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SECTION: JOURNAL
AUGUST 27, 2005
Be sure to check out Stephanie's photo album for full size versions of the photos included in the journal entry ... and many more pictures!
I thought it was about time that I update people on where my life has taken me since I finished my Gymnastics career. I thought my life was going to slow down after I finished Gymnastics and I was going to have some more spare time. Was I wrong! It has been a roller coaster of a ride and I have had so many opportunities and experiences that I thought would never come about.
I have been at school continuing my studies which are going very well. I was selected for the school aerobics team which was great. So I started aerobics which I loved as I could use my Gymnastics skills in it, but it was also different in many ways to Gymnastics. My plan was to join the Athletics school team as well but due to my stress reaction in my foot which still hasn’t healed fully from my Gymnastics career, I unfortunately had to pull out of all the sports I was doing and take the time to let it recover fully now. It is getting much better and I am looking forward to getting back into my sport soon. So instead, I have kept up my workouts and keeping fit in the V.I.S weights gym which I enjoy because I get to mix with all types of top athletes from a range of sports.
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I have been doing various talks and presentations also. These talks are for my gym, the Victorian Institute of Sport, Victorian Olympic Council and Gymnastics Australia. I talk about my past experiences and where my Gymnastics has taken me in life and how I got there. It is a way for me to give back to the sport and help make the community more aware of the sport of Gymnastics.
I have been staying involved with Gymnastics a lot which is what I wanted to do. I did my coaches course and am now an official coach. I traveled to the National Championships with my state team as an assistant coach for the young girls and an assistant chaperone/team supporter. It was a great experience. I learnt so much seeing it from a different perspective. It was great to see so much new talent coming up in the next generations.
I have been doing some promotional work for Gymnastics Australia leading up to the World Championships in November. I have been traveling to various competitions around the state. Not just elite competitions but all levels and also Aerobics and Cheerleading competitions to make sure that the Gymnastics community are aware of what a fantastic opportunity they are going to get to see the world’s best gymnasts coming to their home town. I have enjoyed being involved in this area and I can’t wait until November when all the action starts.
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Then when I thought life was starting to slow down a little bit and I was starting to get a routine happening again, I got a phone call from the head coach of Australia, Peggy Liddick. She wanted to know whether I wanted to be involved in a Disney/Touchstone Production movie called ‘Stick It’ being filmed in the U.S.A. She was sending over an Australian team to help film some Gymnastics in the movie. It would mean I would have to get straight back into the gym and train again. I jumped at the opportunity. I knew it was going to be hard work getting back into training and getting my body in some sort of ‘gymnastics shape’ but it was a once in a life time opportunity that I just could not say no to. So there I was, after 5 months of finishing gym, after selling almost all of my leotards and thinking my gym days were over, I was back in the gym. I trained once a day at my old club, MLC Gymnastics Club.
All I can say is that it was hard work. I planned on doing Bars, Beam and Floor but my body could not cope with the sudden pressure that was being put on it so I just did Bars and Beam. I got back ¾ of my Olympic beam routine and a good connection on bars with a release which I was pretty happy with after only training for 5 weeks. I have to say thank you very much too all the coaches that helped me over those 5 weeks. Especially Mark and Michelle for taking the time to fit me into their program and helping me get as prepared as I could for the trip.
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The trip to Los Angeles was amazing. The other Australian girls that went were Allana Slater, Melissa Munro, Aleea Newton, Belinda Archer, Nadia Fairfax and our coach Martine George. We had so much fun. It was an incredible experience to be on set of a movie and see how everything works. Basically what we were there to do is help re-enact the American National Championships for the big finale competition at the end. So we were all Americans which was fun. There were also 2 Spanish girls, 5 French girls, 1 Chinese girl and some Americans gymnasts. We all had different programs and we didn’t do all apparatus. They filmed my bars and beam and I did specific back ground work. They have a lot of footage so who knows what they’ll use. But fingers crossed we get shown in the finished product.
We had wardrobe, hair and make-up done. We felt very special. We got to meet everyone on set and being typical Aussies, everyone loved hearing us talk as they wanted to hear the Australian accent and meeting us. Everyone was really nice; it was a great cast and team.
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We had quite a bit of spare time as well so being typical girls we took advantage of the great shops in Los Angeles, the beautiful hot sun, the pool, the beach and the incredible sites in L.A. We visited Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood area and many different shopping strips. We had a ball. We were away for 10 days and none of us wanted to come back home to reality. It was a great trip and even though the training was hard leading up to it, it was all worth it. It’s not very often you can say you’ve been in a movie. The movie is hoping to be released in Australia near the end of next year. I can’t wait to see the finished product. So keep a look out for ‘Stick it!’
So it was back home to reality again. Studying, socialising and doing promotional work is keeping me very busy. It has now been 7 months since I retired. I have been flat out and I have enjoyed every bit of it. It has been challenging at times but that’s what lives about. Nothings a smooth ride and if you set goals and know what you want to achieve then you’ll work out a way to do it. Sometimes I sit down and think about how I fitted 32 hours of training in a week in the gym. It really is amazing. I have also had various times to sit down and reflect on a few of my achievements which as been enjoyable and I know that the up and coming years in Australian Gymnastics is going to be very exciting. We have got some great potential coming through.
I can’t wait until November when the World Championships are here in Melbourne. I urge everyone out there to get their tickets as soon as possible because it is going to be a wonderful event. The top gymnasts from around the world coming to the sporting capital of Australia. What a fantastic event.
I hope everyone is healthy and happy.
Keep smiling,
Steph! xoxo
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