Santa Barbara, Calif. – Joey Weisman, a stand-out pole vaulter coming out of high school had his eyes set on a monster freshman year. His goals of breaking records and establishing himself within the NCAA were stripped from him before the season even began when he suffered a groin injury that would leave him sidelined for the better part of a year.
A San Diego native, Joey graduated from Torrey Pines High School. During his time with the Falcons Joey competed in a plethora of events: the pole vault, long jump, high jump, triple jump, and the 400m dash, with respected personal records in all. Despite his vast resume, what set him apart was his 16'1" personal record in the pole vault. Winning the CIF section championship twice, winning Field Athlete of the Year four times, and competing at the U20 National Championships put him on the map as a force to be reckoned with.
Joey entered the realm of pole vaulting on a limb. He joined track to stay in shape for his upcoming soccer season his freshman year of high school, and upon his coach discovering his gymnastics background he was pushed to try pole vaulting. In just a summer of preparation he had his first PR of 11 feet which in a few months shot up to 14 feet and from then on his progression came naturally. His first jump at 11 feet to his current PR of 16-foot 1-inch were only separated by a year, his drive and eagerness and dedication to his craft kept his expectation soaring into college.
Heading into his freshman year, the sky was the limit for the eager freshman. Devastatingly, a groin injury occurred during warm ups just weeks before the first meet that would force him to redshirt his freshman season.
The shock of the injury sent him spiraling due to the uncertainty and severity of this new challenge.
"I was in disbelief and the worst was assumed," Joey said about his initial conversation with doctors. "The first couple hours were scary… I was in the worst pain I had experienced."
After emergency surgery, he still had a 50/50 chance of making a full recovery. Even if the operation was successful, a daunting road to recovery awaited him.
"Once I heard the game plan I was nervous. It was surreal and it felt like I was in a bad dream," Joey said. "I decided to sit back and accept the worst."
Set to take five months before he could run again and a year before he would be back to pole vaulting. Staring down months of therapy, Joey wasn't sure what would happen. Pole vaulting is a muscle memory based sport that requires constant practice and adjustments, and a side lining this long would force him to relearn the sport he once excelled at.
"Being immediately out of it for a couple months, I formed a mental block from the sport and it was definitely one of the hardest things I had to go through and am still going through," Joey said.
Being so new to the sport but having already accomplished so much, Joey had to deal with the mental aspect of injuries for the first time. His eagerness and drive for success made it hard to watch opportunities pass him by, but his mental battle with the injury was his focus, in order to return better than before.
His vision of his perfect freshman year was shattered. Joey was forced to think about his future in the sport, as many in his shoes would have walked away.
"A great and successful season was ahead of me, just for a single slip in a warm up jump to immediately warrant a full reset in my abilities and a long recovery to take me out of school," Joey said.
Joey's determination to achieve his NCAA goals pushed him hard in his recovery and left him hungry for what was to come, with goals set to accomplish what was left behind in his freshman year. Joey was not only pushed by himself, his support system of friends, family, coaches and teammates showed him that he wasn't alone in his journey back to the track.
"My girlfriend drove me to the hospital and spent the night in a chair as I was recovering post-surgery. My parents drove up after midnight from San Diego and were able to get a last-minute hotel room," Joey said. "The next day, my friends and family came to sit by my side watching the Super Bowl with me and keeping my spirits high during the days I was stuck in bed."
Joey credits his swift transition back to campus to the help provided by his coaches and trainers. Without them and their constant support, Joey doesn't know if his recovery process would have been the same.
"I know that I owe more to UC Santa Barbara Track and Field and to my coaches who had heavily recruited me and believed in me since day one," Joey said. "I have grown a lot in the past year and am confident that I will be better than I ever was when it comes time to make my return."
Despite his motivation and a successful surgery, there were still large mental blocks that come with an injury of this magnitude.
"I was away from the sport for so long I really started to believe this could be the end of it," Joey said. "I had lost all muscle memory and any repertoire that I had formed over the past couple years."
But, a summer job turned into an inspiration that brought out the memories of the young high school freshman that just went over the bar for the first time. While reliving the joy and passion he had for the sport, he saw no way in which this was the end of his journey.
"Over the summer, I started coaching kids to make a little extra money and I watched the flame in the kids eyes that I used to have," Joey said. "Seeing people think they're not going to get over a bar and then doing it, there's no better feeling."
This small moment pushed Joey along on his path to recovery and lit a fire under him to keep pushing and tackle his unfinished business.
"I decided there's no way I can quit. I at least owe it to myself to give it a shot. I'm not done yet," Joey said.
With Joey's determination, his recovery was a swift process, setting up to make his return this upcoming season. Despite the hardship and the mental blocks Joey has his eyes set on a tremendous redshirt freshman season.
"My goal is to be a competitor. I will get back into competition shape, and I will strive for the comfort and confidence I once had," Joey said. "I want to compete and win."
Even with the odds stacked against him, he is eager to see results on an NCAA level with his goals of jumping at the NCAA West Regionals, and to qualify for all meets this upcoming spring season. Joey wants to make the most of his time at UC Santa Barbara and especially on the track.
"My perspective hasn't changed, it feels all the more real how short of a time being a track athlete is. Because one injury can interrupt so much," Joey said.
Joey will bring his joy and love for the sport to the track this year, and the sky is again the limit for such a high-flying athlete.
