Milawa's Abbie Woodberry, a year 6 student at Cathedral College Wangaratta, is making her mark in gymnastics, set to compete in the 2025 Junior Victorian Championships in Melbourne this weekend.
Abbie got her first taste of gymnastics at the age of four when she attended classes at the Barr Reserve in Wangaratta, and took to it immediately.
Her parents then enrolled her at the Moyhu District Youth Club where she went from strength to strength, training twice a week with coach Sophie Enders, improving her skills across apparatus including beam, vault, bars and floor, and competing regularly with great success.
Deciding she wanted to take her gymnastics even more seriously, she moved to Indigo and then on to Flyaway Gymnastics in Albury, where she now trains three times a week for around 12 and half hours, perfecting her skills under coaches Daisy and Emeka.
Abbie said she loves somersaults and flips, and her favourite apparatus is floor because of the opportunity it gives to express yourself, closely followed by bars for their rhythm and challenge.
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“I love showing off all the artistry and skills in my routines,” she said.
At the recent National Clubs Championships on the Gold Coast, Abbie’s team placed second on beam, vault and floor, first on bars, and second overall.
On bars, Abbie completed her first "flyaway" with no coach and achieved a personal best of 9.3.
“A flyaway is when you let go of the bar, do a flip in the air, and land on your feet,” Abbie explained.
“It’s really cool because you have to be brave and get the timing just right.”
Abbie is Wangaratta’s second gymnast attending the 2025 Junior Victorian Championships in Melbourne on October 18 and 19, joining Morgan Hope from the MDYC Moyhu Gymnastics Club.
Abbie competed in her first state championship in 2024, and this year will be competing in Level 6 Division 2.
When she’s not in the gym, Abbie enjoys travelling, spending time with friends, family and her puppy Winnie.
Her favourite subjects at school are Physical Education and English and she says she really likes writing and public speaking - but for now, she would like to see where gymnastics might take her.
"I love it when I get in the gym - it's such a great environment for me - I love bouncing around and flipping," she said.
“My dream is to train at the Australian Institute of Sport and one day go to the Olympics.
“If that doesn’t happen, I’d love to travel to America and compete in college gymnastics - let’s see what happens in the future.”
