The jump on fitness
GYMNASTICS has always been in my blood.
And even now I can’t help but get on the trampoline and do a trick or two before getting yelled at.
You may not know, but I was an elite gymnast when I was growing up in South Australia.
Mum took me and my older sister Beth and younger brother Jayden down to do gymnastics when I was just four.
I still don’t know why she did, maybe she just wanted to give us something to do.
From the minute I walked through the doors I loved it.
It was always great fun going on the trampolines and there was always a chance to try different things out.
So when Beth and Jayden dropped out, I decided to continue on.
It was pretty hard work, especially when I started to take my gymnastics seriously.
I ended up winning a few national titles, so I reached a fairly high level in the sport.
The floor was my go-to if I ever wanted to medal. I would try really hard in that and it was probably my favourite one because it was so much fun.
But like anything, to be the best you have to work and train really hard.
In the end I was doing 30 hours of training a week, getting up at 6.30am to train followed by school.
I’d then have to leave school early so I could go back to training, which I’d do until 5pm.
It was a lot to ask of a 10-yearold.
I ended up stopping gymnastics just after I had turned 15. I fell out of love with it, I guess.
All those long days just got a bit too much for me. I was playing cricket and footy and doing judo at the time as well. Things were hectic!
Going to the Olympics was definitely a goal of mine back then. And without wanting to sound arrogant, I think I probably could have if I had stuck with it.
A few people I trained with that I was better than at the time are in national teams at the moment and have been to the Olympics. I certainly think my years doing gymnastics have been great for my footy.
It has helped with my balance, core strength and has even taught me how to land properly.
It may sound simple, but knowing how to land properly without injuring yourself is pretty crucial in footy.
I’ve even managed to use some of my moves in a game!
In Year 10 or 11 there was a state knockout game and I got tripped.
All my momentum was going forward and instead of falling on my stomach I happened to do a flip. It was kind of like what Nathan Ablett did against West Coast a few years ago.
I had the ball with me at the time, I flipped with it in my hands and managed to keep going and break free of people.
I knew the opposition pretty well, so I had a laugh with my opponent afterwards.
It must have been memorable because a recruiter a couple of years ago in my draft year also mentioned it to me.
I’m lucky that we have a gymnastics floor and trampoline at the club. I still muck around on it when I’ve got some free time.
Compared to the other blokes at the club I look like a god on the trampoline!
I’ve lost a little bit of my touch, but I can still do all the basics.
There’s some good, fun tricks that I can still do that look hard, but is relatively easy (just don’t tell the boys that).
I also pull out a backflip or two in the backyard. Yep, the guys really are easily impressed.