VIDEO: Injured Javelin Thrower Battling Back

Nick Laketa makes the javelin throw look easy. The senior takes his long strides confidently, holding the javelin just right and follows through effortlessly, watching his spear fly through the air before sticking in the ground. It is by far his longest throw of the day.

Watching Laketa put together the intricate movements needed to perfect the javelin throw so seamlessly, it’s hard to believe that, just six months ago, his right arm was too weak to lift a 2-pound weight.

The Injury

Laketa remembers the moment of impact well. During a spring football practice in 2010, the senior outside linebacker dove for the legs of a ballcarrier. Laketa's arms got caught on the players legs and he felt an immediate pain in his shoulder.

“I didn’t think it was anything bad, I thought it was just kind of a stinger and just kind of went off on the side," Laketa said.

Once coaches took off his pads, it became apparent that Laketa's injury was more than just a pinched nerve. His arm was torn completely out of the socket. As he would soon learn, he had also torn his labrum, his bicep tendon and other ligaments in his shoulder.

Laketa would need surgery to repair everything and he would have to go through a lengthy rehabilitation process.

The Recovery

After surgery, Laketa spent six weeks with his arm in a sling. His arm atrophied to the point that when he began his physical therapy, he began with lifting 1-pound dumbbells. Slowly, he was able to work up to resistance bands and a series of stretching that worked to restore the mobility in his shoulder. Eight months after his surgery, he had built most of the strength back into his arm, to the point where it was in line with the rest of his body.

“The arm is one part of a full-body event,” Laketa said. “Your legs play a part in it, your feet, your hips, your back, your other arm and you just need the mobility there in your arm to be like a rubber band and stretch back and really pull back on the 'jav' at the end. Other than that, it’s just up to the rest of your body.”

But regaining his strength and mobility was only half of his struggle. When an athlete suffers a traumatic injury, the mental aspect of the recovery is often more difficult than the physical one.

“The first thing they think about is that injury,” Laketa’s coach, Mike Dahlstrom, said of athletes who are recovering from an injury. “Because, if it's their foot or it's their groin or it’s their back or it’s their shoulder and that’s part of their mobility, then they’re thinking about that and they're going to be off.”

That mental aspect is especially important in an event like the javelin throw. Like a baseball pitcher, a mental block can affect the entire result, regardless of the physical prowess. Former pitcher (now outfielder) Rick Ankiel suddenly not being able to throw a strike had nothing to do with his physical ability, it was a mental thing. The same is true in the javelin. Convince yourself that something is wrong and your results will most likely reflect that thought.

Laketa admits that the injury is still in the back of his mind, but said he is trying to take a different approach to dealing with the daunting task of recovering to his previous form.

“I’m a little bit nervous getting back into it," Laketa said. "It’s going to be a slow process. We’ve just been kind of getting our feet in the water and feeling how far we can go with it. You know, what have I got to lose? It’s my senior year.”

The Face Behind the Injury

It would be hard to find another high school athlete better suited to come back from a major injury than Nick Laketa. Laketa appears to have a very logical way of dealing with it, something that his coach says is no surprise, giving his approach to being coached.

“He’s a kid that is able to internalize what you talk to him about … he catches on relatively quickly to concepts and to how to maneuver and to how to work his body,” Dahlstrom said.

Laketa is also used to the hard work associated with rehabbing from a major injury. The senior has progressed from a skinny freshman to a toned senior who has hopes for a top-three state finish in 2011. Dahlstrom said the gains Laketa has made all come down to his willingness to trust what the coaches say and put in the necessary work.

“He is, to a coach, what every athlete you’d want to have,” Dahlstrom said. “The type of kid that is mature enough to understand that, 'hey, I’ve got to come out here and I’ve got to work hard and if I work hard and I do what I’m told, then I’ll get the gains.' ”

Laketa is hoping those gains will result in his being able to compete at the collegiate level. Laketa has decided to attend Washington State University in the fall and is hoping the progress he makes this year will help him continue the sport in college.

“We’re working him to go to WSU,” Dahlstrom said. “That’s where he’s going to go to school, so we’re working to try to get him up into the standard that he has to meet to get into there.”

Still, with all the other thoughts on Laketa’s mind—overcoming injury, regaining his form, getting over the mental block and preparing for college—he is simplistic in his goals for the season.

“My goal is to break 200,” Laketa said. “That’s been our goal all this whole time and I know I need to get well over that to compete at the highest level, so, that’s where we’ve got to get. There’s no guarantees, obviously, but that’s where we need to get.”

If Laketa’s success in being able to come back from his injury is any indication, his season goal may not be all that far off.

To track Nick Laketa's progress throughout the season, click here for the results.

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