Numbness shot from her neck and tingled down to her fingers.
Despite the pain, freshman Brittney Noble told her coaches, “I can do this. I can do it. I can push through.”
They told her, “Absolutely not.” She had to see a specialist.
That’s when the truth hit. Hard.
After dealing with a slew of injuries including those in her ankle, shoulder and back, Noble learned a week ago her gymnastics career is likely over.
She has a disc in her back pressing on her spine — damage that coach Rhonda Faehn said is so severe she doesn’t expect her return to competition for the Gators.
“My heart just breaks for her because I know how talented she is,” Faehn said. “However, her body is just not kind to her. It’s something that’s very, very serious, and this is very difficult for her. She’s going to have to go through a grieving process.”
Faehn said Noble’s work ethic and passion will suit her well in the future, but sacrificing her body for gymnastics isn’t the right decision.
“She has the rest of her life,” she said. “I told her that she has to be able to one day run outside with her children and play sports with them and lift them up. Gymnastics is not her identity.
“It’s been a beautiful part of what her life is, but she’s going to have to go through the grieving process and know that there’s something better for her out there that she’s going to channel her passions toward.”
Noble only competed in the season opener before going on a five-meet hiatus, returning to the floor routine with less-than-stellar performances later in the year.
By the time it came to the last regular-season meet against Utah, Noble’s condition was so severe she couldn’t travel with the team.
She couldn’t even sit up for more than 15 minutes without having to lie down.
But with the two biggest competitions of the year left, the Southeastern Conference and NCAA championships, Faehn still hopes to have Noble with the team on the sidelines.
“If she’s capable without being in pain, I know she’s on a lot of pain medication right now, she will travel with us the rest of the year,” she said. “I would absolutely love for her to be there on the sidelines cheering, but it’s a matter of what her body can handle.”
