Schoolgirls on the Gold Coast gotan exciting insight into life as a professional athlete at a sporty Career Experience Day hosted by Griffith University this morning (Wednesday).
Seoul Olympian Liz Hepple and six-time world champion Melinda McLeod revealed some of the secrets to their success, in and out of the sporting arena, to Year 11 and Year 12 students who are thinking about a career in sport.
The high school students also heard from Griffith University business student Leiston Pickett who swam for Australia at the London Olympics in 2012.
The Career Experience Day tookplace at Griffith’s Gold Campus from 7am to 12.30pm and also incorporated a series of workshops on organising major sporting events like the Olympics, physiology in sport, and how media, athletes, spectators and venues are coordinated in sport management.
“The schoolgirls learned about the life of an elite athlete and the pressures that are involved,” Dr Caroline Riot (above), a lecturer in sport management at Griffith Business School, said.
“They also found out about the business of sport from marketing to management to maintaining the good health of an athletic body.
“They discovered how body mechanics are analysed using 3D technology and gotan insight into how an event like the Commonwealth Games is staged on the Gold Coast.”
The event was hosted by Professor Christopher Auld, Head of Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management.
Cyclist Liz Hepple represented Australia from 1986-1988, and later as a triathlete from 1989-1991. She represented Australia at the Seoul Olympics and was twice named Australian cyclist of the year. She also won the World Cup Triathlon in 1990. Liz has a Bachelor of Sports Science and now works as an Athlete Career and Education Advisor at theQueensland Academy of Sport.
Melinda McLeod is a six-time world champion in professional BMX cycling. She is renowned for her jumping ability and has won multiple gold medals at the Australian National Championships.