Jane Shallow learned to throw the javelin the old-fashioned way: on YouTube.

OK, so it's not old-fashioned. But it worked for her.

"I put the videos in slow motion and watched what people did every step of the way," said Shallow, 53, of Crystal, co-owner of a business that deals in server equipment. "I studied the form, how you hold the javelin. There are several ways to grip it; I tried two or three ways until I found one that was comfortable for me. You lean back and whip your arm forward, whipping it over your body toward your other hip."

Shallow had always been athletic. In high school and college, she ran track and played volleyball and softball. After she graduated, she played rec-league softball for years.

But as she got into her late 30s, she "couldn't keep up with the kids anymore," she said. So for years, she stopped playing.

Eventually she joined a YMCA basketball league for people over 40. As she neared age 50, it occurred to her that there were probably larger competitions going on somewhere. She typed "50+ sports" into a search engine and discovered the National and State Senior Games (the National Games are coming to the Twin Cities this year, from July 3-16).

The Senior Games have basketball competition, but Shallow's teammates weren't yet 50, the minimum age to compete. So she looked around for other sports to try.

"I'm a beat-up old athlete, my Achilles [tendons] are bad, it's not like I can run and sprint on a sustained level," Shallow said. "But my shoulders are good and my back is decent enough."

That's how she settled on the javelin. She ordered one from a company in Indiana and began practicing in a local park.

"You keep throwing and figure out what makes it go further, what makes it not point down."

Her first time at the Minnesota Senior Games, she found herself first on the list to throw. She was nervous — she'd never even seen it done live. But the Senior Games' spirit of camaraderie and support came to the rescue.

"Several of the javelin throwers said, 'Well, that's just the way we throw it, so you're doing fine.'"

Shallow qualified for the National Games, but her bad Achilles kept her from throwing. She did, however, play some basketball. At this summer's National Games, she'll be competing in both.

She's not the fittest person on the team, she said. But she's glad to be able to play.

"I have many, many, many friends that, they're not going to be able to play any sport, because their body isn't going to let them," Shallow said. "I'm just really happy to do it." â–¡