Melbourne, Australia March 17- April 1, 2007 - Hanson Media Group

Australian Aquatics Media Guide - XII FINA World Swimming Championships – Melbourne March 17 – April 1, 2007 © HSM
NAME: NIKITA CUFFE
NICKNAME: Keats
D.O.B: 26 th September 1979
AGE: 27
BORN: Brisbane, Queensland
LIVES: Sydney, NSW
MARITAL STATUS: Single
HGT: 178 cm
WGT: 74 kg
CLUB/INSTITUTE: Sydney University Lions
TRAINS (Pool): SOPAC
COACH: Greg McFadden
CAP No. 3
POSITION: CF
HANDEDNESS: Right
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
My career highlights are 10 years of friendships with a wonderful group of girls,
travelling the world and competing at the highest possible level for Water Polo and
Australia.
The Water Polo and the experiences as a member of the Australian Team, both the
positive and negative, have developed my life skills, personal attributes, morals and
confidence that can now be used to make decisions and choices in the work place,
relationships and any other aspect of life.
WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU: Team mates, coaches, family and having the goal
to win in Melbourne and then Beijing. Strong desire to be regarded as one of the best
players in the world.
ROLE MODELS:
Family and friends…..
My sporting role models include previous Women’s Water Polo squad members and
coaches.
As well as Wayne Bennett : Motivating and consistently successful and Michael
Milton: Set the record as the fastest down hill skier in Australia despite his disability, I
respect his courage and fearlessness.
PERSONAL
STUDIES/OCCUPATION: Completed a Bachelor Business Sport and Event
Management.
Currently work at the NSW Institute of Sport
Also part -owner of Benji Design which is a fashion label for kids.
www.benjidesign.com.au
INTERESTING FACTS PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU NOW:
SUPERSTITIONS: None, I think that they a waste of time and energy.
ULTIMATE RELAXATION: Bora Bora with friends and endless daiquiris
SPECIALTY IN THE KITCHEN: Too many to list….?!?!?!
ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Family and friends, mobile phone for
catching up with all of them.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO AWAY FROM WATER POLO: Holidays, movies,
eating out, relaxing on the beach, seeing family and friends and working on Benji
Design.
FAVOURITE:
SPORTING TEAM: Australian Women’s Water Polo
MOVIES: Top Gun, Girls Just Want to have Fun….Dirty Dancing (all the classics!!)
TV SHOW: Greys Anatomy / Sex and the City
BANDS/MUSIC: Anything that you can sing along too…..
CD’S: Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
FOOD: Sticky Date Pudding
DRINK: Strawberry and lychee Daiquiri or mango……….
AUSTRALIAN TEAM REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS
EVENT LOCATION YEAR RESULTS
Olympics Athens, Greece 2004 4th Olympics Sydney, Australia 2000 Reserve, 1st World Championships Fukuoka, Japan 2001 5th Barcelona, Spain 2003 5th Commonwealth Games Manchester 2002 1st Club Titles (Aust and OS) State Senior Rep Since 1996
Australian Open Squad Since 1999
AIS scholarship holder Since 1997
NSWIS scholarship
holder
Since 2004
QAS scholarship holder 1994-2004
National Club
Championships, Perth
2002 MVP and highest goal scorer
World Jnr Championships Messina, Italy 1999 1 st
Overseas Clubs Pol. Mediterraneo
Catania, Italy.
WATER POLO EVENT: Olympic Games
HOBBIES: Planning holidays, going to movies, eating out, going to beach
PETS: One horrible mean cat named Tabby
BEST MATES: High School and water polo friends
LAST BOOK READ: The Magic Faraway Tree
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST ASSET: Family and friends
FAMILY MEMBERS: Mum, Jan Dad, Greg and younger twin brother and sister Jeffrey
and Sasha.
HAVE ANY OF YOUR FAMILY REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA OR PLAYED SPORT
AT A NATIONAL LEVEL: Sasha also played Water Polo for Australia and hopes to
again in the future.
WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE AND WHY: Mum and
Dad, as they always said that I could do what ever I wanted. Then have supported me
in all the good times and the bad both Water Polo and life related.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS: Future GOLD Medallist
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED? As a passionate, supportive and
understanding team mate and friend who played in the best team in the World for a
while.
WATER POLO SHORT TERM GOALS: Win gold at FINA World Swimming
Championships in Melbourne. Improve skills, swimming fitness and strength in the
gym.
WATER POLO ULTIMATE GOAL: Playing personally and in a team that are both
consistently great and victorious. Olympic Gold and then retire happy.
PERSONAL AMBITIONS: A big happy family.
HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ANY OBSTACLES DURING YOUR WATER POLO
CAREER? Injuries, non selections and strength targets in the gym!!
Shoulder injury : Missed World Championships in Montreal having surgery 2005
Broken Foot: Missed World Cup victory as I slipped on driveway 2 days before the
flight. 2006
WHAT AGE DID YOU START WATER POLO AND WHY? 13, it was offered as a
team sport at my high school Brisbane Girls Grammar School and it looked like fun.
FAVOURITE WATER POLO PLAYER AND WHY? Debbie Watson – longstanding
member of the National Team- Captain for a lengthy time, she was retired but then
made a come back to compete in Sydney and win an Olympic Gold medal.
FAVOURITE ATHLETE AND WHY? Michael Milton: for his courage and fearlessness
NOTABLE QUOTE:
Be confident in your team mates ability, never doubt your own. Make everything you
do from here on in count for the team.
2002 2 nd Highest goal scorer for the season, 5 th