For many students, school can be tough and seem like a full-time job. Imagine taking 15 hours in school, playing on KU’s rugby team, throwing javelin for KU, going to practices and finding time to study. This is what one senior does in his life, and that student is Johann Swanepoel. He is majoring in civil engineering and minoring in economics. Johann started playing rugby at the age of five and had been involved with javelin for two months before he moved to America.
He and his family moved to the United States from Alldays, South Africa, a small town in the Limpopo province, when he was 13. Osco Drug, now known as CVS, came to South Africa to recruit Johann’s parents, because of the shortage of pharmacists in America. The similarity of South Africa’s medical system to America’s made his parents more than qualified. However, the decision to move wasn’t immediate. At the time, the possibility of moving to America was about 50/50, but the thought was always in the back of their minds, and this thought lingered for about three years.
“One day my parents just said pack your stuff, we’re leaving for the U.S. There was a lot of sadness, but my family wanted to give me and my brothers a better education and a future to do whatever we wanted to in life,” said Johann.
Starting his new life in America, Johann picked up football and wrestling at Shawnee Mission South High School. He also joined the track and field team and stood out throwing javelin. Johann broke the state record by throwing a whopping 238 ft. and 4 inches, the second furthest throw in American high school history.
Johann’s athletic ability was undeniable, and many were noticing his accomplishments, which explains why Johann was named 2010’s Kansas Gatorade Athlete of the Year.
Several colleges were wanting to recruit Johann, such as The University of Florida, Mississippi, Harvard, and Stanford. But in the end he made the decision to sign with The University of Kansas, because of the coaching staff and javelin history.
On top of javelin, Johann joined KU’s rugby team, which is a year-round sport, averaging about 25 to 30 games a year. However, with track and field occurring during the spring, Johann had to handle both while they were in the same season.
“It’s hard, sometimes I have to step back from rugby a little bit, because my first priority is javelin as a sport. In the spring time, if I’m not traveling with the rugby team, I won’t play, but I will coach. I always like to help where I can,”Â
Rugby being a high impact sport, tends to be more demanding on the whole body, whereas javelin requires more attention to detail and takes time to perfect. Not to say that javelin doesn’t come with risks, it can still be rigorous on the body. Johann suffered labral tears on both shoulders during separate occasions — his left shoulder from rugby, and his right shoulder from javelin. The right in particular was more serious, requiring surgery, which put him out for about six months back in 2012.
During the school year, KU provided Johann with assistance while his right arm was in a sling, “The coaching staff and medical staff at KU is very good. They’ve been through a lot of stuff with me, thick and thin.”After Johann fully recovered, he returned for a new year, not seeing his injury as a deterrent but instead a realization. “After the injury, it kind of showed me that I need to put more energy into sports and to stay in it.”
So what is in store for Johann and his sports career after he graduates?
“The hardest part for an athlete is to give up sports, but that is the time where you have to take a step back and look at yourself, see if you can make it to the high level or not. If I can’t, that’s fine with me because that’s the time where you need to start thinking about setting up your life — with work, stability, security and things like that. Family will always follow after graduation, so you need to start looking at the whole picture, and not just one specific detail.” Â
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