Perseverance pays off for injury-plagued track-and-field student-athlete
A broken foot and a bum knee can’t get the best of Gina Flint. Neither can bad weather. “I love the rain!” the Husky track and field standout exclaims.
Enthusiasm is in no short supply for the Bellingham native. With a family of UW grads going back generations, the highly-recruited thrower always wanted to be a Husky. Her talents in shot-put and discus earned her a spot in competition her freshman year, but she was sidelined with a heel fracture just before her first meet.
“My teammates’ love and support were amazing. Even though I’d only been at Washington for four months, they already felt like family,” recalls Gina, who ended up red-shirting her first season.
After a promising sophomore year, she was running stadium stairs when her left knee gave out. Gina was back on crutches for months and eventually had surgery, recovering just in time to sweep the shot and discus at the UW-WSU Dual Meet in 2016. Then, her knee flared up again, prompting doctors to recommend medical retirement.
“I’m stubborn, and I wasn’t done. I didn’t want to end my career on a low note,” she states.
For another full year, Gina slowly pushed herself. She began by sitting in a chair and throwing a ball, lifting weights, and begging her trainer and physician to let her do stand-throws… then half-turns… then step-ins… then eventually, on the day of a big meet, throwing with full power.
“I won both my events against WSU!” Gina beams. “And it was raining, so it was even better.”
She went on to score personal bests in Pac-12 competition, taking second in discus — the highest finish by a Husky in the event since 1999 — and seventh in shot. Now in her fifth year, Gina continues to compete while earning a dual degree in Early Childhood & Family Studies and Disability Studies. An accomplished vocalist and musician, she’s set her sights on a graduate degree in music therapy.
“My dream job would be to work with kids in a hospital setting who have traumatic brain injury or kids with autism in a therapy center,” the daughter of two teachers concludes. “And I’d like to coach middle or high school kids. If I’m able to do both music therapy and coach kids, I’d love it.”
