International Gymnast - October 2010

SHOOTING STAR Amelia McGrath SHOOTING STAR Amelia McGrath

McGrath with De Highden

Late Bloomer

ACCORDING to Michelle De Highden, Amelia McGrath practically came out of nowhere in the last two years. After all, the 15-year-old gymnast didn’t get serious until she was 10. Before then she had been training at Balwyn Leisure Centre, juggling gymnastics and other sports. Finally, Amelia’s mother suggested she find a more advanced place to train. Now she’s at the MLC Gymnastics Club in Victoria, where she practices under coaches De Highden and Jeb Silsbury.

When Amelia was invited to her first
national training camp at the Australian
Institute in Canberra two years ago, she was
stunned. “When I got selected I nearly fell
off my chair!” she says. “For the first couple
of days I felt like, Oh, what am I doing
here? But then you get used to it.”
Regular training camps are now just
another part of “Milly’s” routine. At the
moment, Amelia is focused on consolidating
skills, building routines, and improving as a
junior national team member. Beam and
floor are her favorite events, and her first-
day 14.050 on the former at the recent
Australian championships was the highest
among juniors and seniors. On floor she
won gold medals at both the 2008 and
2009 nationals. “I just find it easier to learn
skills on those apparatus,” she says.

McGrath at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships, where she won a bronze medal on floor exercise

Amelia says that knowing Stephanie
Moorhouse trained in the same gym has
influenced her growth. And like many
young gymnasts, her Olympic hero is Nastia
Liukin. “I just love the way she is so
focused,” she says. “She doesn’t ever look
like things are fazing her. She makes it look
so easy.”
Amelia also expressed her joy in seeing
fellow Australian Lauren Mitchell take two
silver medals at the 2009 world event finals
after narrowly missing a medal in the all-
around. “I was so happy for her!” Amelia
says. “It was really amazing how she used it
as her motivation to do well in the appara-
tus finals.”
Amelia’s long-term goal is to gain her
own spot on the 2011 world team. Mean-
while, she would love to earn a spot on a
junior team that will be traveling to France
in November. Having competed in Germany
earlier this year, Amelia has already taught
herself to adjust to such a long trip. “I just
got on the plane and told myself, OK, it’s
German time! It’s the middle of the day
there. They are awake, you stay awake!
It’s easier than getting off the plane and
complaining, ‘Oh, it’s day time, but I am
meant to be asleep!’”
That Amelia is an athlete is no surprise,
since her family is also sporty. Her brother,
Elijah, does many sports; her sister,
Jemima, is on the MLC development squad;
and her father plays cricket. She also
admires Australian actress Isla Fisher,
because “she is really talented, and really,
really funny.”
So is Amelia McGrath. Now, it remains
to be seen where her talent, attitude and
energy will take her. —Brigid Mc Carthy