When spring came around that year
Luke tried to run track but found his leg
still wasn’t ready, he learned he’d have to
wait a while longer to be able to rejoin his
teammates. “It was a rough time for me but
what helped me get through it was looking
forward to competing again,” he shares.
The process was a slow one, as the type of
injury Luke suffered has an expected recovery
time of up to a year. The long scar running
down his lower leg showed that the
outside had healed, but the inside wasn’t
nearly as quick to mend. Physical therapy
was also part of the healing plan. When soccer
season started in the fall his body wasn’t
ready; in October Luke was still walking
with a limp.
When the wrestling season rolled
around his sophomore year, he couldn’t
wait any longer. He was going out for the
team.
Rams wrestling head coach Brian Richardson
saw Luke’s obstacles.
“Him losing a year to a broken leg was a
pretty devastating blow. I know he was very
passionate about soccer, which has fall and
spring seasons, he basically lost a full year of
sports. A lot of times when that happens kids
disappear and you never see them again,
but Luke stayed with the wrestling team all
the way through that season, helping out
whenever he could. He finally got back on
the mat last year and spent most of the season
wrestling on the JV’s and C team.”
How did Luke feel finally able to wrestle
again?
“It was difficult at first because I had
lost so much technique,” he shares. But
there was another problem. Luke, who
can be described as pragmatic, explains
the issue.
“They planted two rods in my tibia.
The problem with it was that the rods
would stick out of my knee. This was
extremely inconvenient for wrestling
because you constantly slam your knee
into the mat and whenever I did that, I
would hit those rods causing my leg to
go numb.”
Not to mention the pain it caused,
which Luke didn’t even mention in our
interview.
Luke worked through the wrestling
Luke Watkins’ player card from the Rockford
Wrestling Club. ~ Contributed Photo
season and ran for the Rams track team,
primarily competing in the gut-wrenching
400-meter run. He set a PR in the
West Ottawa varsity meet with a time of
54.04, placing second. That same night
he joined forces with Luke Vanderwiel,
Eli Haddad and Jacob Rademacher in
the 4X400 and helped the relay team
place first. The Rams 4X400 relay team,
with Luke running anchor, also landed
second in the MITCA Division I Team
State Meet in May.
A dedicated athlete, the family waited
until Luke was between seasons before
he had the doctors address the rods
in his leg and the issues it presented
while wrestling. He had the surgery in
July, with the surgeon planning on removing
the rods. However, they were so
embedded in Luke’s bone, he couldn’t
take them out. The surgeon opted to
shave down the rods so they wouldn’t
jut out.
“It was a pretty easy surgery,” says
Luke, comparing it to the first. “I could
walk right when I woke up. Also, since it
happened in the summer, I had no sports
going on that would be hindered.”
Luke is now in the junior year of his
high school career and is working his
way back to full ability. Currently, it is
wrestling season and he is bouncing between
the 171- and the 189-pound weight
classes, wherever his team needs him.
He has wrestled both on the Varsity A
and Varsity B teams, depending on the
tournament, again filling in where he is
needed.
He has one thing in mind now that he
has healed.
“My goal this year is to become the
best athlete I can be.”
Richardson sees that Luke is attaining
his goal.
“He entered this year about 20
pounds heavier, and I’m talking a quality
20 pounds, clearly he spent a lot of
time in the weight room,” Richardson
shares. “You can just see the confidence
that has given him when he practices
and competes. He’s a physical presence
when he walks on the mat. It becomes
even more evident when he actually
starts wrestling, he throws kids around
and makes it look easy. Our team has affectionately
nicknamed him ‘The Terminator’
this year. Not to say that this year
has been a smooth road. He’s had to deal
with skin issues, banged up nose issues
and a strained bicep to name a few of the
potholes he’s had to navigate. But Luke
has persevered to keep on contributing
in a big way. I think his past experiences
have given him a bit of a mental toughness
to deal with the setbacks he’s encountered
this season. It’s great to see as
a coach, because he’s going to be someone
we lean on in the future and he’s
molded himself into the kind of warrior
we need to lead our team.”
Luke shares what he hopes other athletes
take away from his experience.
“I learned that hard work and patience
truly does pay off. I remember
thinking every day during my downtime
about how amazing it would feel to run
and compete again. Though it takes
time, you’ll eventually get there.”
of NE Grand Rapids
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FEBRUARY, 2020 ROCKFORDROAR.COM 23
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