Dedication delivers results for star Reservoir gymnast Lauren Pengelly

LAUREN Pengelly leapt, somersaulted and landed a lifelong dream earlier this year.

Reservoir's Lauren Pengelly, 17, shows off her skill on the beam. Picture: Steve Tanner

LAUREN Pengelly leapt, somersaulted and landed a lifelong dream earlier this year.

The Reservoir resident was crowned the overall champion at the Australian Gymnastics Championships, competing at the highest level she can achieve in her current stream.

Reservoir's Lauren Pengelly, 17, achieved some great results at the Australian and Victorian gymnastics championships. Picture: Steve Tanner

“At first, I didn’t really believe it because from when I was younger I always wanted to go to nationals and win it, so to win it was unbelievable,” Pengelly said.

Trailing after the first day of the competition, Pengelly performed strongly to finish runner-up on the bars and beam and third on the floor to claim the overall title.

As a result, she was selected in an eight-strong squad to compete for Australia at the New Zealand National Championships in October.

It will be her second time at the event, but she hopes to achieve better results after her performance was hampered by a broken foot at training two months before last year’s championships.

She backed up her national title as the Victorian overall champion in June, winning the bars and beam events and finishing runner-up on the floor.

The 17-year-old has spent most of her life on the bars, beam and floor and is in her 15th year involved in the sport.

The importance of gymnastics to her is such that she has spread her VCE studies over three years instead of two, to cater for the intense schedule, which includes 24 hours of training a week at MLC Gymnastics in Kew.

“I get pretty busy, but I’ve been able to cope with all the stress because I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Pengelly said.

“The friendships I make with gym, they last for a lifetime.

“The girls I train with are my best friends, I don’t know where I’d be without them and my coaches help a lot.”

Reservoir's Lauren Pengelly, 17, specialises on the bars, beam and floor. Picture: Steve Tanner

She is driven to perform well after spending countless hours practising in the gym.

“You just say to yourself ‘remember the training, remember what you did in the gym, you’ve done this thousands of times, just show everyone that you can do it’,” Pengelly said.

“The feeling of knowing you did well at a competition, the feeling that everyday I spent in the gym was worth it.”

She will now focus on a team competition in August and the national clubs championships in October before travelling to New Zealand.

The Leader Local Sports Stars program recognises and celebrates the extraordinary efforts of junior and senior athletes and competitors across Melbourne.

Medallists will be named in seven categories -- Junior Sports Star Individual, Junior Sports Star Team, Young Sporting Spirit Individual, Young Sporting Spirit Team, Senior Sports Star, Service to Sport and the Jim Dowsley Award for encouragement.

The program becomes a national celebration this year. Leader’s junior winners from Melbourne will compete against the Local Sports Stars program medallists in NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, and national winners will be crowned.

The junior categories will be judged on achievement, dedication, fairness and sportsmanship.

Cash prizes as well as vouchers from our sponsor Sportsmart are up for grabs.

For full details and to nominate an athlete, go to localsportsstars.com.au