The Indiana High School Athletic Association doesn’t include javelin in its meets.
It wouldn’t matter to Faith Helton because the Fishers resident attends The Classical Academy in Indianapolis, which doesn’t have athletic programs.
Helton, a senior, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and field for Milligan University, an NAIA school in Elizabethton, Tenn. She will primarily throw the javelin.
“It wasn’t easy right away, it’s very technical,” said Helton, who has been throwing the javelin for five years during the summer club season.
“It’s a lot of fun. I enjoy it. I’ll probably throw the shot put indoors for something to do,” Helton said. “If my coach wants me to do the discus, I have no problem doing it. I realized I could throw the javelin in college during my sophomore year when my technique developed exponentially.”
Helton said she chose Milligan because the climate is a bit warmer, so she could be outside throwing more.
Helton was a regional champion in the javelin in 2022 and finished fourth at a javelin-only national meet called American JavFest in East Stroudsburg, Pa., this summer.
She plans to major in political science.
Helton has been competing in track and field for seven years. Before that, she was a distance runner, competing in 3,000 and 1,500 meters. She was on the Indy’s Racing Cheetahs club when she was younger but has gone as an unattached competitor since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides the javelin, Helton has thrown the hammer and discus in competition.
“During the offseason, I do the majority of my workouts at the Fishers YMCA and the rest of my workouts are usually done on an athletic field,” she said. “In the beginning I had to be pretty disciplined about it, but I enjoy working out.”
Helton throws three times a week at a park near her home.
