Barely even close to finishing her third year at State, junior Rachel Fincham has already been forced to battle through a pair of ankle injuries and one wrist injury.
As her teammates and coaches will openly tell you, each of the junior’s setbacks–one for each respective season in Raleigh–are a long way from her heart.
“She’s definitely a fighter,” Lane Jarred, a freshman in first year college, said. “Every day she comes in here and works her best, which is great to watch as a freshman. Seeing that you can overcome injuries and still come in and compete and be ready, that’s another great thing. The thing is, she is also such a great teammate and person.
“She’s just always there for you if you need to talk to her.”
Fincham’s resume at State, which modestly includes being a two-time East Atlantic Gymnastic’s League All-Academic honoree, has been rapidly expanding right from the very beginning. The Gambrills , Md . native arrived to N.C . State as a four-time Junior Olympics National Team member, and it didn’t take very long to demonstrate why. Fincham competed in all 13 meets as a freshman and was named All-EAGL first team on bars. In 2011, the Annapolis Area Christian alum competed in the NCAA Southeast Regional and had six straight podium finishes on bars.
Despite a painful wrist injury this fall, Fincham’s teammates are not surprised she has already made an impact as an integral part of the 2012 team. In fact, expectations from those who know what she is capable of have not changed.
“She has just come back really strong and the team has been really happy with her,” sophomore and fellow Maryland native Stephanie Ouellette said. “It’s taken a lot of the pressure off of our shoulders because she has an important place on this team.”
Ouellette and Fincham both attended the same Maryland gymnastics club–Docksiders Gymnastics–before arriving in Raleigh one year apart. Separated by about a 20-minute car ride on the Patuxent Freeway directly between Washington D.C., and Baltimore, the two know what they can do.
Back-to-back 9.9 bar routines in the past two meets have highlighted Fincham’s early-season accomplishments. Ouellette knows how critical it is to have her teammate healthy and productive.
“For her to know what needs to be done and just get it done because she has a responsibility; that’s something we are really thankful to have,” Ouellette said.
Although he has seen his share of injuries in the past 32 years as a head coach at State, Mark Stevenson said he knows how imperative Fincham’s determination and character mean to the No. 20 team in the nation.
“She’s not afraid to work, she fights hard and she’s a great athlete,” Stevenson said. “We’re hoping to get her back on floor next week at Oklahoma and possibly on vault by mid-February at the Sweetheart [Invitational]. She’s a very good floor person and her tumbling skills are huge. She’s coming off that wrist right before Christmas and out of a 10-week practice cycle; she’s probably had about two weeks of practice because of waiting off the injury.
“She’s just now getting back and we are really excited to get her back.”
Stevenson noted Fincham’s all-around ability would be a major boost for State once her wrist had fully healed.
“Obviously the 9.9 on bars doesn’t hurt us, but she is just as good on the floor,” Stevenson said. “She’ll impact us on beam at some point and she’ll impact us on vault at some point.”
