Thank you, Dana. <3
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
2y ago
Dana Lyon is small in stature but larger than life in personality, drive, and service to others. She threw far, in Colorado at that (javelins don’t like to fly in this thin air): She’s still top 10 all-time in the U.S. with a 59.92m PR at 5’2”. She’s been a javelin heroine of mine since a meet at Cal Berkeley in 2005: My freshman and her junior year of college. I had a huge PR to place second to her, more than a few meters ahead of me. Two-time NCAA Champion, 2007 PanAms and World Championship team member, and much more. Asking her to be my coach in 2017 was not weird or hard or intimidating ..read more
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Body Image: You do You
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
4y ago
I’m proud of my body. I like it. I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity to be amazed by its healing powers. I’ve had the empowering opportunity to be amazed by its athleticism in multiple instances; lifting, throwing, jumping, soccer, swimming, backpacking, manual labor, muscle-ups, and more. But I don’t like to show it off. In 2010, I had what some might say still was the season of my life. At this point, I disagree with that sentiment, but it was really good, and I was bursting onto the international scene at the same time as the ESPN Body Issue was also gaining ground. They called me at the e ..read more
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Pumpkincident
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
I feel ready to share this story, because while my last two meets have been more than sub-par (sub-sub-par?), my training and overall results to this point in the season haven’t been impacted by this now-ridiculous and somewhat funny story like I feared in my soul they might be. This story is also partly why I changed the way I grip the javelin handle!When are pumpkins dangerous? Short answer: If you’re an idiot.Long answer: In the fall, I carved a beautiful pumpkin. I’m actually really good at this. If I use a template, you know, like from the booklet with the little tools plasticked on the f ..read more
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Why I Fail
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
On Saturday, I failed to perform in Jena. Am I devastated? No! But I’m absolutely disappointed and a little embarrassed (although whatever, my process is my process). I threw well in Rome. I threw well in Halle. I had an overall great trip to Europe for three weeks! But finishing it off that way leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and motivation to understand my own brain and failures moving forward in this long season. I want to share two big reasons why I fail. These aren’t specific to Jena: I do the same technical things wrong consistently, and I let self-doubt creep in after being alone for a ..read more
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Representing Others
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
I’ve struggled from the get-go with the enormous idea of representing the United States on a global scale. From the outset, that was too much, too big, too fast, too scary to be my life. It took me a long, long, long time to get comfortable conceptualizing the fact that I was representing my Grandma. Russ. My friends. Rather than The Country, and allowing that sharper focus to fuel me instead of letting the pulled-back version crush me ..read more
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In Memoriam
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
Many Americans celebrate Memorial Day. Each year, I watch the “Thank You, Veterans!” posts roll in, and each year I’m frustrated that we just don’t seem to understand the reason for the day. I wrote this Facebook post in 2016. It’s not about Memorial Day, but I wanted to share it again because it’s a reason I care so much about defining the different military holidays. Also, a lady in a postal store recently told me, “Thank you for your service,” and I was mad about it all over again, both because every serviceman and -woman I know hates that and because I don’t deserve it. Memorial: “A statue ..read more
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Packing
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
I am currently on the road, in Chula Vista training before I go from here to Europe for my first competitions of the 2019 season!! I left home on May 1 and will return to Colorado on June 9.Here is a video I made of me packing!! It’s long, but perhaps entertaining? If you’re looking for this specific kind of video. The equally interesting blog follows. These are things you actually need while traveling as an athlete: Competition Shoes.Wallet/Purse (with passport if traveling internationally). You can purchase EVERYTHING else. And you can also purchase competition shoes if you really need to. S ..read more
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Nutrition
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
Everyone wants there to be a magic formula to good nutrition. There are really basic rules, sure…best practices. But everyone is different, everyone likes different things, and each athlete’s body has different needs. During the 2010 season (arguably my best to date, although I could make arguments for 2015 and 2018), I weighed about 182-185 pounds. I was right around there in college (Except for in 2009, when Russ lived at Purdue and I ate everything in sight out of happiness. But I think that was more a body composition thing than a weight thing, and I PRed that year so whatever.). When I gr ..read more
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A High Hand-Drills and Clarifications
Kara Winger
by Kara Winger
5y ago
I remember Mike mentioning at some point leading into 2012 that my hand *used* to be nice and high. There is a big part of me that thinks the perception of a high hand has more to do with the posture of an athlete who is confident vs. the cowering of an athlete who isn’t than the actual height of a hand, but that’s possibly a sports psychology discussion. For our purposes here, since I was asked to describe some drills for a high hand, how to get maximum flexibility in the throwing shoulder, or mental notes to “leave your arm behind,” I want to cover a few broad topics and then leave you with ..read more
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