WS Chronicle

Samantha Davis is a 14-year-old burgeoning gymnast who would like to have a career in the sport. She realizes that to reach her goal, she will need more financial support than her parents are able to give her. That is one of the reasons she decided to launch her own clothing line called “Love Conquers All.”

“It is a very simple slogan,” Samantha said. “It is based on a scripture in the Bible. I really believe that the world would be a better place if we had love for everyone.”

The scripture that Samantha referred to is I Peter 4:18, which states: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins.

Samantha has competed in gymnastics since she was nine years old. She started out on Level 3. When her season gets underway on Jan. 4, she will compete on Level 8 Gold. She has advanced one level each year and she hopes to make it to Level 10 in the next few years and earn a scholarship to college. 

A freshman at Carver High School, Samantha is currently enrolled in honors classes. It is only her third year in public school. She spent her first four years of formal education at Forsyth Country Day School. That experience gave her a solid academic base on which to build for the future. She later attended Cook Elementary for two years, where she scored on the 98th percentile in math as a third-grader on the end of grade tests. She spent the last four years at Faith Academy Christian School in Winston-Salem, where she maintained all As in her courses. Before the start of this year, she decided to enter the public school system again.

“I wanted to be in an environment where I could be around more students who look like me,” she said. “I loved my private school experiences, but I needed other experiences to make me more well-rounded. I still have friends from my years at Forsyth Country Day and through my experiences at Flip Force and Salem Gymnastics Center. But I also wanted to be around kids like myself.

“I was raised to be a strong student academically,” she added. “My grandfather, who I was named after (Sam Davis), made sure that I got the most out of my educational experiences.”

Samantha has competed on the state and regional level in each of her years in gymnastics. Two years ago she was on the verge of being the overall U.S. Gymnastics Regional Champion in Orlando, Fla. Going into her final event, the balance beam, she was the overall leader in the meet. However, a slip off the beam cost her a chance for the title. She ended up capturing first place on the uneven bars and eighth place overall. 

She is hoping to do even better this year.

“I’m looking forward to the start of this season,” she said. “This year is important to me because I want to be able to earn a scholarship to college and have a chance to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in 2024.”