March 1, 2008

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The senior year is filled with expectations and dreams of a bright future and why not, your life is right and front of you and ready to be lived. Kent Klawer, a senior on California Baptist's swimming and dive team, is no different. The Valencia, Calif., native will step on the blocks in the 200 back tonight (March 1) at the 2008 NAIA Championships, but how this highly touted athlete got here is a journey itself.

Klawer set a school record in the 400 IM his freshman year on the way to winning a national title and claimed second in the 200 back and third in the 200 IM. As a 2006 sophomore he claimed the 200 IM national title and finished second in the 400 IM and third in the 200 back.

However, over the course of the last year and a half, it's been a different type of workout for Klawer. In his sophomore year he felt that something was wrong in his left shoulder. The pain reached such a level that at the national championships he felt like if he pushed any harder that he might do permanent damage.

"I used to just go to the training room all the time and do stem treatment, exercises and ice," said Klawer. "It just reached a point finally that I was told to go to an orthopedic surgeon and get it checked out."

Klawer had some initial tests done and was told he would have to have surgery and would be up and running in a few months, but he wasn't quite ready to give up his sophomore season just yet.

In November of his sophomore year, after Klawer had visited with doctors, he had planned to make the annual Nike Cup his last event before having surgery, but when he swam his best times the planned changed again.

"There was no way I could have stopped right then," said Klawer. "I knew I had to finish the year out."

He did finish the year out in extreme pain and after the 2006 National Championship ended on a Saturday, Klawer had surgery that next Tuesday. The sad part was that this was only the first of three surgeries. He had to have surgery again in August and September 2006 forcing him to miss the entire season including the 2007 National Championships.

"When I had my original surgery they told me it would be a six month recovery and should get full range of motion, but after six months it just got worse," said Klawer. "I ended up going to another doctor and that's when they told me I was facing a serious problem. They weren't even sure I was going to be able to use my shoulder to swim again."

After some tests Klawer was told he had a slap lesion and that his rotator cuff was frayed.

"We were hoping originally that it was something that could be fixed quickly and he could be back in a month or two," said Dan Klawer, Kent's father. "The doctor told him that if it was just one thing, we could do something quick and have him up and running again. But when we found out that it was a major surgery we were facing, we knew had to make a decision."

That decision was to get a quick fix and just do enough to make the shoulder serviceable with the possibility of injury on the next swim, or do a rare surgery that could have a long lasting fix.

"The doctor asked him if he wanted a short term fix and have to come back to the office soon, or try to have a permanent fix and not have any major problems until he's 50," said Dan Klawer. "I told Kent we need to get this thing fixed now and rehab hard to get back in the pool."

In the surgery in August, doctors noticed two holes in Klawer's humeral head and in September they resurfaced the head of his humorous with a stainless steal ball. The next procedure, called a graft jacket, was one that had only been done a handful of times. It was so rare that when Klawer's doctor recently met with the other surgeons, he found out that Klawer is the only one to still be this active and have this range of motion after the surgery.

"I went to a lot of therapy right after surgery," said Klawer. "I don't know how I am able to be doing this. I swam what I could and now I don't have to go to the trainer that much."

"He's our bionic man," said CBU head coach Rick Rowland. "While you would love to see him back at the level he was before he had the surgery, it's great to see how hard he has worked to get to this point. He's a good example of what hard work and determination can do."

Not having to worry about his shoulder now, allows Klawer to worry about other things like his upcoming marriage to Kimie Cook, a standout swimmer as well for the Lancers' women's team. Klawer might have nerves of steel in the pool, but his nerves will be tested in a different way March 14, when he says I do.