Kara Winger: Exceptionally Talented American Javelin Thrower Two-time Olympian and American Record Holder Shares Her Inspirational Story of Success

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Ms. Kara Winger: The most important thing in my diet is getting a mixture of proteins and carbs after workouts in order to recover properly. I live in Colorado, so it while it's important to stay hydrated anyway, I try extra hard to do so here since it's so dry and the altitude is rough on my body. In 2011 and 2012, I got pretty lean, and with that came an inability to recovery properly, less power in my throwing, and results that I wasn't happy with! Since then, I'm happier to keep a little more fat in my diet and a little more meat on my bones. I eat my fill of the amazing meals that my husband makes, make good choices about how much sugar I consume, and am happy being a bit heavier if it means I stay healthy.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?

Ms. Kara Winger: Well, thanks! I've actually struggled with adult acne for a few years now, and finally feel like I have it somewhat under control after seeing a dermatologist last year. I want to share so that other women know they're not alone! The winter weather and dryness in Colorado are tough on my skin, so I moisturize with a Vitamin E face lotion whenever I feel that I need to. I've had great luck with exfoliating regularly and spot-treating with tea tree oil, plus moisturizing. Sunscreen is super important for me at this altitude as well!

I have never, ever dyed my hair! I really should be better about getting it trimmed, but I chopped it off last February after growing it very long for my wedding, loved it for a day, and then was horrified. Therefore, I haven't been back to my stylist yet. Soon! I like to do conditioning hair masks once in a while during a good tub soak. I rarely blow-dry my hair either, or use heat tools of any kind, and I think that's a big reason it looks healthy. I count myself super lucky that I can get away with that! Someday I might learn how to
actually style my hair instead of just letting it dry before going into the next practice ponytail.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding girl in the sport of javelin throw who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in the field of women javelin throw ?

Ms. Kara Winger: Growing up, I played sports because I loved making friends while being active. Even in an individual sport like Track and Field, your teammates are so important: Some of my favorite people to check in with to this day are training partners from every level of my Track and Field career! Remembering that nothing is about just you can help you succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Including those around you in your journey will make it that much more enjoyable. Remember to be grateful, and to voice those feelings of gratitude.

Any professional athletic endeavor does NOT require specialization at a young age, and I think that's so important to emphasize in 2015. I played three sports throughout high school, and basketball all summer, every summer. I didn't specialize in the javelin until I got to college, and I am so thankful that that's how it went! I always try to encourage younger girls to ENJOY what they're doing above all, and playing sports on teams with their friends is normally a huge part of that.

Bonus: Most mainstream sports can teach your body something about throwing the javelin! Even if you're in basketball season, you're still working on explosiveness, cardiovascular fitness and coordination, all things that apply directly to javelin throwing. Moving your body in all kinds of complex and strange ways is great training, because javelin is complex and strange!

But your brain needs a break from specific javelin technique, so playing other sports growing up is great for developing javelin skills without wearing yourself out. Watching video and visiting throwing forums to study the sport can help a lot, and getting a jump on what we call "pre-habilitation" to prepare your joints and muscles for the demands of throwing is huge. Fundamentals are important in every sport, and in throwing that means making sure that your body can withstand the crazy forces put on it by your implement.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You in 2012 finished second at the Olympic Trials, but after competing in London you revealed that you tore your ACL on your fourth throw at the trials. Later you won USATF Outdoor championship at javelin throw in 2011, 2014 & 2015. How you were able to overcome such a physical medical setback and what advice you can give to those in a similar situation?

Ms. Kara Winger: It was terrible at the time, but tearing my ACL was a catalyst for a ton of positivity in my life. Making the decision to compete at the London Olympics despite my injury was scary, but doing so allowed me not only to discover how strong I can be, but to get a little bit of closure before going into surgery. I experienced even more peace before surgery by spending time camping and hiking with my now-husband (Russ) for a month before I went under the knife. I would tell anyone looking at surgery that being
mentally as ready as possible for it is very important, and looking back I'm glad that I inadvertently did that!

Nine weeks after surgery, Russ and I moved to Colorado, where he grew up. I worked with a brand new athletic trainer on my recovery, lived in a new state with completely different weather, and was doing different things in training than I ever had before. I also started an MBA program and began a year-long photography project. One year after my surgery, Russ proposed. We bought a house, and renovated it completely ourselves. Two years after surgery, I had won USAs again and been invited back to the best meets in the world, then got to marry Russ in one of the most beautiful places I've ever experienced.

My advice about difficult situations is that you can either accept them, face them head-on, and work through your problems, or allow them to define you. I didn't want to be someone who tore her ACL at Olympic Trials, I wanted to be a two-time Olympian. I don't want to only be a javelin thrower, I want to be a happy wife, DIYer, amateur dog photographer, and MBA with an accounting concentration, among other things. Don't limit your dreams, because they often play off of each other! Happiness in general creates
motivation in specific areas of your life, and only you control your happiness. You don't have to suspend one goal for another.

