Gliding to his dreams
BERWICK — Gavin Davis is quickly gliding toward his dream of being an Olympic luger.
He also knows his recent success is to be left in the past if he has any hopes of joining fellow Berwickian Jayson Terdiman at the sport's highest level of competition.
Fresh off a third-place finish in the Junior Luge World Cup standings and runner-up at the USA Nationals, Davis is taking pleasure in the personal growth he's had in luge.
Some of that is measured by things the casual observer wouldn't notice, like his and Logan Barnes' camaraderie since being partnered up at the end of last season. Others can be noticed by fans, such as the trophies and awards the pair have acquired for great races and their placement amidst the world standings.
Still, Davis knows none of that matters when he returns to Lake Placid in June to begin a new campaign to work his way up the ladder and represent the United States at a future Olympics.
"You're not on the team every year. I still have to go and earn my spot when the new year starts," Davis said. "We have to earn seeding points to earn or advance in my spot for next season."
Davis and Barnes finished with 304 points in the Junior Luge World Cup standings. Their total could have been higher had the pair finished their third Junior World Cup race last season in Whistler, Canada.
Their best placing was ironically the race they were furthest back from the winner when they were runner-ups in St. Moritz, Switzerland. They finished nine seconds behind the winners while finishing last in the other four, but all within six seconds of the winners.
Davis is optimistic better results will follow in due time, especially as he gets more practice going 75-90 mph with Barnes.
"It was a rocky start, but we started getting more runs together, more training together and we are a lot more comfortable in the sled," Davis said. "Now we're getting faster and know that when going a little late into a corner, how to fix it, or a little high up in a corner, how to fix that."
Davis is the back man, adding more weight and smoothing things out while Barnes, who has the eyes on the track, does all of the steering.
Davis and Barnes were on the USA Luge squad's Junior "C" team and the only athletes who got to travel with the Junior National Team to global competitions. Unfortunately, the money needed to compete has a trickle-down effect, meaning more of it has to come out of Davis' family's pockets. The more the duo work their way up, the more money they save.
Davis relies on fundraising through working carnival ring tosses, community outreach and the support of his parents, Chad and Rebecca, to rack up the $15,000 needed for training, travel and competitions in a calendar year.
And the 17-year-old who spends much of his time away from home, relying on getting his education online — both at Berwick and Arizona State — doesn't forget about it either.
"The community is very supportive, as are my parents and school," Davis said. "Overall, I couldn't do this without their support."
Davis says the sport also gave him a full-circle moment. Terdiman, who introduced Davis and his peers to the sport after his run at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi with a presentation at Salem Elementary, is now one of Davis' coaches at Lake Placid, New York.
Terdiman is on staff as a development coach for the USA team at its headquarters, working with athletes like Davis full-time.
"It's a unique sport and Jayson very much inspired me, and last year he was my coach," Davis said. "It was very cool that he got me into the sport and he's now helping me out with the sport.
"I message him and he's always asking how I'm doing. He's always up to talk. He's watching video and he's sometimes at the track to help us, giving us feedback and helping us with our runs."
When he makes his trip back to Lake Placid this summer, Davis is optimistic that a journey that began with him navigating cone courses on wheels on Mulberry Street will expand his already ample world travels and competitions.
He wants this to pay off — literally and figuratively — for him and his support system and make his dream of becoming an Olympian a reality.
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