Amanda Cheney is finding ways to help the Gator team in 2018 as she recovers from a fall 2017 knee injury.
Amanda Cheney: Creating Success Outside of the Gym
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 | Gymnastics
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Although currently sidelined with a knee injury, Amanda Cheney finds ways to contribute to Gators in and out of gym.
By: Olivia Nutting - UF Athletics Communications
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Being sidelined by injury hasn't stopped Amanda Cheney from making the most of her student-athlete experience with Gator Gymnastics. This past fall, she injured her knee and since has been taking on a role for her team outside of the gym.
"It's obviously tough to be injured because you just sit there and don't do anything, but at the same time I know gymnastics is only a year and half more of my life, and there's so much more," Cheney said.
As a telecommunications major and in the news program, Cheney spends a lot of her time in the newsroom. You may hear her delivering the news this semester on WRUF AM 850 Monday afternoons. After gymnastics, Cheney hopes to be a sideline reporter and in a perfect world, call play-by-play for gymnastics.
Those career goals were in Cheney's mind last December when she had an opportunity to see the inside workings of some prominent businesses. She attended the Southeastern Conference Career Tour in Atlanta. For this tour, a male and female student-athlete are picked from each SEC school. Also representing the University of Florida was track and field's Nick Uruburu.
Gator track & field's Nick Uruburu (left) and Amanda Cheney chomp at Atlanta's SunTrust Park during the 2017 Southeastern Conference Career Tour. Two student-athletes from each member school came to Atlanta to meet with professionals at Turner Broadcasting System, Mercedes-Benz Corporate, the Atlanta Braves organization and Delta Airlines.
On the three-day tour, the students went to Turner Broadcasting System, Mercedes-Benz Corporate, the Atlanta Braves organization and Delta Airlines.
"This tour consisted of student-athletes and we got to meet with all these people, including recruiters," Cheney said. "Some of them were former student-athletes so it was cool to hear about their experience."
Also outside of the gym, Cheney has a presence in the Student-athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which allows student-athletes to come together, express concerns and make changes within the Athletic Association. SAAC also plans the Florida Letterman Awards (FLAs) for the student-athletes and spends time doing community service events.
While Cheney is busy outside of the gym, she knows that she still has a role on the gymnastics team. She makes herself available to her teammates to talk about anything. Along with being there emotionally for her teammates, she knows that they need her cheering them on and keeping a positive energy.
Cheney is now an upperclassman and knows her time is coming to an end at UF, but she wants to make sure that the freshmen make the most of their collegiate journey.
"I've been a Gator my whole life," Cheney said. "I literally came home from the hospital in a Gator onesie so I've been coming to meets forever. It is important to teach them to really enjoy this because goes by so fast."
She is no stranger to knowing what it means to be a Gator and wearing the orange and blue. She loves being able to share that with her teammates and it is something Cheney knows how to do.
