GYMNASTICS
When Lauren Miller was forced to decide between furthering her own sporting prospects or donating time to help those in need, she made a call many 16-year-olds wouldn’t.
The Energetic Gymnastics-trained teen was preparing to ramp up training for the Victorian Gymnastics Championships but instead opted to attend a volunteer school camp.
Lauren is part of Remar, a Marist Leadership Program at Lavalla Catholic College, which helps students develop life skills, community, prayer, faith and opportunities.
As part of her work with the Remar program, Lauren journeyed to the Northern Territory to work with the Indigenous community.
“It was great. We learnt lots about the Aboriginal culture and helping out in less fortunate communities rather than here. It’s totally different up there,” Lauren said.
As a trade off, she trained just four times in as many weeks in the lead-up to last month’s championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre – a fraction of her usual 12 hours per week.
Unaffected by the lack of preparation, Lauren emerged a Victorian champion.
She finished first in vault, second in floor and third on bars and beam to take out the level eight all around title in division two of the women’s artistic gymnastics.
Mum Rhonda said the championship was a long time coming for Lauren.
“It’s been a really tough year,” Rhonda said.
“It’s been a long time working up to it but she has slowly got there and done really well this year.”
On Lauren’s choice to attend the volunteer camp in favour of an increased training load, Rhonda said the decision spoke volumes.
“Lauren doesn’t say a bad word about anyone and is always helpful … she’s just got a really kind heart,” she said.
“Being the middle child, she’s always the mediator and she’s just so easy and placid.”
On her most recent achievement, Lauren said she had “done better score-wise” but was rapt with the first-place finish, all things considered.
“I knew I could do the skills so it was no different to any other competition, and I knew I was going to be up there,” she said
“I did fall off bars at comp, so I wasn’t exactly expecting first.”
In addition to training 12 hours a week and undertaking year 11 studies, Lauren spends the little that remains of her free time coaching up-and-coming gymnasts but maintains it is all part of the juggling act.
“We have a little office space in our Morwell facility that I sometimes spend an hour on Wednesdays doing homework before training,” she said.
“Gym is every night. When I’m not training, I’m coaching.
“I just love gymnastics and spend so much time doing it, I just want to help other kids find their love for gymnastics.”
