April 1, 2009
Big Ten Network feature on Allie Southard
Defying The Odds: Junior Allie Southard
by Jennifer Armson-Dyer, Penn State Athletic Communications
Injuries are a common occurrence in athletics. Most are minor, some are not. For junior women's gymnast Allie Southard, her injury not only posed a threat to her gymnastics career, it posed a threat to a normal life.
In June 2007, the summer between her freshman and sophomore years, Southard was at home in New York training when, during a routine warm-up, she lost her grip on the uneven bars during a swing. She landed on her upper back with her legs over her head, causing compression fractures in two vertebrae. Essentially, Southard had broken her back.
Between consultations with doctors from her hometown and Penn State, Southard's gymnastics future was up in the air. Some of the doctors felt that she should hang up her leotard for good, but Southard knew this was something she could conquer. She spent the rest of the summer and fall in a back brace, unable to train but still remaining a vital member of the team. From her time on the sidelines, she learned about her sport from a coaching aspect and with careful supervision, she began to slowly make her comeback.
On March 21, 2008, Southard defied the doctors and did what she knew she could do all along: she competed for Penn State once again. During the last home meet of the season with Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers, Southard competed an exhibition routine on beam. There wasn't a dry eye in Rec Hall when she stuck her landing and was mobbed by her teammates, scoring a 9.675 and earning the Ann Carr Award as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet.
Southard was chosen by her teammates as a team co-captain for the 2009 season for her perseverance and always-positive attitude. And her actions speak just as loud as her words. A year and a half ago, Southard's gymnastics future was questionable. Now, she is a mainstay in the lineup, setting new career highs on vault (9.850) and floor (9.850) along with recording the highest beam score of any Nittany Lion gymnast in 2009 with a personal-best 9.900 against New Hampshire, Rutgers and Bridgeport on Feb. 21 at Rec Hall. She earned her first career vault title at Maryland and has placed in the top five on beam five times, including four scores of 9.850 or better.
Injuries are a common occurrence in athletics. But how one responds in the wake of them can push certain athletes beyond common into the realm of inspirational. Allie Southard has done just that.