Jan. 27, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Rebecca Burkhardt
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF track and cross country athlete Amelia Williams is a woman full of surprises. She loves to speak Spanish, has a passion for baking and even has a former life as a gymnast.
The Ponte Vedra Beach native is not one to shy away from a challenge. It's probably why she decided to dedicate one of her two minors to Spanish, a language that no one in her family "speaks a lick of."
The fearless way in which she throws herself into new experiences can be traced back to her roots as a gymnast. Growing up, playing sports was never an option for Williams, it was required.
"When I was young, my parents forced my sisters and me to be involved in sports," Williams said. "They always wanted us to be active and doing something after school."
Williams wasted no time. She was in a sport before she was even in school. At 2 years old, she was enrolled in cartwheel classes at the same gym as her oldest sister. By the time she was 6, she joined the competition team and dedicated years to perfecting her craft.
"It was my life and I really enjoyed it," Williams said. "I would work out from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as a 10-year-old over the summers."
Soon after, Williams was sidelined with an arm injury that occurred during warmups on her favorite event, the balance beam. After missing the landing on a routine skill, Williams ended up with a compound fracture to her arm.
"I came back and competed for another year, but I was so terrified all the time," Williams said. "The reason I was such a good gymnast is because I was fearless. I hit a point where I was second guessing everything and it was becoming dangerous with how cautious I was being."
At the time, Williams was transitioning into middle school and decided it was best to try a new sport.
"My older sister ran cross country and asked me to go to practice with her to see if I liked it," Williams said. "I went the first week of school and beat her. I made the varsity team."
Everyone in the Williams family is a runner, so it was no surprise when Amelia decided to follow in their footsteps.
"From my grandparents, to my parents and sisters, everybody runs," Williams said. "I have always been around it and never wanted to do it because I thought it was crazy and boring."
Nevertheless, Williams decided to give it a shot. Discipline and toughness are just a few of the skills she was able to transfer from gymnastics to running. Williams was no stranger to the grueling mental and physical demands of running.
"You have to be so mentally tough to be a gymnast and a runner," Williams said. "The conditioning you do as a gymnast is absurd. You have to have some guts to do it and that transferred over into running."
Between cross country and track, Williams trains year-round in addition to her full-course load of school work that at times involves 15-17 credit hour semesters. She will earn two minors in May in addition to her major of advertising and public relations.
Since 2012, she has been a part of three conference championship teams and two runner-up finishes between her tenure in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference. She is thankful for the "crazy" ride and intends to make her final months as a college athlete count.
Her last semester is off to a hot start after adding a school record to her resume. Along with Kirsten Nieuwendam, Rosie Chamberlain and Anne-Marie Blaney, she helped the group win the distance medley and set a new school benchmark at the Kentucky Invitational last month.
"It has been a pleasure to see our team's transformation over the years, personally and athletically," Williams said. "It is such an excitement to be able to see the girls who have come through and won or placed at nationals. I want to do well in school and in track but I want to make sure that it is going to be an experience that I remember in a positive light and not rush my way through. Enjoying my last four months here is important and a great running season would be the icing on the cake."