Georgia Pryer: Ex-gymnast to compete at Tamworth Open weightlifting event

At Snake Athletic on Sunday, the 21-year-old former state gymnastics champion will compete in her first weightlifting competition - which she views as a natural extension of her CrossFit obsession.

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The Tamworth Open - an Olympic weightlifting event - will be another notch on Pryer's sporting belt.

"I'm not too worried," she said of the event. "Knowing that it's my first one, I know there's no expectations on myself - just go out there and see what happens on the day."

The former Tamworth Gymnastics Club member represented NSW at the gymnastic nationals and then soon left the sport. That was some three years ago.

She was eyeing CrossFit prior to leaving gymnastics: her best friend, Caitlin Ham, had retired from gymnastics about a year earlier and had taken up the sport.

"I just had that up my sleeve straight away, so that was really good," Pryer said.

Gymnasts seguing to CrossFit was very common, she added, given the comparable skill sets.

CrossFit is a strength, conditioning and overall fitness program consisting mainly of a mix of aerobic exercise, calisthenics (bodyweight exercises) and Olympic weightlifting, according to Wikipedia.

Pryer's immersion in the sport has been total: she works full-time as a CrossFit coach at Snake Athletic.

At the CrossFit Open - a global event currently under way - she finished 32nd in Oceania and 19th in Australia in the open women category.

As part of the same event, she is a member of a four-strong Snake Athletic team competing to represent Oceania at the CrossFit Games in the US this year. The CrossFit Games are the sport's version of the Olympics.

The Leader: Do you miss gymnastics?

Pryer: "I miss the uneven bars. They were my favourite."

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