

“I was just out of whack,” said Atkinson, who has signed to throw the discus at South Florida.

Still, she regrouped to beat Naples Palmetto Ridge’s Elizabeth Sculles, the meet’s No. 1 seed, by nearly two full feet. Atkinson’s throw Thursday was better than anyone at the Class 3A-Region 1 meet and behind only one thrower in Class 3A-Region 4.

Her personal record of 133 feet, 6 inches would place her well ahead of anyone from the three regions in 3A that have already held championship meets. During practice, Atkinson said, she’s hit 144 feet, 6 inches.

“She’s got to buckle down this week, and she can take state,” Palmetto head coach Robert Kelly said.

The Tigers knew this season would be a rebuilding year on the track, but still began the season with state-title aspirations because of her. Atkinson was joined by only the Palmetto boys’ 1600-meter relay team as qualifiers for next week’s 3A meet in Bradenton. No one from Braden River qualified.

Led by Atkinson, the Tigers girls finished tied for 10th with 20 points and the boys finished tied for 26th with six. The Pirates girls finished 23rd with 7 1/2 points and the boys tied for 33rd with 3. Tampa Hillsborough swept both championships with 102 points from the girls and 105 1/2 from the boys. Fort Myers was the runner-up for both with 69 points from the girls and 77 from the boys.

But even in a down year, Palmetto has a chance to win its first state championship since 1991 — and its first ever in a field event.

“That,” Kelly said, “is what we’re looking for her to do.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Palmetto’s Elizabeth Atkinson charges into state meet for discus."