From cartwheels to calisthenics, Morgan Moroney may be small but she is fierce. Now a coach at Gold Coast calisthenics community Art of Motion Pursuit of Movement, Morgan is seizing 2018 with both hands with the support of her AMPM ‘family’ and a few clients who, despite their impairments, continue to inspire her every day.
As a child, Morgan Moroney could be found cartwheeling around her family home on the Gold Coast while most children were still learning to do a rolypoly. Seeing her enthusiasm for all things acrobatics, Morgan’s parents threw her into gymnastics (pardon the pun) and after a trial day at a local gym, her natural aptitude for all things ‘acro’ was discovered.
“The coach told my parents I had skills that some people trained for many years to acquire,” Morgan says. “He put me straight into his elite program… and I ended up doing gymnastics for about 12 years.”
Her physical strength, despite her petite frame, was a testament to the intensity of her training and her gift for flipping and bending her body in unnatural directions saw her transition into acrobatics to which she attributes her flexibility and technique to this day. Training morning and night for 30-40 hours a week between gymnastics and acrobatics, Morgan was destined to go far in the sport and naturally began competing - going on to win eight national titles on top of a yearly win at states. While she narrowly missed out on a world title after the competition was cancelled at the last minute, Morgan acknowledges that without her incredible coach, she may not have made it that far and often pinches herself when she remembers just how far her career took her at such a young age.
Interestingly, the 21-year-old finds acrobatics to be more difficult than gymnastics as it is a team sport and, as Morgan explains, ‘if one person fails, we all fail’. Yet it is the team spirit and community feel of acrobatics that she is especially drawn to, leading her to become part of the Art of Motion Pursuit of Movement (AMPM) family on the Gold Coast – arguably the largest calisthenics community in Australia.
This story is from the Issue 96 edition of Oxygen Magazine Australia.
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This story is from the Issue 96 edition of Oxygen Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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