Georgia freshman, Chelsea Davis, on the slow and steady road to competition, Head Coach holds high hopes
Georgia’s freshman, Chelsea Davis, just cannot seem to catch a break. With a track record in perpetual injuries, Davis is forever battling the frustration of watching from the bench. Now Davis is making a slow and careful entry back into the sport.
When Davis signed up with Georgia State University, she expected anything but the inactive year she has had. This was despite the back injury she was dealing with at the time of class recruitment.
Davis had hoped she would recover from the ailment in time, but did not.
It is only now that the athlete has stepped into the gym for training ever since her back injury.
“It’s been a long and frustrating fall for [Davis]. We just now have gotten to a place where she’s doing something that looks like gymnastics,” Jay Clark, Head Coach at Georgia, said.
The plan is to take it really slow as Davis makes her way back into competition. Her training hours at the gym have been restricted for the same reason.
“It’s a lot less hours in the gym. Hopefully my injuries will be a little more managed and no new ones will show up,” Davis said.
Her health is not the only reason for the reduction in pace. College gymnastics is different from elite gymnastics in its higher frequency of competition. As part of a college gymnastics team, meets and tournaments can be as frequent as every week.
Clark wants Davis to have a smooth transition into collegiate level gymnastics. Despite the long break from competition, Clark is positive about Davis’ prospects as a Gym Dog.
Davis’ former coaches Kim and Chris Burdette have made sure Clark is aware of the gymnast’s ability to bounce back and learn the ropes fast.
In her comeback, in 2007, at the Visa Championships, she finished in the fifth position in the all-around, tying with another athlete.
The Gym Dogs Coach claims that if they “manage her correctly” then Davis has the potential to be one of the best gymnasts on the team.
The management plan for the athlete basically follows the simple philosophy of consistency. Her training will focus on routines which she can execute with neatness regularly.
This steadiness is already a part of Davis’ personality as seen in her performances at bigger elite gymnastics meets.
By and by, Davis is also adjusting to the team setting and shedding her individualistic attitude in the favour of team spirit.
“I’m able to train everything now, which is the first time in a long time. I am coming back and hopefully I’ll be ready soon,” Davis said.
If there is any weight in Head Coach Clark’s analysis and predictions, then we will see Davis working her magic on the competition floor soon, translating that “competitive fire in her eyes”, that has got Clark raving, into success for the Gym Dogs.
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