The 15-year-old year 10 Moree Secondary College student is taking her second trip to state finals with in the sport after trouncing all comers at the Tamworth Regional Athletics Carnival, coming first, and ensuring her ticket to Sydney over September 7-8.

Her maiden trip was in 2014, where she finished 16 in a field of over 20 under 15 girls. Now, the time seems to be right. 

“To me, it’s like magic. I feel confident. I feel powerful when I get the ball,” she said.

Her personal best is 11.25 metres, but the 9.95 metres thrown at Tamworth still landed her in first place, though Connie said her nerves got in the way.

“I’m used to doing it here with Moree people, I’m not used to doing it with everyone else, but it affected me because I shake a lot because I get nervous,” she said, but rejoiced when her final distance won the day.

“It was awesome, like I was better than everyone else,” she grinned.

She chose the sport as a younger girl, but since then, the young athlete has been honing her talent and skill with dedication.

“When I was a kid, I had tried to do stuff, but people used to bully me about it, and ever since I went to a different school, I just picked it up and started throwing it,” she said.

“I try to work on my balance, and trying out new techniques, and trying to be faster at it.”

The game is technical, and each competitor throws the shot put with a slightly different deliver; some are in motion, others stationary.

Connie felt inspired watching the recent women’s Olympic shot put, and said she studied their technique.

“Hand movements, and how they hold the ball, sometimes they twirl, sometimes they don’t, how low they get, I watch their feet,” she said.

“You’re pushing off your powerful leg, and the lower you get, the better you’ll spring off.”

She explained the moment before the throw as a welling-up of emotion and power; that anything was possible with the ball in her grasp.

“When I have it in my hand, I feel I could just throw it...I think I could throw it maybe down to the other end of the stadium,” she grinned.

“I just build it up inside; I just build it up to the day, and on that day, when I pick up that shot put, I take it all out on the shot put.”

Connie thanked the people around her who have supported her, and especially her coach Cathy Duncan who has helped her on the journey.