Having to step out of the shadow of what your family has already accomplished puts a lot of pressure on a kid. However, middle schooler Amelia Gerwert has not only stepped out of the shadow so far, she has began to make her own mark.
For this reason, Amelia is this week’s BluePrint Athlete of the Week.
Amelia Gerwert is an 8th grader at Bellwood-Antis and she plays both volleyball and basketball for the respective junior high teams. On the basketball court, Amelia is a forward and on the volleyball floor, she is a middle hitter.
Amelia’s sister, Lilly, is a key piece of the Lady Blue Devil basketball team. She is the starting center for the Blue Devils and is currently the leading scorer for the team.
When asked about watching Amelia grow, Lilly said, “It’s been awesome watching Amelia come into her own as both a person and a player. I try to help her in all the ways that I can, however, I want her to become her own person.”
Amelia’s dad, Brent Gerwert, is one of the greatest boys basketball players to ever hit the court at B-A, and he’s is also one of the most decorated and prolific basketball coaches Bellwood has ever had. He was the program’s top all-time scorer before Nathan Davis came along and became Blair County’s all-time scoring leader in 2016, but Brent still remains in second place among B-A scorers.
As a coach, Brent guided the Devils to a District 6 2A title in 2016.
While most people would be nervous about having to fill in those shoes, Amelia sees the value in having those two great role models around, saying, “It’s good because they help and encourage me.”
Amelia’s biggest role model is her sister, Lilly. She said she looks up to Lilly because Lilly is a hard worker and Amelia values that in her.
Her junior high basketball coach, Lindsey Conlon, appreciates Amelia’s work, as well.
“I was very pleased with Amelia’s work ethic and leadership during the offseason,” Coach Conlon said. “I’m happy to see it translate into this season. I am excited to see where it takes her and our team the rest of the year.”
When Amelia gets to high school, she plans on continuing both her volleyball and basketball career.
Outside of sports, Amelia likes to spend her time hanging out with friends and family.
She wants to become a pediatric nurse when she grows up.
