The doctors told him he would have to sit out for a year. Two broken vertebrae, after all, are not something to mess around with. He could take a year off, let his back heal and then attempt a comeback. But what the doctors failed to realize, was that Luke Anderson was not going to take a year off. He only had one year left.
One of Virginia's most decorated swimmers, Anderson is a nine-time All-American, a 12-time ACC champion and a school record holder in three events. So after completing his junior season at Virginia in the spring of 2003, Anderson made the decision to take a year off from school and train for the opportunity of a lifetime, the Olympic Trials.
"After I finished up my third year, I decided to take all of last year off and go out to California, redshirt and concentrate solely on trials," Anderson said. "But in the course of training [last February], doing dry land exercises, I managed to fracture the bottom two vertebrae on my back."
Initially doubting the seriousness of his injury, Anderson continued training and competing into March, before the pain finally became too unbearable and forced him out of the water. After visiting doctors in California, Anderson flew home to be with the Cavaliers and to seek additional opinions from back specialists in Charlottesville. The news was not good. After the doctors told him the pain would not go away until he stopped swimming, Anderson seriously considered giving up on his collegiate dreams. But after speaking at length with Virginia coach Mark Bernardino, Anderson decided he had more to accomplish in the world of swimming.
"There was a time when I thought that was going to be it," Anderson said. "I was going to retire on that down note. Mark and I had a lot of long talks. He talked me into at least getting back in the water and trying it."
By the time Anderson decided to push forward, the Olympic Trials were only two weeks away. So after a nearly two-month break, Anderson trained for two weeks as hard as his back would allow him and made the trip to Long Beach, Calif. for the Olympic Trials, July 7-14. Unfortunately, two Cortizone shots in his back were not enough, as Anderson failed to make the finals in the 50- or 100-meter freestyle.
"There was considerable disappointment after [trials]," Anderson said. "But when you qualify for the Olympic Trials, you don't not go. So I went just to be there, to be in the water and to say I competed."
However disappointed Anderson may have been, his work ethic over the summer certainly did not show it. Anderson began training harder each week and is now at the point where he is able to complete nearly all the same training as his Virginia teammates.
"Obviously, that injury really shattered his dreams," Bernardino said. "Lesser people would have probably never attempted a comeback. He still suffers pain in his back, but he's able to fight through it. I think that's a tribute to Luke's mental and physical toughness."
Despite the pain he still endures, Anderson has high aspirations for his final collegiate season. Although he has chosen to keep his goals quiet for the time being, his early season performances speak louder than Anderson ever could. Thus far, he has won 11 of 13 events entered while earning NCAA-B qualifying times in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Clearly, Anderson is slowly returning to his All-American form. An injury that once produced thoughts of retirement is now being used to another, more productive, purpose.
"You have two roads when you are swimming with pain," Anderson said. "You can say, 'This hurts, I'm not going to be about to do this' and feel sorry for yourself. I've never been that type of person or swimmer. So I take that pain and it fuels the rage."
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