Gaels athlete tries new field

After breaking down the exact science of the javelin throw, Jake Houser had to pause.

A year ago, could he have imagined being a budding expert on the sport?

"Absolutely not," the Bishop Gorman senior said with a laugh. "This is pretty crazy. It's still very random for me."

Now that Houser is heading to Arizona next year on a partial athletic scholarship, his introduction to the javelin still makes him shake his head.

One day last summer, Gaels discus and hammer thrower Tyler Johnson asked his friend Jake if he wanted to cruise to the UNLV track. Wanting to trim down with a couple of laps, Houser spotted a javelin in his buddy's car. He thought to himself, "Why not?"

"I started dinking around a little bit with it, and I watched some YouTube videos of some Swedish guys doing it, and I just started throwing it myself," Houser said. "I got a tiny bit of form around 150 feet, and Tyler said, 'If you started throwing 165, colleges might start looking at you.' A couple weeks later, I threw one about 168, and Tyler and I were probably screaming for about 10 minutes at the track."

Up next, 175 feet. Then 185.

At a track camp at Arizona, under the tutelage of a Finnish professional thrower, Houser hit 190 feet just a few months after he started throwing, drawing the attention of Wildcats coaches.

On April 9, Houser officially signed with Arizona, joining his pal Johnson -- who committed to the Wildcats in mid-February -- and leaving his mother, Elaine, in a bit of suspended disbelief.

"After a few weeks, I said to (Tyler's mother) Margaret Johnson, 'Is this getting serious? Do you think I should, like, buy him javelin shoes?' " Elaine Houser said. "I didn't even know they made javelin shoes! I just think it's funny that he's going somewhere on a javelin scholarship."

If not for an eight-month move to Reno for Elaine's job, Houser might have landed a volleyball scholarship.

Arguably the Gaels' best hitter -- though his younger brother, Bobby, might have something to say about that -- Houser wasn't able to play last season because Northern Nevada doesn't have boys volleyball programs.

Now he's back on the court, with brother Bobby and their father, John, who helps coach the team and whose job brought the family back to Las Vegas.

And, it turns out, he's better than ever -- something Gorman coach Paul Hollander credits to the javelin.

"He's always been an incredibly strong hitter," coach Paul Hollander said. "Since he started throwing the javelin, he's started hitting it 10 times harder. The javelin training for his upper body has made him a powerhouse."

Still, the move to Reno left an imprint. Jake had goals to play college volleyball, and the loss of a season effectively dashed those hopes -- "He kind of gave up that dream a little bit," Elaine Houser said.

Added Jake Houser: "It was a downer in Reno that they don't have boys volleyball. Really, I was more worried about getting out of Reno than the volleyball. But, yeah, I missed it a lot. Before I even knew what the hell a javelin was, I was having high hopes for volleyball in college."

In three years, Jake's disappointed dreams might be realized by Bobby.

A 6-foot-4-inch freshman outside hitter with a powerful swing, the younger Houser is already being touted as a potential recruit. At a recent volleyball camp at Pepperdine, he was invited to try out for the Junior Olympic team.

But the Housers would rather Bobby be a kid for a little longer.

"For kids to develop into that elite category, they have to go down to Southern California," Elaine Houser said. "That's making a commitment for every weekend. We're not doing that. Some parents pay exorbitant amounts of money because the thought is that it'll pay off in the end. Sometimes it does -- and then sometimes the kids get burned out.

"In fact, if we had that extra money, we'd probably get him a math tutor."

Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587.