With the Athletes...Lea Davison '05

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

How many professional athletes do you know? Chances are none, given the fact that you shake uncontrollably, sweat profusely and stutter emphatically every time you get within 100 feet of the "Nomar Garciaparra" of your sports dreams. No need to be nervous. Dwelling in the same dorms and going to the same classes as all of us is professional mountain biker and amateur ski racer Lea Davison '05. At the ripe old age of 19, this humble sophomore from Jericho, Vt., has already won the slalom at the 2002 Middlebury Carnival and finished seventh in the World -- yes World! -- Junior Expert Mountain Biking Championships.
When asked how she became interested in mountain biking, Davison said, "When I was a junior in high school, one of my friends was like, 'You should really try biking because you have the cardiovascular from running and the psycho-ness of skiing'. So it's a perfect combination of the two and I didn't run track that spring and started mountain biking basically."
Two things should be immediately apparent. One, Davison is damn good, and two, she is a quick learner. In the space of a little over a year, she went from novice to among the bright young talents in the world. At 19 she is now by far the youngest rider on the women's professional tour. Most competitors in the sport don't peak until they are in their thirties said Davison. As a pro she has already finished a respectable 30th among the best in the business.
Despite her newfound success in mountain biking, Davison was a skier first. At age five she and her family moved to Jericho, Vt., and she started skiing at what was to become her home mountain, Smuggler's Notch. Throughout her early racing days, Davison looked up to members of the famous Cochran ski family who have a strong reputation throughout Vermont. She learned first hand from some of the best and went on to race around the country and region before coming to Middlebury in the fall of 2001. As it seems with any of the endeavors Davison undertakes, her first impression on the Snow Bowl slopes was a good one.
As a first-year she made an immediate impact, ending the season as the third-ranked slalom skier in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) rankings. She won the slalom outright in front of the home fans at the Middlebury Carnival in 2002. As one of three Middlebury skiers selected to go to Alaska to race in the NCAA championships last year, Davison was just one second from becoming an All-American in just her first year of College racing.
Since that time the native Vermonter has had to battle injury as she tore her ACL towards the end of last ski season. The road to recovery has been steady but she was unable to race for the alpine ski team this winter. Lest you feel bad for her unfortunate injury, Davison would be the first to remind you, "You can actually still bike race without an ACL!" That aside, when asked how her knee is now, she said, "I'm almost there." Since the surgery occurred last August, Davison plans on skiing for the ski team next season after she returns from a semester abroad in New Zealand.
As you can see, skiing and riding both play huge parts in Davison's life. The two take up almost a whole year's worth of attention. Biking starts in the spring with training for the events on the summer tour. By September, she is back at school and running as much as possible. When the snow flies in November, racing becomes the primary focus as the College Carnival circuit begins in January and extends through March. By that time another year has passed and it's back to biking. When asked which sport she enjoys more, Davison was as diplomatic as a parent asked to choose between her two kids. "Ahh, that's a tough question," she said. "I would say skiing and biking are equal now although biking is definitely creeping up there."
As biking continues to "creep" up there, many interesting opportunities have befallen the sophomore. As a professional mountain biker, Davison is part of a team called Devo which is sponsored by Giant bikes, Giro helmets, Oakley eyewear and Balance Bar. The final sponsor is the "biggest one" according to Davison. Balance Bar even decided the youthful Davison would be right for one of their commercials. With a teammate, she appeared in an advertisement for Balance Bar filmed last summer, which aired on television. As she retold the story she laughed at the experience but added, "It was so cool, though."
Like it or not, Davison's forays into mountain biking have brought her to a male-dominated sport. At competitions she will often times find herself outnumbered four to one. Her outlook on women's sports is positive and she views the experience of competition as empowering for women like herself. "It is definitely neat to be a woman mountain biker," she said. "Namely because there's a general perspective of 'girls can't go and do all that rough stuff.' But you're like going down cliffs and all and it's just sweet."
With such a fresh perspective on the mountain biking scene, Davison also brings a positive attitude to almost any conversation about sports. When asked about competing at Middlebury and against teams in Division III, Davison was upbeat about the scene. "I think [D-III sports] are really good because they allow you to do two sports and have them not be so intense. I think that is a good thing because it fosters fun." Having fun is a big part of the equation for Davison and her athletic pursuits, allowing her to excel while enjoying the experience all the same.
No matter what happens, Davison is going to have fun at what she does. Though she is unsure of her skiing career after college, she does see herself finding time during the summer months to continue mountain biking professionally. All this with two more years at Middlebury.
Undoubtedly we will be hearing more from a talented young mountain biker who is making headlines now but won't peak until somewhere around 2013. Sounds like a fine wine if you ask me. So the next time you run into a professional athlete don't clam up, take a deep breath and tell yourself this truth, "I go to school with one everyday."