Like many Team Scotland athletes, Louise Christie is indebted to her parents for helping her achieve her Commonwealth Games dream.
The Aberdeen gymnast will make her Games debut in Birmingham this summer, with the familial audience making the occasion even more special.
As with many athletes who come from the north of Scotland, travelling plays a huge part in trying to fulfil your ambitions. Competitions are not close to home and it often requires loved ones to make sacrifices, giving up hours to spend on the road or dipping into their pockets to ensure their child has the best chance of succeeding.
Christie, who has been a life-long member at Beacon Rhythmic Gymnastics in Aberdeen, sees the Games as an ideal chance to repay her family’s support.
“They’re so excited,” said Christie. “They’ve been on the journey with me and it’s not always been easy. For them to be able to come and see me live out this dream is amazing.
“The majority of my competitions are all in England; there’s only really the Scottish Championships that are in Aberdeen or Edinburgh. Everything else, like GB squads or other competitions, require a lot of travelling.
“That obviously puts a lot of strain on my family because I’m the one paying to fly down to Birmingham to train, or to travel elsewhere for competitions.
“It’s a lot for my family to commit to but it wouldn’t be possible without them. I’m obviously grateful for that.
“I said to my mum that my family being able to come and watch me, just makes everything so worthwhile, everything they’ve done to help me achieve this.”
It will be Christie’s first time wearing Scotland colours – a landmark moment for any athlete from north of the border.
Name: Louise Christie
D.O.B: 22/9/00
Home town: Aberdeen
Previous CG experience: None
Event(s): Rhythmic gymnastics
The Robert Gordon University student made it on to the Great Britain squad three years ago and has been fortunate enough to compete at international level.
But there will be an additional buzz that comes from being able to represent Scotland.
“I’ve never been to a multi-sport event so I’m just looking forward to enjoying it, being part of Team Scotland. It’ll be the first time I’ve properly represented Scotland.
“I’ve been lucky enough to represent Great Britain a couple of times but this is the main event I can represent Scotland. I’m excited to be part of the team and to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and experience in Birmingham.
📢 @Team_Scotland Gymnasts | Birmingham 2022
Congratulations to Frank Baines, Hamish Carter, Pavel Karnejenko, Cameron Lynn, David Weir, Shannon Archer and Louise Christie who have been selected to represent Team Scotland 🏴 at this summer's Birmingham Commonwealth Games 👏🏻💙 pic.twitter.com/4l5CapeGDu
— Scottish Gymnastics (@ScotGymnastics) June 6, 2022
“I did some selection events for the Commonwealth Games out in Estonia and Greece for Scotland, but this is a big deal going as part of Team Scotland.”
She has maintained her sporting career while also continuing to study at RGU. Christie has just finished her fourth year as an applied sport and exercise science scholar and is grateful for their support too.
“RGU have also played a massive role. Throughout my four years they’ve supported missing university to go away and do competitions, while still making sure I could achieve in both fields. I’m really grateful for the support I’ve had from them.
“It can be difficult to balance because I want to do well in my studies too. But RGU have made sure I have the same opportunities as everyone else and given that extra support, to make sure I can get everything done to the best of my ability.”
Role models play an important part in any sportsperson’s journey and Christie is no different.
There are some well-known names which crop up but one within her own sport could help provide some big motivation ahead of her Games debut.
“It’s a difficult question to answer because I’m quite inspired by all athletes. Growing up it was people like Andy Murray and Jessica Ennis-Hill.
“Within my sport there’s always been a number of top gymnasts I’ve looked up to. The current Olympic champion, Linoy Ashram, I’ve always been inspired by her because the odds were always stacked against her. It was always thought the Russians would win and she was the underdog.
“In the last couple of years I’ve come out of my shell a bit in the sport. I was selected on to the GB squad in 2019 as a senior, which is quite late. A lot of the other girls have gone through the Performance Pathway Programme from a young age.
“It’s been very difficult over the years; there’s a lot of setbacks in sport and you do question whether you’re going to keep going. I’ve always kept pushing and never given up.
“I knew the Commonwealth Games was something I wanted to achieve and looking at it now, I’m so glad I kept pushing myself.”
