by Mariel White, UF Athletics Communications
Amelia Hundley has been a leader since day one, but just because she’s a senior doesn’t mean her leadership of the team will stop there.
Coach Jenny Rowland and the younger gymnasts look forward to Amelia’s continued presence in the gym as she transitions to a new role. Hundley will serve as a student coach while she finishes up her fifth year in Family, Youth and Community Sciences and Education Sciences in the 2020-2021 school year.
Since Gator Gymnastics forgoes the naming of a team captain and encourages every incoming athlete to be a leader, Hundley has been able to identify her strengths and embrace the leader within herself.
With so many big personalities on one team, Amelia has found it “really cool to see people’s different perspectives and leadership styles and see how that intertwines [so we can] all come together to lead the team.”
However, this hasn’t always been easy for her. Along with learning to be okay with imperfection and to enjoy every moment, one of the most important lessons that Amelia has learned is that people don’t all think alike.
Throughout her tenure as a Gator Gymnast, Amelia has identified how to meet people where they are and try to see how their brains work, before assuming that they are on the same page. She wants to “get through to people [and] help them so that we can work together collectively.”
This will benefit her as she pursues her dream job as an assistant coach in collegiate gymnastics. Amelia is willing to go anywhere and everywhere to work her way to the top of the field and hopes that one day she will hold the role of head coach of Florida Gator gymnastics.
But before that, she will serve alongside Coach Rowland, who’s excited to have her on as a staff member. “She’s going to be a fantastic force for the team and a great benefit to student athletes.”
Rowland praises Amelia’s consistency in her kind-heartedness and willingness to do anything for her teammates, and her growth in her sport, as she has taken ownership of herself and learned to value what’s in front of her.
Amelia is looking forward to her final night in the O’Dome as she performs her floor piece, which she has dedicated to her dad, one last time in front of Gator Nation. With songs like “We Will Rock You” and “Crazy Train,” Amelia honors her father’s involvement in her career as she points to him in the audience, and also gets older generations excited as these songs remind them of their pasts.
After that final performance, Hundley is confident that her team will continue to “kill it” as they vie for a chance to win the NCAA Championship.
Enjoy Amelia’s last performances in the Swamp before she moves to the sidelines to coach future generations of Gator athletes!
check it out on floridagators.com or on my twitter!