Bryce Davison news
Skating on thin ice
Huntsville’s Bryce Davison tries to battle back from knee surgery, loss of longtime partner, in hopes of reclaiming his career.
Bryce Davison took to the ice at the Don Lough Arena and proceeded to skate around the Olympic-sized arena at a relatively leisurely pace.
With the odd exception of a senior skating around the arena with him, the 25-year-old Olympian looked very much alone. But make no mistake; Davison was not by himself as he took stride after stride around the ice surface.
Pain was his companion, and has been for nearly six months now - the pain he suffered from a devastating knee ailment that required surgery; the pain from having to sit out an entire competitive year because of his injury; and perhaps the most difficult pain for him to bear, having to say goodbye to a partner that had been with him during his career’s peaks and valleys for the past nine years.
Up until this year, Davison’s career has been every bit as fulfilling as an athlete could hope. A two-time Olympian in 2006 and 2010 with partner Jessica Dubé, he is also a three-time (2007, 2009, 2010) Canadian national pairs champion, the 2008 World bronze medalist and the 2009 Four Continents silver medalist.
Today, he is attempting to work his way through his knee injury with the hopes of resurrecting his skating career.
“It has been a tough year, but it’s just part of what you know can happen being an athlete. Figure skating is mentally tough sport and you have to be ready, to not let these things attack you personally and see these challenges for what they are,” he said.
Davison, who was born in Walnut Creek, California but now calls Huntsville his home, suffers from osteochondritis dissecans, a severe joint disorder, which led to his sustaining a serious knee injury in practice in October 2010. He later underwent surgery in mid-October to re-attach a broken piece of bone, which caused him to miss the 2010-11 season.
“It feels okay, but it still has a long way to go,” he said, moments before stepping on the ice for his regular workout last week at the arena. “I see the surgeon in the next week or so to see how things are coming along. The progress is slow. I am not really allowed to do anything (on the ice). I am doing a lot of physio and I have been working out at the gym. Those two places are where I spend most of my time these days.”
He said that he was emotionally injured when doctors told him that he would miss the entire skating season because of his knee surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
“It hurt especially because there was such an opportunity this year for us to grow as a team ... for my old partner … and I to grow as a team, but it was one of those things. I guess it was better for it to happen this year than the year before, which was the Olympics.”
“Old partner.” The moment he spoke those words, Davison’s demeanour changed sharply. He went from speaking with optimism about recovering from his injury to casting his eyes down as if looking for something that was somewhere other than the arena lobby.
The pair announced early last month that they were ending their eight-year partnership, with Dubé saying that she would focus her attention on her schooling and her solo skating career.
“That was definitely a surprise … I thought we were going to continue skating together and working together but she had other plans so….” he said, his voice trailing off.
He said she told him nearly two months ago she wanted to move on with her life and keep up with her singles skating and possibly look for another partner.
“She said that we are having too much difficulty training together and she didn’t want to make too many changes in her life. I knew we needed a change, whether that meant a change in coaching or environment to break out old habits. She didn’t want to make any of those changes and that not skating with me was a better idea … it was definitely a shock. It was just before I was ready to go back out on the ice that she told me.”
Davison was in town last week working on his rehabilitation program before heading to the Kitchener area this past week to wish some members of the national skating team good luck at the world championships in Moscow.
He admits that seeing his friends heading off to the world championships is bittersweet.
“It is never easy. As an athlete you always want to have that competitive atmosphere surrounding you but as an athlete you also have to know that (injuries) can happen. It always hurts to hear you are not going to be able to do something you have been training your whole life, since you were a young child.”
Davison said that he hasn’t decided what he is going to do in terms of his skating career. Then there is also the question of his knee, and whether it will prevent him from competing at the national level, something Davison is well aware may be the case.
“I am at large crossroads in my life right now. I don’t know if my knee will fully heal yet or if I want to move on with school and coaching and things like that. There are a lot of doors open right now, a lot of options. I still want to compete but the circumstance around that would have to be special, like finding a new partner and us to be good enough for where I would like to be,” he said.
Source.
My heart just breaks for him! I really hope his knee gets better and he can find a new partner.
