Rehabbed Rookie
February 11, 2010 04:03 PM | General
February 11, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University gymnast Faye Meaden does not mince words when describing her collegiate debut at Michigan State on Jan. 8.
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| Faye Meaden is finally healthy enough to contribute for the West Virginia University gymnastics team this year.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
“I was nervous!” she exclaimed. “I was the first to compete at the meet and I guess it was better to just go out there and get it done. I tried to pretend like I was in Cary Gym and doing what I do every day in practice.”
Using a mental image of rehearsed routines was probably the correct coping mechanism for the junior. The Fairfax, Va., native had just spent two seasons practicing skills and tumbling passes, all the while watching her classmates seize their own opportunities to compete, and after clawing her way back from potentially devastating injuries and illnesses, Meaden needed to reassure herself that she possessed the talent to vie with already-established gymnasts.
The results were mixed – though Meaden performed two clean routines, she scored 8.7 on bars and 9.175 on floor. Not one to sulk over setbacks, Meaden instead views that evening as her career launching pad. Six meets into her first competitive season, and only 14 months away from the extinction of her eligibility, she knows that improvement is a must each time she enters the gym.
“I want to push forward and keep moving up,” Meaden explained. “I don’t want to stay at the skill level I’m at right now. I feel like nothing is ever good enough; I know I can always do better.”
Meaden’s self-confidence is a side-effect of the two-year trial that plagued her first few Mountaineer seasons. She admits that she was ready to go at the onset of her WVU career. A level 10 gymnast at Capital Gymnastics and a four-year regional qualifier, Meaden, one-seventh of a freshman class expected to contribute immediately, was anticipated to factor into her new team’s success.
Her ankles felt differently.
Unable to compete at maximum potential, Meaden was forced into the role of rookie cheerleader. Though she was able to practice, she could not work her way into the lineup. Ready to push for a meatier role as a sophomore, Meaden was again handed a setback, this time in the form of an appendectomy two weeks before the 2009 season opener. The unexpected surgery again cast Meaden to the sidelines.
“I felt like I was backstage and could only watch and learn from my teammates,” she said.
Whenever the disappointment began to mount, Meaden knew she could count on former teammate Kara Weaver for extra encouragement. Plagued with her own set of injuries throughout her Mountaineer career, Weaver could relate to the trials Meaden was compelled to endure.
“Kara was always cheering me on,” she explained. “She was always the loudest in the gym and kept everyone going.”
“I always saw potential there,” Weaver recently recounted. “It was hard for Faye to get through the injuries, both mentally and physically. She always kept everything in perspective and kept a good attitude. When she would get down, we would talk about what she could do to get where she wanted to be.
“She knew she had it her freshman season – she knew the abilities were there.”
Meaden returned to Cary Gym this past fall injury-free for the first time in two years. Grit, determination and hard work put her into the Mountaineers’ lineups during that fateful Jan. 8 meet, and pride, confidence and an ever-present need to prove her self-worth have helped Meaden retain those spots.
“I feel stronger than ever,” she mused. “I have been competing all of my life and I haven’t even hit my highest point yet. I feel like I’m going to hit it this season.”
Meaden’s scores took a tremendous jump just one week after her career debut, as she scored 9.425 on bars and 9.675 on floor. She scored a season-best 9.75 on floor at Maryland on Jan. 30, and after receiving a 9.8 from one bars judge at the same meet, Meaden swung to a career-best 9.75 on Feb. 5; not only was her score good enough for a share of sixth place, it paced the WVU squad. For her efforts, Meaden was named co-East Atlantic Gymnastics League Rookie of the Week.
“Faye has excelled this year and progressed to be such an amazing gymnast,” Weaver breathlessly said. “It’s amazing to see her accomplish her goals and reach the dreams she has had since she walked into the gym.
“This year – that’s Faye. The way she is competing, you know it’s her. She is shining and it’s amazing. She has matured as a person and is more comfortable and confident in her gymnastics.”
Though proud of her early accomplishments, Meaden knows that after breaking through the glass ceiling, a rejuvenated gymnast must continue to set new standards.
“My new goal this season is to score a 9.8 or better on both events,” she said. “I want to stay in both lineups, too. I also want to keep getting better and keep improving my skills.”
Weaver is more than confident that her former teammate has prepared herself to surpass any goal, present or future, that she sets for herself.
“Gymnastics is so mental - you get put into situations that set you back and all you can think about is everything you have to do before you can compete again,” she explained. “You have to climb a huge hill after you are injured in order to return to competition; if you take one step at a time, keep your sight set on the ultimate goal and push through, you can accomplish any task.
“That’s what Faye did – she believed she could conquer her setbacks and she marched herself right up that hill.”
“I think it’s motivating for others to hear about my story,” Meaden said as she absently stared out into the gym. “I have been working hard my whole life, and I feel like people finally have the chance to notice that hard work.”
When Meaden takes to the floor now, she isn’t as nervous as she was during her first meet.
“The feeling you get inside when you compete – it’s so exciting,” she described. “Everyone is watching you, and you want to do your best, not just for yourself but also for your team. It’s not good enough anymore if I don’t get a better score than my last.”
Two seasons into a career that just started, Meaden’s mentality is not only refreshing, but also oozes with potential – one just knows the best is yet to come.
