While playing basketball in May, sophomore swimmer Mitchell Prather landed awkwardly after a jump.
He immediately knew something was wrong.
“I couldn’t really walk for two days," Prather said. "I didn’t know what it was and kind of just tried to deal with it.”
Prather ignored the pain in his knee for a week, before going to a physical training session where he was told to simply rest it. After experiencing no success several weeks later, he consulted a specialist who delivered devastating news.
“I basically got the cartilage [in my knee] caught and tore a 13-millimeter piece off the back of my knee cap," Prather said. "I had to go in and clean off the area where it came off. [The doctors] had to get all the pieces out. There were eight pieces total. Two on each side and four across the front.”
Relieved to finally have a diagnosis, Prather began his lengthy recovery process with surgery on Oct. 15.
Despite being unable to compete in the pool, Prather has kept an optimistic outlook on his injury, as his family and teammates have supported him throughout.
“I think there was some sort of reason for what happened to me," he said. “I go to every practice ... I just don’t use my legs. I still don’t really know when I can swim. I’m feeling better, but [the trainers] just keep telling me to do what I can.”
Prather attends practice whenever able, doing upper-body workouts and weights in an attempt to stay in the best shape possible. His goal is to return sometime this semester, but he knows his knee may never be the same.
"I’m not trying to be fast. I just want to swim," he said. "It’s going to be slow and awful, but I just want to get in the water and do something,"
Accustomed to swimming the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, Prather may be forced to shift his focus to freestyle, depending on how well his knee recovers. He said he is trying to keep a flexible state of mind, and is anxious to see what strokes will work for him moving forward.
Prather also attends Athletes in Action, meetings designed to help athletes take their passion, faith and sports to new places. Ball State hosts meetings that are intended to equip athletes to become service leaders as they impact the lives of others through the platform of sports and help answer questions of faith.
Prather said being a part of Athletes in Action has helped him become a more mentally strong person.
“I was at a meeting the other day and the topic was 'Working Through Weaknesses.' It was about how sometimes God will put you in a place for a reason,” Prather said. “Sometimes I don’t think I should be at this level, but I’m here for a reason and to be taken away from that is tough."
As the Ball State men's swimming and diving team continues its season hosting the Doug Coers Invitational this weekend, Prather will remain sidelined.
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