Inside what has made Emma Fischer one of Harrisburg’s most accomplished athletes
As a junior, Harrisburg’s Emma Fischer qualified for the MSHAA Class 2 state javelin championships but faced adversity early on.
After her first throw, she grabbed her elbow. Her parents, Alan and Wendy Fischer, could tell that something was wrong, but she continued.
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In the finals, she did not throw too well, grabbing her elbow each time while dropping down from first place to fourth on the leaderboard. Luckily for Emma, she was the last athlete to throw during the event, and it would be one for the ages.
“It didn’t really set it until I was on stage and going into that last throw,” Emma Fischer said. “I remember looking at one of my fans, and I was like, my goal was to make it to state this year, so I have nothing to lose. And I guess I just went and threw.”
Despite the pain from a torn UCL in her elbow, Emma's final javelin throw was a testament to her grit. The javelin soared an impressive 38.16 meters, shattering the Harrisburg school record and propelling her back to the top of the leaderboard, securing the first state javelin title in the school's history.
That was last season, and now Emma, a senior, is preparing to defend her state title and close out an outstanding high school career in which she became arguably the most accomplished athlete in Harrisburg history. A four-sport athlete competing in softball, cross country, basketball, and track and field, her accolades are lengthy, and she would have possibly gone out for football if it didn’t interfere with two other sports.
Between her four sports, Emma has been named to an all-district team 16 times and an all-conference team nine times. As a freshman, she was an all-state catcher and has won six district team championships, two conference championships, and one state title individually.
A driven mindset
Olivia Fischer described Emma’s reaction after winning her javelin event as a Kobe Bryant-like moment. Yes, Emma was excited at her accomplishments, but in a way was already preparing for her next season as she received her gold medal.
“I remember when she won state, and I was going insane. I'm so happy,” Olivia said. “And she was already talking about like, oh, well, I’m going to work on this for next year and so on and so forth. Like, it was like, oh yeah, like that was fun, but you know it was like Kobe Bryant had said something after we won a championship.”
Playing four sports is a grind and requires a lot of focus and dedication. For Emma, her journey has included many days where she had to decide which sport to compete in if they occurred on the same night. As a Class 2 school, it also included many long journeys across the state, whether it’s Knox County, Schuyler County, or Scotland County. While it's a challenge, it’s something that Emma has embraced.
“I really just enjoy being able to every day be like, okay, today I have this sport I need to get better at this, and then seasons change,” Emma said. “I love being able to just have a variety of different things to focus on.”
Harrisburg track and field head coach Blake Logan highlights her drive as key to her success in everything she strives to do.
“She’s a good athlete. She maximizes everything that she has because she’s self-motivated,” Logan said. “There’s some athletes that you have to really push to be motivated….her motivation and determination is unmatched.”
Her mindset didn’t come out of nowhere, it didn’t develop overnight and it comes from long before she started competing in the Bulldogs athletic program.
Emma comes from an athletic family. Her father, Alan, played high school basketball at Sturgeon. Emma’s two oldest sisters, Sydney and Olivia, participated throughout their high school careers. Sydney previously held the school’s javelin record before Emma broke it while Olivia briefly played all-four sports with the youngest sister in her senior year.
Adam and Wendy quickly express how proud they are of all three of their daughters. A tough, blue-collar mindset, faith, and good morals have translated well onto the playing surface.
“We’ve tried to teach them good work ethics,” Wendy said. “We’ve never allowed them to be lazy people, so not a lot of TV watching. We’ve got plenty to do at home, and my husband owns his own business, and they’ve all worked for him, so they're just hard workers.
Emma’s upbringing within an athletic family, coupled with her parent’s emphasis on strong work ethics and determination, laid the foundation for her unwavering drive and motivation on the track.
“My wife and I both believe in letting the kids have their own independence but responsibility for their actions as well,” Alan said. “If she wants to do sports, then she needs to commit to doing it. There’s no starting and then quitting when things get tough or anything like that…If you want to get better at it, you got to work at it.”
The emphasis on responsibility and commitment has also helped her become an outstanding team player as well.
A natural humble leader
Logan, who has been Emma’s track coach throughout high school, mentioned that the youngest siblings are typically the most outgoing and the least shy. The assertiveness by Emma allowed her to burst onto the scene as a freshmen where she was a part of four district title teams.
Logan mentioned that the youngest sibling is typically the most outgoing and the least shy. The assertiveness by Emma allowed her to burst onto the scene quickly as a freshman where she was a part of four district title teams in basketball, cross country, softball and track and field.
“She wasn’t just a freshman on the team coat-tailing everybody,” Logan said. “She was a big part of our district title as a freshman. So a lot of people maybe didn’t know, oh, she was on a team where seniors carried her. Her sister was a senior, and another girl, and she was right there with her,” Logan said.
Emma’s leadership is something that helps her be successful while competing.
“For track, it gets serious and then I get my teammates ready. Helping my teammates get ready actually helps me get ready,” Emma said.
Another quality that makes her a superior athlete is her leadership. Logan mentioned that she is even a better person off the athletic field, and he has not seen an athlete with her leadership qualities.
“She came in and was a leader. I remember walking in with a nervous freshman classmate into my office before who was super nervous about taking strength conditioning as a freshman; she walked in, so she was showing signs of leadership as a freshman,” Logan said.
Despite her illustrious career, Emma remains remarkably humble, a trait that can be challenging for individuals with such achievements. This aspect of her personality is truly admirable.
“We try to stay a humble family,” Wendy said. “You don’t want to get boastful about it.”
A bright future ahead
Emma’s torn UCL briefly impacted her ability to perform in her senior season, but did not stop her from competing at the highest level she could.
“I practiced the whole summer with my left hand, which I already do some things with my left hand just in case something like that ever happened,” Emma said. “So I kind of already had some experience with my left hand, but it was kind of fun because I have to take my glove off and then grab the ball on my glove, so it’s definitely a different experience, it makes me thankful for what I have.”
Her athletic career will continue after she graduates from Harrisburg. She’s currently committed to William Woods where she will compete in softball and track and field.
“I’m just really looking forward to the girls honestly on the softball team because I know a lot of them, and they’re all very supportive along with the coaches,” Emma Fischer said. “And then in track my first year, I’ll be doing just javelin. I’m very excited to have that as my main focus, and then hopefully, I will pick up a few things like pole vault, maybe after my freshman year.”
As for now, Emma’s final competition in a Harrisburg uniform will be at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City this Friday and Saturday. She’ll participate in the 49th MSHAA Girls Track and Field Championships for Class 2 in both javelin and pole vault. Of course, in sectionals, she achieved a personal best throw of 40.46 meters, one of her goals she wanted to achieve this year.
As the sun sets on one part of her journey and another sun begins to rise, Emma looks back on her career at Harrisburg and humbly appreciates the community which she was raised. Her parents have taught her and her sisters to have fun at what they do and know that sports can teach lessons that can be cherished throughout life.
“I’m very appreciative of all the opportunities I’ve been given, and I would not have had those opportunities without Coach Logan and all my other coaches and my parents,” Emma said. “It just means a lot."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What made Emma Fischer one of Harrisburg’s most accomplished athletes
