Being a student-athlete is a lot of work, especially at UF.
A student-athlete at UF must deal with all the requirements of training and practicing, along with attending a top-seven public university.
Because of that workload, many athletes don’t have time to do much else, but Amelia Hundley is an exception.
The Gators gymnastics senior has spent 45 hours over the course of the 2019-20 academic year volunteering in Gainesville, more than anyone else on the team.
On March 23, Hundley was rewarded for her community service work by being named to the SEC Gymnastics Community Service Team.
The eight SEC gymnastics programs pick an athlete who has excelled in giving back to be named to the team and Hundley fits that mold for the Gators.
“I’m very proud of myself for winning this award,” she said. “Honestly, prouder than any individual award I won because it is something, I hope people see, I am passionate about it.”
Hundley first developed an interest in giving back when she would train at her gym back home in Ohio.
She said every Friday about 100 kids from the Special Olympics came to her gym and she would work with them and help them out.
“We really looked forward to it every week,” she said. “That’s what sparked my interest in it.”
When she arrived in Gainesville for her freshman year in 2017, it was a senior, Claire Boyce, who encouraged her and the rest of the team to be philanthropic.
“She (Claire) was really encouraging us to get out there and the more I did it, the more I enjoyed it,” she said. “I kind of almost used it as an outlet from my athlete life.”
Hundley’s favorite volunteer activity is going into elementary schools and helping the children there. In just this year alone, she has made 14 visits to local elementary schools to help in their study break program known as “brain breaks.”
“It is really special because you got to create this bond with these children,” she said. “When you walked into the room, they got really excited to see you.”
The Special Olympics training wasn’t the only work she did with kids. When Hundley was growing up, her mom owned a dance studio and she would spend a lot of time working with the kids there.
“I always saw my mom as a role model, and she was always helping kids at the studio, so I wanted to be just like that,” she said.
Not only is Hundley showing her passion for children in elementary schools across Gainesville, but she is doing it in the classroom as well.
She is a family, youth and community sciences and educational sciences dual major and she said while she does like to teach kids in school and hasn’t ruled it out as an option, there is another avenue that interests her more.
“I was like, I love teaching and I love children so why not teach children’s gymnastics?” she said. “So, right now, my plan is to educate and impact these children on the gymnastics aspect.”
Hundley says it’s a best of both worlds since it combines her two loves – teaching and gymnastics.
Other volunteering that she does besides going into the elementary schools include distributing shoes as part the Gator Tracks program and joining in with the entire gymnastics team to serve a meal to the residents of Gainesville’s Hope Lodge.
She also led the warm-up session at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides against Breast Cancer event last fall.
Just like Boyce did her freshman year, she tries to use her platform as a senior to encourage others on the team to get out there.
“Normally when practice is over, I’ll tell everyone that I’m going to volunteer tomorrow and everyone is welcome,” she said. “It’s a great way to go out and network or find what you are passionate about.”
Hundley is also a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and part of the Florida student-athlete advisory council.
She said she is proud to be so multifaceted.
“I obviously want to be remembered for the gymnast I was, but also for the impact I had on people,” Hundley said.
She added that while her schedule is busy, she makes time for giving back because “you prioritize what is important to you and you make time for it.”
Even though Hundley just finished up her senior year, she will stick around Florida as a student coach and isn’t planning on stopping her community service work anytime soon.
“I really just want to be a role model,” she said. “We have that platform as Gator athletes and that’s what I’ve really tried to do over these last four years.”
Follow Noah Ram on Twitter @Noah_ram1. Contact him at nram@alligator.org.
Noah is a third year journalism-sports and media student from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has been with The Alligator since Spring 2019 and has covered men’s and women’s tennis, gymnastics and volleyball. When he isn’t on his beat, Noah is usually sadden over his beloved South Florida sports teams, such as the Heat and Dolphins.
