The approach. The crossover. The plant. The toss-up. It's not the formula for a drive to the hole in basketball. It's actually how you the throw the javelin.
For fifth-year senior Inge Jorgenson, perfecting the art of the javelin throw has become the mission of her last spring on Virginia's track and field team.
Jorgenson, a native of New Wilmingham, Pa., began her career at Virginia with promising success. In her first year, she qualified for the NCAAs after winning the ACC javelin title and was invited to the U.S. Track and Field Invitational, where she finished 13th. In her second year, Jorgenson built on her rookie season. She won the ACCs again and finished fourth in the NCAAs. That year, she posted the longest collegiate throw in the nation at 53.42 meters, and was looking forward to only getting better and playing a role on the national scene.
But Jorgenson's ambitions faced a series of unfortunate setbacks. In her third year, Jorgenson suffered a painful tendon split in her quadriceps, forcing her to sit out the year with an injury redshirt. Soon after, Jorgenson injured her elbow with a ligament tear, which caused her to go under the knife with Tommy John surgery that put her out another year.
Jorgenson looks back on those two years positively. The injury itself didn't bother her. The fact that she couldn't play on the field disappointed her.
"It's more upsetting that I couldn't compete," Jorgenson said. "It was upsetting I couldn't compete nationally."
Jorgenson returns this year, out to reclaim her past success. She competed for the first time in three years at the 49ers Invitational on March 30 in the javelin. One-hundred-sixty and a quarter feet later, Jorgenson regained her standing as a nationally competitive thrower with a second place finish. Last weekend at the Duke Invitational, Jorgenson only improved on her first showing of this year, posting a throw over 163 feet to win her event.
If there are any signs of injury left, no one can tell. Jorgenson herself sounded confident coming back after two years off.
"I'm completely over it now," Jorgenson said."
Jorgenson's resilience has gained the praise of her coaches and teammates.
"Watching her coming back from those injuries is uplifting and motivating for the team," Virginia coach Randy Bungard said. "She's been working very hard, even in absentia."
Since her return, Jorgenson has impressed her coaches and served as an excellent model for her teammates.
"When she's out there, she's a leader by example," Bungard said. "She's throwing well and winning meets. She's really a very positive person. Those two things together plus just being out there to perform make her a good teammate."
This season, Jorgenson wants to just concentrate on herself and leave whatever obstacles get thrown at her to fate.
"I want to focus on myself and what I have control over," Jorgenson said. "I don't need to try to hit the 150-footer, just work on my game."
What she can reach, she hopes, is perfection in her technique.
"My focus this year is to master my event," she said.
Mastery in any Olympic event takes dedication and some inherent skill. Inge Jorgenson has both. All she needs now is a little luck.
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