An Aberdeen hammer thrower’s journey from growing up in Torry to joining one of America’s most prestigious educational establishments is the subject of a new short documentary.
The story of Great Britain under-20 international Angela McAuslan-Kelly’s rise to prominence on a scholarship at Princeton University has been captured by Aberdeen-based Urbane Media for Scottish Athletics in the video ‘From Torry to Princeton’.
On her journey to the Ivy League college in New Jersey, McAuslan-Kelly said: “There are stereotypes about what Torry is like, it is a lower socio-economic place.
“I was desperate to get out and move somewhere else, because I just want to see the world. There’s so much else out there.
“But I never in a million years thought I’d end up in America.”
A quick rise through the ranks
McAuslan-Kelly progressed as a young thrower at Aberdeen AAC before being selected for Scotland and then Great Britain and Northern Ireland age group teams.
“I started when I was about eight years old because my mum thought I had too much energy,” she said.
“I started hammer throwing in March and by August I was the British age group champion because I just went out every day and practised for a few hours.
“I’ve had a good upbringing, I wouldn’t say my parents have the biggest income, but they work hard to give me a lot of opportunities, I’m very grateful for that.
“I never expected to be able to go to America, I never thought I was a good enough athlete.
“Then at one stage I received this email from Princeton. It was the first email I got from any US university.
“My dad told me not to get over-excited because I hadn’t got my Higher grades back yet, and I was quite nervous about that. So, I just thought, ‘this is really cool, I’d really like it to work out.’
“I got my Higher grades back and it was five band one As and then I threw a five-metre PB at Scottish Champs to my first Scottish gold. And I thought: ‘Oh wow, maybe this will happen’.”
Adjusting to campus life
Within a couple of weeks, McAuslan-Kelly had been invited for a recce visit to Princeton and now she is there permanently on an athletics scholarship.
She continued: “Everyone’s really nice and I really enjoy living on a campus where everything is really close. I try and get all my classes scheduled for the morning so I’ve my afternoon free for practice.
“Typically, when we’re in season, we throw five times a week.
“We lift three or four times a week, and after that, I’ll go have dinner with my friends, and then I’ll just go back to my room and I’ll either go work a library shift or I’ll do my homework.
“When people think of a sports scholarship, their mind just goes to being a good athlete.
“But you also have to work tirelessly in school to get good grades because there’s still steep academic standards you’ve got to meet to be able to go to America.
“I’ve had incredible support from my family. They spend so much of their time doing things to help me get foot forward in life. They worked hard to take me competitions – they came with me to South America in Peru to support me for the World Junior Championships.”
McAuslan-Kelly, named Scottish under-20 athlete of the year in October last year, is determined to reach the top level of her sport.
The 19-year-old said: “I do this sport because I want to be the best at it.
“And, to me, success in the future would mean going to World Champs and/or the Olympics.
“I’ve had so many other experiences from sport, I’ve made friends for life.
“Don’t be embarrassed about aiming high, because I used to think it’d be silly if I said, ‘Oh, I want to be Scottish champion, I want to be British champion’ because I just felt I didn’t have what it takes. Even though I was working really hard.
“It just takes time and you just have to keep pushing for what you want.
“If you want to be champion, it might take 10 years, but eventually you might get there. Even if it’s a small chance, just keep going and try. Have some belief in yourself.”
Watch the Scottish Athletics documentary in the YouTube clip below:
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