A network of support is so helpful, too. On days that believing in yourself is a little tougher than normal, they'll be there for you. While I've always been very self-motivated, I never would have made it through the healing process from ACL surgery without my family, friends and coaches. They kept me, me. They also helped me celebrate daily victories, which I would encourage anyone healing from surgery to do.

After the Olympic Trials in 2012, I started working with Wendy Borlabi, a sports psychologist. She has been pivotal in my return to competition at a high level. Mental toughness of some degree is essential in any part of life, and my work with her has done wonders to get me back to where I feel successful in the sport. She is awesome.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us more about your memorable moment that happened on June 25, 2010 when you broke Kim Kreiner's American record of 64.19 m set in 2007 with a distance of 66.67 m?

Ms. Kara Winger: Breaking the American Record is still such a strange memory for me. I felt so strong and stable that day, and had an absolute blast during the whole competition. The American Record happened on my sixth and last throw, so I had been checking in with Ty (my coach) between each of the previous five attempts, and just enjoying my series as it happened.

When I think about it, I just remember how present I felt: I took in every moment as it happened and adapted to it with confidence. That's a feeling that I've experienced a precious few times since, and I get very excited about replicating in the future. Having people (my parents, Russ, Ty) there who are so important to me and have been so influential in my career, who also knew whole-heartedly that I could do something like that was incredibly gratifying.

Setting the American Record at that particular competition was strange because it was the first time I had competed at a national championship without Kim Kreiner there. My friend Dana Lyon (nee Pounds) was also absent, and it was the first time I felt like a veteran of the sport, even though it was my first full season after college. Maybe that feeling influenced my attitude that day or maybe it didn't, but I definitely remember that dynamic of the competition well.

Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have set up an American record (66.67m/218-9), won two-time NCAA All-American, 2008 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year 2008 Big Ten Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, 2008 Big Ten Women's Field Athlete of the Championships ,Two-time First-Team All-Big Ten, Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten (2006-08), 2008 Second-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District. What additional responsibilities these winnings and honour bestow upon you
towards the community and the sports of "women javelin throw" you competed in?

Ms. Kara Winger: I really enjoy meeting younger javelin throwers and throwers in general! One of the things I love the most about the throws community is how small it can feel, and that is even more true of the women's throws. Recognizing the momentum that our U.S. elite women's throwers are building on an international stage right now (we put two women each in four finals at World Championships this summer!) gets me even more excited to build younger generations' interest in the sport.

I try to stay in touch with the team at Purdue (my Alma mater) and see them at a few meets per season. On social media, I do my best to write back to every young athlete who has a question. I'm now a coach on InstaViser, an online video-chatting platform for athletes to gain access to professionals with knowledge they seek. Since the javelin world is so small and so specific, I always want to be accessible to people who want to learn, especially fellow women!

Ms. Namita Nayyar: Who has been your biggest influence and motivation in your path to success?

Ms. Kara Winger: My coaches have always motivated me, from different sports and in different ways. That trend continued when I got to college and then after graduation! Rodney Zuyderwyk, my coach at Purdue, cares about his athletes as people first, then performers. He is the calmest motivator I've ever met: One short, complimentary sentence from him and I was working the hardest I ever had, until the next workout rolled around. His awesome wife and family life only bolster his coaching credentials.

Ty Sevin, my current coach, has a simple and relaxed approach to throwing the javelin, and whenever I get to practice with him, I instantly feel like myself again. My training is always interesting because Ty is constantly learning and pushing himself, which pushes me. His family is also awesome, and reflecting on the fact that it has grown over the six years we've worked together only makes me appreciate him and his family's efforts for my career more. Jamie Myers, my strength coach, always has my best interests in mind, and is often my voice of reason.

His workouts improve my strengths and definitely challenge my weaknesses. His wife was my Matron of Honor, and they're both some of my best friends. They're all so different and motivating in different ways, and I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled into all three of these situations. Three people couldn't have been better suited to my particular career and its development.

Russ Winger (my husband) inspires me every day. He is so multi-faceted, it's jaw-dropping. He perseveres unlike anyone else I've ever met, but is so passionate about so many areas of his life that sometimes people don't recognize the tenacity he has displayed in Track and Field. He has overcome so much, and I cheer for him so loudly

Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Ms. Kara Winger: One of my favorite things to do when I'm not training specifically for the javelin is to work out with a friend! It's awesome that womenfitness.net is building a community of informed, knowledgeable, fit women who can help each other toward health goals. Fitness is a lifestyle that allows you to experience the world in new, dynamic ways!

To know more about Kara Winger, check her out at: http://www.karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.com

To check out the latest about Kara Winger check out her social network:

• https://twitter.com/karathrowsjav
• https://www.facebook.com/karathrowsjavelin/
• http://www.online-instagram.com/user/karaewinger/253775542/1037056237210467471_253775542

Women Fitness Team thanks Kara Winger for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.

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