POWER WALK
most people really know about gymnastics is the Olympics every four years,” she said.)
“ If I said‘ Yes,’ I’ d feel like I was lying, because I never thought of myself as that good,” she said.“ But if I said‘ No,’ they’ d say,‘ Oh, so you’ re not that good?’ It’ s a loaded question, but people feel it’ s OK to ask.”
LIFE OF A COLLEGE ATHLETE
Setting aside her Olympics ambitions, Harding went to North Carolina State University on an athletic scholarship.“ I felt if I didn’ t participate in college, my entire career would be a failure.” But a new assistant coach was hired just before she enrolled. And she got injured again.
“ He didn’ t like me. He saw me as a scholarship position being wasted. He never tried to help me. He put me down and made me feel small.”
All her old demons came back. Her eating issue returned. Her weight swung wildly. Plus, there were new social issues to deal with. She was living in a dorm. And she’ d never really dated before.
“ My junior year in high school, I went to the prom by myself.”
Right after Christmas break of her freshman year, her mother came to Raleigh.“ We went to her hotel room and I cried for almost 24 hours straight,” Harding said.“ My mom later told me she was afraid I’ d do something to myself.”
LIFE AFTER GYMNASTICS
The decision was hard, but it was also clear. After more than a decade, Harding gave up competitive gymnastics and transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she pursued a journalism degree, then a master’ s program at Northwestern.
“ I’ d always wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, and when I left NC State,
I applied to Rice University,” she recalled.“ On the application, you’ re supposed to circle all the subjects you’ re interested in. When my parents looked at what I had circled, it was all liberal arts – no sciences.
“ I had remembered a teacher in high school recommending sports journalism to me. Suddenly, it didn’ t seem like a bad idea!”
Hardly. In 2013, she won an award from the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters – best specialty / beat reporting – for a series in Midland called“ Girl Power.”
In 2014, she came to Louisville. And she felt immediately at home.“ I love school sports, and Louisville is one of the best local sports markets in the country. People here are passionate about their high school and college athletes.”
Also, she said,“ the variety of opportunities is remarkable. We were standing on the track for Oaks this year, drenched, cold, standing in the mud – and all the other things that are on a racetrack – and one of my colleagues said,‘ Isn’ t this awesome? Look where we are, on the track at Churchill Downs for Oaks Day. In how many other markets in the country would we get to do this?’”
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