UNE’s proud history of delivering distance and online education has long made us a favourite among elite sportspeople. Our academic and professional staff understand the demands of juggling competition, busy personal lives and professional advancement.
Dual Olympic rower and now CEO of Rowing Australia, Sarah Cook, recalls completing assignments for her UNE Diploma of Education in London’s Olympic Village in 2012 before taking to the water in the women’s eights. She said the additional support UNE provided throughout her studies enabled her to stay afloat during such hectic periods.
“Its flexibility, sports program and support for elite athletes made UNE an obvious choice for me,” said Sarah, who completed the qualification over several years of high-level competition and coaching.
“Even though I was studying remotely, I always felt connected, even if I was on the other side of the world.
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“I’m glad I did the diploma for the qualification itself, but also for how relevant the content has been to my life and personal development. It was fantastic learning how to learn, learning how to teach. I took those strategies and methodologies into coaching rowing and every other role I have taken on since.
“It’s great to be the next Australian Wallaby or rowing champion but finding what it is that you are interested in and passionate about outside sport is just as important. I am a great believer in developing yourself as a whole person and having something going on concurrently so that your life isn’t 100% sport. I want the athletes I work with to be well-rounded people and to know what they will do when their sporting career ends. Study can take them on a completely new journey.”
Relieving financial pressure
This is precisely the premise behind a new Gilchrist Foundation scholarship awarded for the first time this year to 24-year-old equestrienne Phoebe Clifton, who lives at St Albert’s College.
Photo: Phoebe Clifton
Phoebe, a member of UNE’s Elite Athletes Program, has clocked up thousands of kilometres travelling to compete since becoming a member of an inter-state equestrian team at the tender age of 9.
Since then, she has represented her state and become a national champion. However, Phoebe’s enrolment in a combined Agriculture/Law degree at UNE coincided with some tough years on her family’s mixed property west of Grenfell, NSW, almost eight hours’ drive from Armidale.
First drought, then floods seriously changed the family’s fortunes. Phoebe and her three siblings have all been called on at various times to help out.
“We all have jobs when we are home, whether it’s lamb-marking or harvesting or feeding sheep, which means it’s difficult for me to find a job elsewhere,” she said.
“It has been hard to save money, but I am really committed to my studies. The scholarship has been incredible and has taken a lot of the financial pressure off.
“But it’s not just the financial support. Stan and June Gilchrist [who established the foundation] are always checking in to make sure I’m okay and have everything I need.”
That’s because the Gilchrist Foundation scholarship, for the duration of her studies, is designed to equip Phoebe for the time when she eventually exits the arena.
“This is a scholarship to help recipients prepare for life and a career after sport,” Stan said.
“Sporting careers can be short, leaving athletes with little more than exceptional sporting skills at the end. Our scholarship is not intended to help her become a better competitor but to support the studies that will provide direction and an earning capacity for Phoebe when she finishes competing.”
Transition beyond sport
Many athletes like Phoebe are self-funded and receive little or no sponsorship. Sarah Cook is “a big advocate” for dual careers. “I was in my 30s when I retired and if I hadn’t studied [first a Bachelor of Applied Science, followed by the Diploma of Education at UNE] I would have been a long way behind my professional cohort. The networks I had created gave me a platform to transition into life after sport.
“It’s not only about the transition to a new career but transitioning to a new identity. For 20 years I only saw myself as 'Sarah the athlete' and it was very difficult coming out the other side, and I was relatively prepared. I had put the building blocks in place to step into a professional career.”
Phoebe’s longer-term aspirations are becoming clear.
“I am glad I am studying while I am competing, so that I can one day graduate and work to support Australia’s rural communities in the law space,” she said.
Leaders on and off the field
Maintaining an elite sporting career poses financial as well as logistical challenges. Many athletes struggle to support themselves day-to-day, let alone fund travel to interstate, national and international competitions.
Second-year UNE Environmental Science student Savannah White would likely have missed out on experiencing the futsal World Cup in Spain in July 2023 – where Australia achieved a very credible 8th place – had it not been for a Robb College prize.
The college rewards talented residents with annual prizes for rugby union and women’s sport. In addition, UNE also offers two dedicated rugby scholarships (Armidale Blues Rugby Scholarship – Duval and Austin Colleges).
“The Robb prize almost financed the entire trip for me, including flights and accommodation,” Savannah said. “I am unsure I would have gone otherwise. It was an incredible opportunity.”
Students and Olympians
Almost 60% of the Australian athletes who represented our country at the Rio Olympics in 2016 were university students.
Director of UNE Life David Schmude said many still need to work to support their sporting ambitions, but holding down a full-time job is near impossible because of the amount of travelling they are required to do.
“Financial support through scholarships enables them to realise their dreams to compete at a high level, but it’s not only about the money,” he said.
“UNE’s flexible, online delivery has met the needs of Olympians as well as professional sportspeople in a range of disciplines. And they have achieved great things.
Sportspeople make great students because they know how to apply themselves, how to deal with pressure and manage their time effectively.
“But the higher you get in your sporting career, the more commitments you have. Sportspeople make great students because they know how to apply themselves, how to deal with pressure and manage their time effectively. Those that may not have advanced their sporting career also make great community leaders and that’s a big focus of the Gilchrist Foundation scholarships. They are an investment in the individual.”
Members of UNE’s Elite Athletes Program also enjoy practical support to achieve academic excellence while competing, coaching or serving as administrators on the national and world stage in sports as varied as triathlon, boxing, cycling, cricket, football and even aerial skiing and snowboarding.
Flexibility for the win
Program coordinator Julie Kryger said 16 elite athletes are enrolled at UNE in 2024 and she works closely with them to develop personalised Study Access Plans and accommodate their major competitions here and overseas.
“Most students are external, and we have a series of study centres, as well as access to a network of Regional Study Centres that they can use. Supervised exams can be completed anywhere in the world via Proctor-U, and where a student is unable to sit an exam due to a clash with their sporting timetable, there is the option to request an alternative assessment at a more suitable time or to defer an exam.
“It’s about being as flexible as possible with assessment deadlines, exam dates and other required tutorial and intensive school attendances. This enables athletes to achieve their sporting as well as their study goals.”
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