When she attended Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, Laci Whitney was an accomplished shot putter and participated in other events.
Now, her 10-year-old daughter is following in her footsteps and setting state records in the process.
Chloe Daigle set the mark for the ages 9-10 division at the USA Track and Field Summer Meet in Augusta last Saturday with a throw of 25 feet, ¾ inches.
Chloe Daigle said she surprised herself with her latest record-breaking throw on Saturday.
“I couldn’t believe it. I had never thrown it that far before,” said Chloe, who lives with her family in Corinth.
She had shattered the state mark by three feet as an 8-year-old, according to her mother.
Mike Viani, who coaches the track and cross country teams at Central High School in Corinth, also directs the summer program. He said Chloe is dedicated.
“She listens well. When you tell her things, she applies them,” said Viani, who described Chloe as a strong girl.
Chloe said Viani and her mother have been major influences on her. They have taught her how to throw the shot and have encouraged her.
“I wasn’t a great shot putter in high school but I knew the form and I knew how to teach her,” said Laci.
Laci, who was also an all-conference softball player at Mattanawcook Academy, said they changed Chloe’s form before the state meet when she was an 8-year-old and it made a significant difference.
Chloe Daigle and her family were vacationing at Moosehead Lake before last Saturday’s meet, but Chole practiced throwing with an eight-pound shot, which is two pounds heavier than the one she throws at meets.
That made the six-pound shot seem lighter to her.
“Before the meet when she was an 8-year-old, we had her practicing with a six-pound shot. They used a four-pound shot in the 8-and-under class,” said Laci.
Laci and husband, Brandon, have given Chloe shots for Christmas.
Chloe Daigle says she loves competing and acknowledged that she “practices a lot.”
Laci said her daughter will sometimes throw the shot in the snow in February before taking a break and picking it up again in May.
Viani said Daigle is good friends with Isabel Allen, who won the state championship in the javelin.
“They throw against each other. They have a friendly rivalry,” said Viani, who noted that Daigle also throws the javelin and Allen throws the shot.
“It’s good to have those kinds of athletes on the team pushing each other. Neither one likes to lose,” said Viani.
Chloe is actually the third shot putter in the family. Older sister Nevaeh won the state championship in the 9-10 age group at the same meet Chloe took the 8-and-under title.
Nevaeh has since switched over to softball.
Chloe also is a good softball player who also plays soccer and basketball. She loves all sports.
“She’ll have to make a decision sometime,” said Laci.