Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Davenport.
Hi Ellie, so excited to have you with us. What can you tell us about your story and how did you get to where you are today?
Whew! What a loaded question, how did I get where I am today?
When I look back on my life, I credit much of my drive to my scoliosis diagnosis. A normal body has 10 degrees or less of curvature in the spine, mine, it has over 100 degrees and counting.
I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at 13 and began wearing a body brace 23 hours a day 7 days a week at the end of 8th grade. I was allowed one hour per day without the brace to shower and stretch. Other than that, I was expected to be in the brace, the worst part was trying to sleep in my brace. Its hard inflexible plastic. I’d wake up with bruised lungs, hips, and collar bones from the pressure over 8 hours. I also had to be very aware that I didn’t roll over onto my arms/hands during the night- I’d wake up and they’d be numb and bruising. That’s a lot to think about when you’re trying to sleep!
The brace reached from my collarbone to the bottom of my pelvis. Every day for the next four years I suited up in my plastic corset. I was supposed to attend physical therapy (PT) to keep my core strong during my bracing process but I was uninterested in spending time at hospitals. I asked my spinal surgeon if I could stay strong by doing a sport I’d recently seen at the YMCA. We talked about log rolling and its potential benefits for keeping my core strong and instead of scheduling PT appointments, my mom signed me up for log rolling classes.
I loved anything that got me out of my body brace so log rolling became the best part of week. I lived to shed my brace and roll. A few weeks after I started classes I started competing and by age 14 had qualified to compete at the Lumberjack World Championships. I won my first semi-professional world title in logrolling soon after. I remember falling into the water and thinking ‘I just won!’ I hugged my opponent, collected my plaque, and slid back into my brace. That win was a defining moment for me as I look back. It signaled to me, ‘scoliosis doesn’t rule me.’ I went on to turn professional at age 15, becoming one of the youngest pro rollers ever. I also collected a professional World Title Win when I graduated high school at 18 years old.
I started a website called GotScoliosis to help other girls struggling with scoliosis. When I was braced, there was no documentation on what the steps to getting braced were. It made the process scary and unknown. There were so many questions, with only 2% of the population having scoliosis and an even smaller percentage wearing braces it felt like there was no one to ask my high-school-girl questions to. I continue to update my website with educational information to be a resource for families of kids with braces. I also am pursuing my Personal Training Certificate to better understand how to adapt training to athletes with differences. If I can roll logs, a sport based entirely on balance, with a center of gravity that’s 100 degrees off-kilter I know others can achieve their goals too.
In summary, I look at scoliosis and my bracing with gratitude. Without my difficulty to make it to the start line of sports I think I would be a very different athlete. I fell in love with the process of keeping myself healthy and strong, not just collecting wins or titles. Now, as a coach and teacher, I work to instill a love of learning in my athletes. I want every athlete, every person, to know that they get to define themselves, not a diagnosis, failure, or setback. You define you.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the hardest parts of working through scoliosis was body image. With a TLSO brace, you have to wear seamless clothing beneath the brace. The undershirts were ugly; bleach white and expensive. The clothes that fit over the brace didn’t cover my brace. People asked everywhere I went if I had been in a terrible accident or if I would be braced for life. With my mom’s encouragement, I remained really open about what being braced felt like and how it affected my daily life. I worked to answer questions in a way that informed them about scoliosis. Viewing questions as opportunities for education empowered me and jump-started my desire to become a teacher.
As a coach, I spend extra time working with clients on body positivity. I’ve learned through my own struggle with body image that self-talk shapes the way you view your body. The way I talk to myself and, about myself becomes what I believe; I continually check myself when I struggle by asking ‘would I say this to someone else?’ Most of the time my answer is no, then I know I shouldn’t be saying it to myself.
In coaching, I work with athletes to highlight what the body can do, not just how it looks. We are more than trends, photoshop, and fads.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Before I worked in the sports industry full time, I was actually a teacher! I worked with the teeny-tinies in Kindergarten. Even further behind that, I worked in a high school as a special education aid with non-verbal students with autism. During my time teaching, I began coaching middle and high school Track and Field. I specialized in distance running and pole vault (another all-core sport!). As I realized I loved to teach, and I loved sports, I thought why not combine the two and teach sport/fitness. That’s what I do now!
During the competitive Lumberjacking season (summer) I travel the United States competing in log rolling, boom running, and axe throwing. I coach all ages and abilities of rollers, hosting training in my hometown of Hudson, WI. I give back by serving on the United States Log Rolling Board as a Competitive Director and hosting open-roll sessions.
During the rest of the year, I work as a Fitness Coach and in Sports Retail. As a coach, I partner with people looking to expand their fitness or enter into endurance sports like ultra running and triathlon. With the addition of my Personal Training Certificate this Spring I am excited to expand my network of clients! My job in Sports Retail revolves around Nordic skiing and Triathalon. Gear West, located in Long Lake, MN specializes in fitting skis and all things fitness. I get to spend my days outfitting athletes with training essentials and working alongside other fitness-oriented athletes!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
The best advice I can give for networking is to get out there. Almost every race I have done I signed up for way before I felt ready. Along the path to preparing for the race, you’ll meet the people that shape the journey and give you the resources to be successful.
For example, once I signed up for a 31-mile ski race BEFORE I even owned skis. I had the race, had to get the skis and then figure out where and how to ski. Comical? Yes. Effective? Also yes. By getting out where I wanted to be- in sport- I met people who embodied attributes/had skills I wanted to learn. I was all in right away and this pushed me to find the people I needed. Get out there!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Gotscoliosis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e_davs/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swimbikerunroll/
Image Credits
Main Photo, Photo 4, Photo 7: Aperture by Steve Davis
Photo 5: Richard Magnone
