University sophomore Addy MacArthur overcomes two knee injuries to thrive in shot put, discus

University sophomore Addy MacArthur has been through the worst of the worst when it comes to sports injuries – back-to-back anterior cruciate ligament tears in a span of two years.

The first came in the seventh grade while playing soccer; the second was sustained trying out for track and field as an eighth-grader.

While sprinting for Horizon Middle School for the first time, MacArthur felt another pop in her leg. This one was different from the first .

“There were some problems, so it didn’t heal as fast as it usually does,” MacArthur said. “There’s a lot of factors. I had a lot of scar tissue built up, which wouldn’t let me have full mobility, and so it just took longer.”

Instead of one surgery like the first one, MacArthur’s second tear required two. Her athletic career was in jeopardy before it started.

“I love to run,” MacArthur said. “In soccer, I was the fastest girl on the team. But then I tore my ACL, so then I stopped sprinting because I lost that drive to want to run because it messed me up.”

But the competitor in her took over. One major setback after another wasn’t going to keep her from making another comeback.

Once in high school, MacArthur decided to give track and field another go. Her father, Phil MacArthur – a former hammer thrower at Washington State – suggested she give throwing a chance.

“I think because my dad was a thrower, I was really drawn to it,” she said. “When I was in eighth grade at Horizon, we’d come up (to University) every once in a while, and I got to see these discus throwers throwing across the field and it really inspired me to do it.”

MacArthur’s excitement to try something new was at a high. Still, there were nerves about the worst happening a third time.

In events such as shot put and discus, different foot work and leg techniques are used to properly throw each object. MacArthur had to be cautious at first.

“Not comfortable at all,” she said . “Seventh grade was first ACL tear, eighth grade was second ACL tear, so freshman year I was still recovering from my second one, and so I wasn’t able to have full motion in the discus and barely had enough for shot put.”

After weeks of practice, MacArthur entered her first competition in shot put and discus at the Howard Dolphin Invite at West Valley High School. Surrounded by girls who’ve thrown for more than two years, her confidence was shaken.

“I was like, ‘This is the real deal,’ ” MacArthur said. “I was really intimidated because there were just so many girls around me. You know, throwers are big, so I’m looking at them and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to get smoked by them.’ ”

If anything, the opposite happened. MacArthur earned a pair of top-five finishes and was the top overall freshman, highlighted by a third-place effort in shot put, where she threw 34 feet, 4½ inches.

MacArthur continued to see improvements and remained consistent with her training. Leading up to the District 8 3A meet at Central Valley, she was the second-best freshman in the state in shot put at 34-9½.

She fell short of qualifying for the state meet, finishing fifth in shot put and sixth in discus as the top three moved on to Tacoma. MacArthur had to take solace in being top ninth-grader in the field.

“I told her she has a future in what she’s doing,” U-Hi girls coach Todd Hawley said. “She works hard, she works on her technique and her strength, and she’s got a super attitude … I just told her to relax and don’t put too much on herself, don’t put expectations on herself.”

Following the conclusion of the school year, MacArthur took the next step to further her training.

She joined the Iron Wood Thrower Center in Rathdrum – an indoor and outdoor training facility dedicated to track and field throwers.

“I wanted to get more coaching hands-on stuff from people who have competed professionally in this sport,” MacArthur said. “I wanted to get better, because it was something I loved.”

MacArthur worked with many coaches who were once Olympians and collegiate coaches. She saw herself improving in different ways, such as technique and timing.

“It was so amazing,” MacArthur said. “There were so many people there and so many coaches that offered different perspectives. Maybe if one coaching wasn’t giving me the right cue, another coach would, and I would be able to keep on improving in both shot put and discus.”

Maybe even more important than her technique, MacArthur finally felt healthy going into her sophomore season.

MacArthur opened this season at the Dolphin Invite in style, winning the shot put and finishing second in discus with personal bests: 39-4½ in shot and 111-1½ in discus.

“At practice, I’ve been throwing far, too – and consistently,” she said. “So, I was like, ‘I’m going to a hit a good one,’ and I did.”

MacArthur’s shot put mark ranks third in the state for all classifications and second for 3A athletes . She’s also sixth in discus in 3A.

“What I saw from her was that she’s more comfortable in her own skin,” Hawley said. “Before she screwed up in one of her events, you could tell it took her down. Now she’s having fun with it. Like when we were at West Valley, I think she scratched and just laughed about it and said, ‘I’ll get it next time.’ She’s really matured in one year, I think.”

MacArthur knows she has more to prove this season and believes she can go well beyond the marks she hit in her first meet.

At practice, she said she’s thrown the shot more than 43 feet, even stepping over the ring.

“I definitely think I can get it out there without scratching it,” MacArthur said. “Talking with my dad, form-wise, he thinks I can hit up to 45. I mean, why not go for it? I feel like I’m strong enough, and I’ve practiced enough to maybe try and hit it.”

MacArthur and the Titans return to action following spring break on April 13 when the Titans host CV and Gonzaga Prep in the first Greater Spokane League meet of the year.