Jackie O’Reilly lost count of the times she went to parent-teacher evenings to meet questions about the amount of time off her daughter was taking from school. It wasn’t that Ellis O’Reilly was a slacker or anything; on the contrary.
But over the years her school routine has had to be interrupted at times and she is currently doing something that the rest of the student population of Chisleworth School for Girls in south London could only dream about.
“Over the years I’d have to explain ‘well she was competing here or there,’” her mother explains. “Her teachers would say ‘competing at what?’ and I’d have to explain she was a gymnast. She hadn’t told anybody! That’s the kind of girl she is.
“Even when she got the phone-call to say she was selected to go to the Olympic test (qualifying) event she just called me and said it quietly. I’d have been screaming and shouting down the phone but not Ellis. She takes it all in her stride.”
“I don’t really like people to know because I sort of want to be treated the same,” her teenage daughter admits. “But all my teachers know now and always give me great support.”
She certainly has an good excuse for getting off homework this week when she is making Irish sporting history as the first Irish female gymnast to have a shot at Olympic qualification in Brazil.
O’Reilly’s all-around performance (98th out of 192 gymnasts) at last year’s World Championships was good enough to earn her that historic slot in the final qualifying event in Rio on Saturday, where Ireland’s top male gymnast (Kieran Behan) will also be attempting to get through.
Competitive sport
Jackie and husband Frank (whose Armagh dad qualifies Ellis for Ireland under the ‘granny rule’ ) would usually be in the bleachers supporting her but Rio is a stretch too far so they will be glued anxiously to their phones for updates.
All of their children are involved in competitive sport but Ellis took the path less-travelled.
Frank (16) and Reggie (13) are boxers and so too is their eldest, Jenna (20), who has already won four British amateur titles at 54 kilos.
Their daughters’ choices could not be more diverse.
One sport involves hand-to-hand combat and physical force. The other is singular, judged on aesthetics and grace, with gravity her biggest rival yet Jackie O’Reilly sees little difference.
“Jenna started out in gymnastics too but the boys were boxing and, at 12, she wanted to try it. She was moving from primary to secondary school and we thought it might be good for her confidence and fitness and it just snowballed.
“I know it sounds crazy but I actually find it easier to watch Jenna and the boys box than watching Ellis compete,” she reveals.
“With the boxing there’s a ref there to stop it or control it if things go wrong. With gymnastics, when Ellis is out there doing her stuff, no one can rescue her if it goes wrong.
“Since the age of six her whole life has been about gymnastics,” she says. “It’s a massive commitment but it is all she wants to do and she is very, very dedicated.”
The young Londoner trains from 4-8pm after school every day plus Saturdays. She is currently doing three A-levels and hopes to study physical education in the University of Greenwich next year.
Her mum, a former competitive swimmer who also taught swimming and aerobics, marvels at her talent, courage and dedication.
“Not only do gymnasts have to be physically strong but they’ve got to be so mentally tough to keep practising and practising like that,” she observes.
“Even if they hurt themselves they’ve got to go back to a move and practise it until they get it right. I think it must be the hardest sport ever, especially the mental side of it.
So committed
“When Ellis’s friends are off out or whatever she’ll always say ‘no, I can’t go, I’ve got to go training’. She has been so committed and dedicated for so many years.”
The Europa Gym Club in Crayford is a 25-minute drive from their home and Ellis has depended on mum and dad’s ‘taxi’ for years but the present of a car for her recent 18th birthday has made life easier for all.
Like so many parents the O’Reillys have holistic reasons for encouraging their children in sport.
“Firstly it was to keep them out of the wrong things and also to teach them dedication and respect,” Jackie says.
“I also think it puts them in good stead for life. It’s good to learn that you only get out of something what you put into it, that you’ve got to work for what you want to achieve.”
Ellis may be shy and modest off the floor but all those hours of perfecting routines make her powerful and fearless once she steps into competitions which include floor, beam, vault and uneven bars.
The beam is four foot high, 18 foot long and only four inches wide yet she flips and somersaults on it like it is triple that width and she is especially good at vault.
“I knew it was possible to qualify at World Championships but I didn’t really believe in myself fully,” Ellis admits.
“I thought if I could hit a good score there was a possibility so I just had to concentrate on my routines and go clean and they went really well. I knew after my beam routine that I had a chance.”
Financial reasons
Making the top 24 in Rio next Saturday to qualify for the Olympics is an even taller order but Gymnastics Ireland confirm she has already exceeded expectations by getting so far so young.
Drop-out rates of young girls from sport are double that of boys yet the O’Reillys have two daughters involved at elite level in hugely contrasting disciplines.
What is their secret?
“I think some girls don’t stay involved for financial reasons,” Jackie O’Reilly says. “Parents can’t always afford to keep paying for training and club fees.
“If they’re not supported at that level it’s hard for them to stay involved. Then they leave school and normal life and day-to-day stuff gets in the way.
“We’ve been very lucky with all our children and I think if you’re encouraging them all the time it helps,” she adds.
“I don’t let them slip off and say ‘oh, it’s okay to go out’ instead of training. If anything,” she confesses, “I am probably a little harder on the girls and push them harder than the boys.”
Dedication clearly is a family trait.
