The following newsletter was emailed on Thursday, June 6, 2019. Are you on our newsletter list?

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Scott Davis has followed Gamecock sports for more than 30 years and provides commentary from a fan perspective.

A couple of months ago, I discovered a new passion.

Of all things, it involved walking, which was sort of shocking since I strenuously avoid all activities that could be construed as “healthy.” I don’t ride bikes, mountain climb, hike, lift weights, run marathons or jog. I even actively eat gluten, enjoy carbs and am not all that opposed to trans fats.

Fortunately, this wasn’t power walking. It didn’t involve any goofy, herky-jerky movements or intense arm-swinging or anything. There wasn’t a goal attached to it, like getting my dog some exercise or lowering my blood pressure.

No, it was mostly just aimless, even pointless walking. I realized one day that walking clears my head, makes me feel better, and in general, increases my quality of life by a factor of a million. If I’m feeling worked up, annoyed, impatient or otherwise look like I’m running the risk of morphing into a person that no sane human being would want to spend time around (think Dan Mullen cussing and fussing on the sidelines), I open my front door and start walking.

Sometimes forever. When I come back, I’m a normal person again.

My father-in-law, Mike, introduced me to the “10,000 Steps a Day” philosophy some time ago (Note: Technically, this isn’t true, because I’d actually already learned about it while watching a reunion special of the “Jersey Shore” cast on MTV and found out that a suddenly ultra-thin Vinnie had embraced a “10,000 Steps a Day” plan. And like all of us, when Vinnie from “Jersey Shore” openly declares that he has a new philosophy of life, I feel the need to investigate further).

Mike checks a good many boxes that make him a first-ballot inductee into the In-Law Hall of Fame. For one thing, he’s a dedicated Gamecock fan, the kind of guy who attends every home football game with my mother-in-law and who occasionally calls me on a random Tuesday afternoon to chat about recruiting.

He’s also a relentlessly positive person. He wishes the Gamecocks well in all things, but doesn’t allow their losses to ruin his day or even his drive home from Williams-Brice Stadium. (This is in contrast to someone like me, who has absolutely allowed Carolina losses to ruin days, weeks, months and even years-long stretches).

You need Gamecock fans like this in your life for the tough times when you’re wondering why you do this at all. Their exuberant, angst-free excitement becomes contagious and reminds you that above all, sports are fun because they have the power to create memories and bring you closer to friends and family.

Mike also tries to get in 10,000 steps a day. The idea is that if you put your feet in front of you that many times – and do it again the next day, and again, and again – eventually your body starts to pull itself into something resembling shape. You’re not going to win any bodybuilder contests doing this, but it’s easily trackable on your iPhone and the science more or less seems to agree that 10,000 steps a day is a very good thing for both your mind and body. In fact, a new study released just a few days ago suggests you might not even need as many as 10,000 steps per day to start experiencing positive benefits.

When I started walking everywhere, I had no game plan in mind. I wasn’t trying to accomplish anything. I just liked doing it.

Then one day I realized that none of my clothes fit.

They were all too big.

I was losing weight without really trying.

I was making progress without even knowing it. In a few short months, my weight had free-fallen back towards levels I hadn’t seen since I was a 19-year-old nerd roaming the USC campus.

That happens to us many times in life. We’re either going forward – or backward – and we don’t realize it as it’s happening. The same was true back when I gained weight. It seemed like it just happened – one day I glanced in the mirror and saw a pale, gigantic marshmallow staring back at me.

Either way, one thing’s for sure – we’re probably going somewhere, whether we know it or not. The question is where?

As I pounded the pavement on the hunt for my 10,000th step the other day, I started thinking about South Carolina’s football program (this happens often on my walks).

Where were they headed? Were they making unseen progress that I couldn’t detect? Or were they quietly and surreptitiously sliding back towards the SEC’s basement as we approach the stretch drive of the Will Muschamp Era?

Were they taking enough steps forward every day in the long journey to get somewhere good?

Or not enough?

Remember how those 11-win seasons under Steve Spurrier seemed to fall out of the sky, emerging from thin air overnight?

It definitely seemed that way at the time.

Spurrier presided over what felt like a couple of decades worth of 7-5 campaigns and mediocre bowls before the Gamecocks broke out with an SEC East title in 2010. Then the wins really started piling up in rapid succession.

Watching it unfold at the time, I felt like I was witnessing a miracle.

In fact, the steps forward had been accumulating for some time. After a few years in place, Spurrier’s staff started having meaningful success on the recruiting trail, especially in the state. First Stephon Gilmore chose the Gamecocks. Then Devonte Holloman. Later, it was Marcus Lattimore.

All of these commitments seemed mildly surprising at the time they happened. But by the time the nation’s best high school athlete, Jadeveon Clowney, committed to play in Columbia, it no longer felt earth-shattering.

And that was precisely the point. The program had slowly – almost under the cover of darkness – taken steps towards excellence, so that when Clowney arrived, it felt like a place where he belonged.

I remember when Clemson began stockpiling some of the nation’s best recruits in the early 2010’s at a time when South Carolina was in the midst of a five-year ownership of the Tigers. It troubled me deeply to see it happening, but many Gamecock fans – feeling fat and happy during the winning streak – professed that it didn’t matter how many recruiting successes Clemson had as long as Spurrier coached at Carolina and Dabo Swinney coached up the road.

We all know what happened next.

The future is happening right now. Whether you want to believe it or not.

Last week, highly coveted running back MarShawn Lloyd committed to South Carolina in a mild surprise. Lloyd has been ranked as high as a five-star talent, and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top players.

He also represents exactly the kind of recruiting win that South Carolina needs a lot more if it hopes to climb back towards national prominence under Will Muschamp.

The Gamecocks have recruited reasonably well under Muschamp, and there’s absolutely no doubt the coach works harder at it than any head coach ever has in Columbia.

But have there been enough recruiting wins to turn the corner, to get back to 11 wins and New Year’s Day bowls and even (gulp) occasional wins against the old archrival?

Are we taking enough steps forward every day to get there?

I’m not sure.

But we’ll all know sooner rather than later, one way or the other.

I asked Gamecock Nation to show up and show out in last week’s newsletter, and you responded.

Boy, did you respond.

While we’re discussing all these healthy improvements I’ve been making, let’s definitely remember that I’m also currently searching for the state of South Carolina’s best ice cream, which I will research relentlessly along the way to declaring an ultimate statewide champion for future generations to enjoy.

My request for S.C. ice cream parlor suggestions yielded a large number of emails from readers. In fact, I’d venture to say that this is the most I’ve ever heard from you since I’ve been writing for Gamecock Central, which proves two basic things once and for all:

--- I’m not nearly as interesting as I think I am, and

--- Y’all love you some ice cream

A couple of early observations: South Carolina’s Lowcountry seems to be rising to the top as the epicenter for Palmetto State ice cream, and many of you share my enthusiasm for peach ice cream when seeking out flavors. If you haven’t written in your suggestions yet, there’s still time. Drop me an email and make your voice heard. Your state needs you.

Just thinking about eating all this ice cream makes me feel like I need to go get a few thousand more steps in today. Time to hit the road.

- Scott Davis, scottdavis@gamecockcentral.com