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College injuries led athlete to a place of peace, serenity
November 7, 2014
Arnold School alumna Liz Locke was a
former Gamecock athlete whose injuries changed her direction in life.
A passion for running, injuries that sidelined her collegiate athletic career and a desire to heal led Liz Locke to yoga’s spiritual path.
Her journey toward peace through practicing yoga are part of a documentary, “Be Still,” that is entered in the 2014 MOVell Film Festival competition.
Recruited as an athlete for the USC women’s track and field and cross country teams, Locke was a star athlete in New Jersey where she earned four track letters and two in cross country at Kingsway Regional High School. She won numerous awards in state competitions and, when she graduated, Locke held the school record in the 800m and 1600m while also a member of two record-setting relay teams.
Beyond her desire to be part of the women’s athletic teams, Locke came to the University of South Carolina because she “wanted to take the risk of going far enough away that I would become independent.” And, while she admits to being homesick during the first semester at USC, “I was forced to meet new people, and pretty soon I loved being here.”
She chose to study exercise science because she thought it would be interesting to know “the science part of sports.”
During her first semester as a freshman in 2010, Locke ranked in the top three on the cross country team in the early 5K races and finished second on the team in the Gamecock Invitational, her first collegiate race. She posted impressive times in races throughout that season. By second semester, she had impressive scores in track and field competitions and earned a spot on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Then in 2012, days before an SEC competition, Locke suffered a stress fracture and couldn’t run for six months. After being cleared to run for her junior year, she suffered a stress fracture again. She was out for another six months. When the cross-country season began during the first semester of her senior year, Locke said, “I was struggling. I felt out of shape. You can’t compete when you feel that your effort has been cut in half.”
Locke’s career as a college athlete was over.
Although she had practiced yoga before as a way to lose weight and maintain her fitness, her pursuit this time was toward spirituality and finding a place of peace and harmony where she could heal emotionally from her love for running and her loss. During her journey, Locke realized that yoga was much more meaningful when people were able to understand both the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga.
“In today’s society, people are so focused on the future that they are missing out on ‘what is now,’ ” Locke said.
Even before graduating from the Arnold School in May, Locke became interested in understanding the physical and mental health benefits of athletics. She already had experienced the positive benefits of sports and fitness, as well as the mental “high” of running. By working through the devastating impact of her injuries, Locke knew that yoga was a way to combine “the physical and the mental wellbeing.”
Since graduation, she has been a coach for the boys’ cross country team at Hammond School in Columbia and would like to continue coaching. Locke has a job with Strictly Running and, on two days a week, she delivers bagels and meals for Carolina Café.
She’s found a new “passion” through filming her documentary that includes interviews with people discussing the numerous benefits of yoga for people from all walks of life and all states of mind.
She’s sent dozens of copies of her documentaries to people and asked for their responses, which have been positive and encouraging, “and my passion for yoga and meditation have become serious” through the project.
As for her interest in running, Locke is a bit reticent.
“Running and I were married. Then, broke up,” she said. “We’re in a rebuilding phase, but it’s fragile. There’s a passion I’ve got to find again.”
So, could this be the subject for a future documentary?
The enthusiastic Locke just smiled. “Let’s say ‘coming soon.’”
