April 18, 2001
What did Lindsay Davis expect during her first season of Missouri gymnastics?
"Not this," the freshman says with a smile.
`This' is a likely berth in the NCAA Midwest Regional meet. And what would be a far cry from Davis' career at Missouri started.
Davis' first-year campaign began in the typical freshman fashion - with overactive nerves. "Coming in, I was nervous because I wasn't sure how often I'd get to compete," she says. "It's hard not knowing what to expect."
New faces, new atmosphere, new system and just plain newness are often the recipe for uneasiness. To add to the mix, Davis joined the Tigers squad as a walk-on, a decision she made just two months prior to shipping off to Columbia.
"I was actually planning to go to Oklahoma," the Derby, Kan., native says. "I came in May on a visit to Missouri, and I liked it so much better than Oklahoma, so I decided for sure in June that I was going to come (to Columbia).
"I had offers at SEMO (Southeast Missouri State), but that was just too far away. I knew I'd be coming home a lot. I figured if I was going to be far away from home, I want to be somewhere where I really like it, and I really like it at Missouri."
Any of Davis' worries that walk-ons might be treated differently than the scholarship athletes were quickly squelched.
"When I was on my trip, I talked to (coach) Rob (Drass), and he said `I treat walk-ons the same way I treat scholarship (athletes),'" Davis says. "It was true because it took me forever to figure out who was on scholarship and who wasn't."
Davis' performance throughout the season has been equally deceptive. With the top-notch scores she's consistently put up, fans and followers would be surprised to find that one of the Tigers' most-dependable performers wasn't heavily recruited out of high school. Rather, Davis is simply heeding the advice of her club coach to reward herself with the fun that comes with competing at the collegiate level.
"I didn't really expect to compete in everything, but now that I am, it's kind of shocking, I guess," Davis says.
Davis broke into the all-around ranks during the Tigers' season-opening road meet at Ball State. In what was otherwise a dismal day for MU, which finished with a team mark of 184.575, Davis was a bright spot. Her team-high 9.5 on the vault spurred her into a fifth-place finish in the all-around competition.
Next, Davis was MU's star during the home-opener against SEMO. Not only did she tie for first on the beam with a 9.725, but she also took top honors with an all-around finish of 38.775.
"It's all just kind of surprising," Davis says of her first place finish. "I think it,s better when it doesn't happen every meet. When you're least expecting it, it's the best part. And if you are expecting it and you end up getting second or third, that's no good."
Consistency was key as Davis continued to roll through events. Her most exciting moment of the season came during the perennial Tiger favorite - the Cat Classic - when she finished No. 1with a 9.8 on the beam.
"I had no idea it was coming. You kind of keep track of scores, but I had no idea," she says of the win.
Davis set or tied several career marks during the event, including the all-around record for a freshman with a 38.900 final. (Davis later surpassed her own mark with a 38.925 in the Lathrop & Gage Corvette Cup.)
"This performance is representative of the way Lindsay works," MU assistant coach Kira Atkinson said after the Cat Classic.
"She works hard and is consistent in the gym, and that approach has paid off in competition."
That approach is also likely to pay off with an unlikely invitation to the NCAA meet in April. Although the MU team is pretty much out of the running for a regional bid, Davis is a sure bet as an individual qualifier.
"I was on the phone with my mom, as she said, `Do you realize that you might make Regionals?'" Davis says. "I really hadn't thought about it. I guess I had it in my mind that if the team didn't make it, then I didn't go."
"I don't really know what to expect. This whole year is just a learning process."
Back to the expectations. Whatever happens, Davis seems to take an open-minded approach.
"If I'm having a bad day, then I'm having a bad day," she says. "Everybody has them, and I don't usually let them get to me unless it's the day before a meet. Then I'm like, `Got to do more. Got to do more.'
"I think I've changed a lot. From the beginning of the year until know , I think I've gotten more confident in myself. In the beginning of the year, I was like, `What am I doing here?' Now, it's like I know why I'm here. I'm here to do gymnastics. I'm here to have fun. I'm here to go to school."
With such motivation and confidence, Lindsay Davis is bound to exceed expectations.