Londonderry's Becca Parascandola won the New Hampshire girls heptathlon in dominating fashion, with a final score of 4,381 points.
The junior said finishing second in last year's heptathlon at Nashua helped prepare her for this year's excellent showing, which saw her finish first overall in the 100 hurdles, high jump, and javelin.
"The first time you do it, it's kind of weird," Parascandola said of what it takes to participate in a heptathlon. "It's seven events. There's not a lot of time. You compete back to back. It's mental toughness. You come off an event and do poorly and then you come back and compete again. You can never give up. One bad performance doesn't mean the end of it."
"One of her secrets is she can be very focused," said coach Sue Johnson. "We talk a lot and she focuses a lot because that's all she can control."
"The hurdles and high jumps are my special events," Parascandola said. "The 800 is the last event and is probably the one most people don't want to do. It takes mental toughness. I have only run it once before and I was really looking to improve."
And Improve she did. Parascandola clocked in at 38.4, a personal best by some nine seconds. It was one of five goals she set for herself and accomplished before the event was over.
Parascandola's goal-setting method worked. When another competitor's coach came over to her to offer congratulations, she realized she had accomplished her goal.
"There was a lot of competition this year. Nora Bruckner from Manchester Central runs well. I knew she would be some top competition. She is a very good all-around athlete. Hillary Holmes, a freshman from Exeter, is another top competitor."
Bruckner and Holmes finished second and third respectively while Parascandola's teammate, Megan Schwarz, finished fifth.
"(Parascandola) has been an excellent role model," said Johnson, "and shes only a junior. The kids are buying into it. She has an awful lot of energy and her work ethic is unbelievable."
"I love to compete,' said Parascandola. "It helps me keep my focus, moving from one event to another."
Parascandola is set to participate in the regional heptathlon at Fitchburg State next weekend. If she finishes in the top three, she'll move on to Nationals in North Carolina as a part of the Junior Olympics.
New Hampshire Heptathlon
Results: 1. Becca Parascandola (Londonderry) 4,381; 2. Nora Bruckner (Manchester Central) 4,210; 3. Hillary Holmes (Exeter) 3,992; 4. Aria Levasseur (Manchester Central) 3,892; 5. Megan Schwarz (Londonderry) 3,816; 11. Katherine Grejka (Timberlane) 3,470; 14. Katy Ebner (Pinkerton) 3,230; 15. Kristen Swanson (Timberlane) 3,172; 20. Caryn Pepin (Pinkerton) 3,065; 21. Alexis Maylor (Pinkerton) 3,007; 22. Lindsey Patterson (Timberlane) 2,926; 35. Hayley Skinner (Timberlane) 2,344; 42. Regina Masiello (Pinkerton) 2,211; 47. Rachel Riley (Timberlane) 2,046; 58. Shannon Miller (Timberlane) 1,588.
New Hampshire Decathlon
Results: 1. Michael Marshall (Salem) 5,902; 2. Keith Lewis (Nashua South) 5,864; 3. Garrett Finn (Lebanon) 5,636; 4. Tom Duda (Merrimack) 5,223; 5. Anthony Saint Jean (Nashua) 5176; 20. Nick Leonard (Londonderry) 4,376; 32. Matt Dalzell (Londonderry) 4,001; 33. Dan Whelton (Londonderry) 3,996;
