After almost a year off my blog I am here to say, I am back! No I didn’t stop training, or competing, but I was stuck in a slump last year that I didn’t ever care to share. With the Olympic Games only a year away I am more focused than ever to make the team and fulfill my dreams.

So what happened while I was “away”?

I moved to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista California (San Diego) in order to get the best nutrition, training facilities, and most importantly medical staff. And honestly I couldn’t be happier. But when I started to train for the 2015 season I wasn’t able to throw.

My shoulder was in extreme pain when throwing even a standing throw and I had no idea what happened.

After many tests, muscular skeletal ultrasound, and an MRI I was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, a torn labrum, and a cyst in my labrum the size of a watermelon seed.

Doctors told me it would never heal and the only way to keep doing track and field was to rehab surrounding areas of the shoulder and the back.

Most of my season was dedicated to rehab and general fitness. I knew that once my shoulder was ready to start throwing again I needed the rest of my body to be ready as well.

By the end of my season I had only thrown on the runway four times in practice and four times in competitions. Because of my lack of volume and technical sessions on the runway I had the worst year of my career since 2008. But I am not ready to give up.

I have faced so many worse things in my life. I remember tearing my UCL in 2006 and it feeling like a nail was being driven through my elbow. Or in 2009 when I tore my ACL (for the first time) and feeling the worst pain of my life.

Yet after all my injuries and hardships I still became an Olympian in 2012, and no one can take that away from me.

But just becoming an Olympian isn’t enough for me. I know I can achieve more. I am training hard every day in preparation to make the finals and bring home a medal for Team USA.

In order to achieve my goals I need your support. I am going to be blogging about my training like crazy and posting tons of awesome photos and videos on social media. All I am asking for you guys to help support me by following, retweeting, liking, and sharing all my posts. Furthermore I am accepting financial support on my website (safely and securely with PayPal) and GoFundMe!

Thank you again for your continued support!

 

#Ready4Rio #TrainBIG