2008-09 - Tasmanian Institute of Sport

Athlete Career & Education
A balanced approach to sporting excellence
THROUGHOUT 2008-09 the Athlete Career and
Education (ACE) program has seen a continued and
steady growth in its programming of events and activities
aimed at assisting Tasmanian Institute of Sport
(TIS) athletes to ensure they are being the best athlete
they can be.
For any scholarship athlete, they are chasing their
dream to break records, represent their country and
perhaps earn a living from their chosen sport. For
many, though, this may never occur and with today’s
economic climate, it is even more important that athletes
are preparing themselves for employment, higher
education and life skills.
The ACE program undertook more than 520 individual
athlete contacts during the period covered by this
report, for a variety of situations including;
• Education situations
• Employment or finding employment
• Professional development
• Résumé preparation
• Time management
• 2008 Olympic Games
Some of this year’s highlights include:
High Performance Athlete Forum
Stewart Pither
ACE Consultant
ered by Nick Turner, of Corporate Communications,
who has also undertaken other media workshops
throughout the year for TIS athletes.
• Take control – athletes listened to Constable Ian
Dunkley talking about the importance of car maintenance,
road safety and what to do in certain situations.
• Healthy athlete – nutritionist Gaye Rutherford
informed athletes on the importance of being a
healthy athlete and some of the do’s and don’t’s
involved with this.
At the conclusion of the TIS scholarship announcements
in December 2008 we staged our first High
Performance Athlete Forum inviting all TIS athletes to
attend. More than 80 athletes attended this afternoon
session that covered topics including:
• Being a high-performance athlete – athletes were
able to listen to Beijing Olympians Stephanie Grant,
gold medallist Scott Brennan, wildwater canoeist
Stewart Bennett and former TIS scholarship holder
and now TIS Board member Bianca Langham
Pritchard discuss their experiences and provide an
insight into what the TIS offers athletes and the way
the TIS has assisted them in reaching their goals.
• Media and public speaking – athletes were provided
with an insight into what to say and how to conduct
themselves in the media spotlight. This was deliv-
TIS athletes participate in an ACE workshop.
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