Huntsville’s Bryce Davison tries to battle back from knee surgery, loss of longtime partner, in hopes of reclaiming his career.
Bryce Davison took to the ice at the Don Lough Arena and proceeded to skate around the Olympic-sized arena at a relatively leisurely pace.
With the odd exception of a senior skating around the arena with him, the 25-year-old Olympian looked very much alone. But make no mistake; Davison was not by himself as he took stride after stride around the ice surface.
Pain was his companion, and has been for nearly six months now - the pain he suffered from a devastating knee ailment that required surgery; the pain from having to sit out an entire competitive year because of his injury; and perhaps the most difficult pain for him to bear, having to say goodbye to a partner that had been with him during his career’s peaks and valleys for the past nine years.
Up until this year, Davison’s career has been every bit as fulfilling as an athlete could hope. A two-time Olympian in 2006 and 2010 with partner Jessica Dubé, he is also a three-time (2007, 2009, 2010) Canadian national pairs champion, the 2008 World bronze medalist and the 2009 Four Continents silver medalist.
Today, he is attempting to work his way through his knee injury with the hopes of resurrecting his skating career.
“It has been a tough year, but it’s just part of what you know can happen being an athlete. Figure skating is mentally tough sport and you have to be ready, to not let these things attack you personally and see these challenges for what they are,” he said.
Davison, who was born in Walnut Creek, California but now calls Huntsville his home, suffers from osteochondritis dissecans, a severe joint disorder, which led to his sustaining a serious knee injury in practice in October 2010. He later underwent surgery in mid-October to re-attach a broken piece of bone, which caused him to miss the 2010-11 season.
“It feels okay, but it still has a long way to go,” he said, moments before stepping on the ice for his regular workout last week at the arena. “I see the surgeon in the next week or so to see how things are coming along. The progress is slow. I am not really allowed to do anything (on the ice). I am doing a lot of physio and I have been working out at the gym. Those two places are where I spend most of my time these days.”
He said that he was emotionally injured when doctors told him that he would miss the entire skating season because of his knee surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
“It hurt especially because there was such an opportunity this year for us to grow as a team ... for my old partner … and I to grow as a team, but it was one of those things. I guess it was better for it to happen this year than the year before, which was the Olympics.”
“Old partner.” The moment he spoke those words, Davison’s demeanour changed sharply. He went from speaking with optimism about recovering from his injury to casting his eyes down as if looking for something that was somewhere other than the arena lobby.
The pair announced early last month that they were ending their eight-year partnership, with Dubé saying that she would focus her attention on her schooling and her solo skating career.
“That was definitely a surprise … I thought we were going to continue skating together and working together but she had other plans so….” he said, his voice trailing off.
He said she told him nearly two months ago she wanted to move on with her life and keep up with her singles skating and possibly look for another partner.
“She said that we are having too much difficulty training together and she didn’t want to make too many changes in her life. I knew we needed a change, whether that meant a change in coaching or environment to break out old habits. She didn’t want to make any of those changes and that not skating with me was a better idea … it was definitely a shock. It was just before I was ready to go back out on the ice that she told me.”
Davison was in town last week working on his rehabilitation program before heading to the Kitchener area this past week to wish some members of the national skating team good luck at the world championships in Moscow.
He admits that seeing his friends heading off to the world championships is bittersweet.
“It is never easy. As an athlete you always want to have that competitive atmosphere surrounding you but as an athlete you also have to know that (injuries) can happen. It always hurts to hear you are not going to be able to do something you have been training your whole life, since you were a young child.”
Davison said that he hasn’t decided what he is going to do in terms of his skating career. Then there is also the question of his knee, and whether it will prevent him from competing at the national level, something Davison is well aware may be the case.
“I am at large crossroads in my life right now. I don’t know if my knee will fully heal yet or if I want to move on with school and coaching and things like that. There are a lot of doors open right now, a lot of options. I still want to compete but the circumstance around that would have to be special, like finding a new partner and us to be good enough for where I would like to be,” he said.
Source.
My heart just breaks for him! I really hope his knee gets better and he can find a new partner.