{
PERSON OF NOTE
}
written/photographed by mark owens
makeup/hair by laura sellers
CANDICE
DAVIS
i
’m squatting in the middle of the USC track, taking photos of All-
American hurdler Candice Davis as she prepares for the upcoming
Olympic trials. It’s hot, I’m sweating, and I’m trying to press the shutter
release at the exact moment she is perfectly suspended over the hurdle.
This is a surprisingly difficult task for an obvious reason: she can run
really fast. Of course all world-champion track athletes (she won the silver
in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2008 World Championships) possess
the gift of speed, but it’s difficult to fathom until you are inches from
where they are running. And even though she’s already been through
hours of strenuous early-morning training, I feel a stout gust of wind that
practically knocks me over when she runs past. Yes, I will say it again:
Candice Davis is fast.
She’s also smart, charismatic, outgoing, beautiful, and—get this—a
ninja. “My older brother used to make me do all kinds of stuff for him
when I was young. He’d make me do chores, take the tape off his feet
after football practice, climb through windows, et cetera. He called it
‘ninja training.’ He reminded me a few days ago that all my current athletic
success was due to his ninja training.” (Uh, call me an amateur, but I
don’t recall seeing any track events that feature crawling through broken
windows.) “We laugh about it now, but I took it very seriously. I wanted
to be a ninja.”
She also wants to be an Olympic champion. The Ann Arbor, Michigan
native and recent USC graduate relies on a tightly monitored training
program, a strong belief in God and herself, and a network of family and
friends to help her achieve her goal. Her mother in particular is a source
of inspiration, having raised Candice and her older brother by herself.
“My mom is my hero and one of my best friends. I feel like I can tell her
anything.”
But all the structure that governs her life doesn’t rob her of having fun
and being social. This is something I witness firsthand as she feverishly
operates her BlackBerry and jokes with everyone at the track facility
while we take pictures. Coaches, fellow athletes, students, random
onlookers—no one is spared from her playful ribbing. It’s endearing and
almost innocent, a reminder that even though her talent and training have
made her as fast as a gazelle, she’s still a 22-year-old woman who just
graduated from college. And, of course, she’s also a ninja.
ELIZA / 76 ELIZA / 77
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