MOST teenagers are flat out juggling homework, sport and a social life, but Booragoon artistic swimmer Bella Crosbie is somehow squeezing in up to 25 hours a week in the pool while chasing an Olympic dream.
The 14-year-old SupaNova Artistic Swimming Club athlete has already represented Australia at the Youth World Championships in Athens and is now setting her sights on the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
Bella has also been selected for the second year running as one of just 100 young athletes nationwide in the Aussie Athlete Fund’s $1 Million Challenge, an initiative led by five-time Olympian Nat Cook.
Bella’s mother Carissa Crosbie said her daughter’s rise through the sport had been swift.
“Bella has already represented Australia at the Youth World Championships in Athens in 2025 where the team placed 20th, and more recently has built on this success by winning a gold medal with her local club at the Australian Championships in Sydney in April.
“Her participation in the challenge comes with monthly tasks, including approaching local businesses for sponsorship, sharing their stories online, and engaging with their communities in creative ways.”
One challenge even saw athletes hunting down a humble fruit box donation from local stores as part of the program’s push to build confidence and grassroots support.
Bella said the experience was helping her out of the water as much as in it.
“Being part of the Aussie Athlete Fund is amazing. Not only am I learning how to raise funds, I’m building relationships and representing my community,” Bella said.
• Bella Crosbie and her SupaNova teammates at the Australian Championships.
While many teens are winding down at night, Bella is often only just opening the books.
She usually heads straight from school to training and does not begin homework until about 9pm, with school holidays often spent travelling to Canberra for national squad sessions at the Australian Institute of Sport.
The young swimmer’s recent medal haul suggests the hard work is paying off.
At April’s Australian Artistic Swimming Championships at Sydney Olympic Park, SupaNova’s team of 15 athletes returned to Perth with six gold medals, one silver and one bronze, alongside club mascot Sherbert.
Bella herself helped claim gold in an open team routine and bronze in a youth combo routine at the national and Oceania championships.
In fewer than five years in the sport, she has climbed into the 2026 Australian Youth Squad, the WA High Performance Team and the Gold and Green national training squad.
But the costs of chasing synchronised glory are mounting, with airfares, accommodation, training fees and equipment all piling up for families.
Bella’s fundraising page through the Australian Sports Foundation is now seeking support from businesses and community members keen to help keep one of Booragoon’s brightest young sporting hopes afloat.
https://asf.org.au/campaigns/isabella-crosbie/isabella-s-aaf-one-million-dollar-challenge