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 ?’ ”
25