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May 2005
Olympian Lauren Hewitt and footballer Luke Ball pursue elite sporting careers while completing their university degrees.
Report: Ingrid Sanders
Photography: Melissa Di Ciero
Monash University is fast developing a reputation as an institution that nurtures and supports its elite athletes, with sport starting to sit comfortably alongside its traditional strengths of academia, high-level research and international collaborations.
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| Looking to life after sport: Luke Ball and Lauren Hewitt. |
The university's elite student athlete support program, set up three years ago to help athletes balance their study and sporting commitments, has continued to gain momentum, attracting students from sports including hockey, swimming and basketball.
Three-time Olympian Lauren Hewitt and Australian Rules footballer Luke Ball are two athletes who have taken up the challenge of completing a university degree while competing in sport at an elite level.
Luke, who plays for AFL club St Kilda, has been studying a double degree in commerce/law at Monash for the past two years and says that initially it was difficult to juggle his academic workload and full-time football training. "First-year university is tough for anyone, but for me it also happened to be my first year playing professionally, so the pressure was really on," he says.
The program identifies students such as Luke and encourages them to train and participate in sport at Monash while supporting them in their studies. Each student is given strong, personalised support by their faculty to help maintain a balance between their studies and sporting commitments. In Luke's case the support comes from mentor Michelle Clarke from the Law faculty.
"I'm now heading in to my third year and, with Michelle's help, I have managed to lighten my workload and organise my timetable around training," Luke says.
"She helps me with timetabling issues if I'm struggling to make class and even with enrolment. She has been really flexible and has helped me out with everything I need.
"And now that I am getting further into my degree, I anticipate I will be using Michelle a lot more."
The vice-chancellor's adviser on sport, Mr John White, says most students participating in the mentoring program come from the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Football League and the Victorian Institute of Sport.
"We should do our best to provide a flexible and supportive environment and help these athletes find the balance they need to manage and succeed with their studies," Mr White says.
About 45 students are enrolled in the program. Last year, six attended the Athens Olympic Games, with final-year Bachelor of Computing student Travis Brooks bringing home a gold medal for his part in the Australian men's hockey win.
Another of those who competed in the 2004 Olympics was Lauren Hewitt, who had the added challenge of studying by off-campus learning.
"I spent my first year on campus at Clayton but changed to off-campus study in my second year," says Lauren, who recently completed the last unit in her Bachelor of Science degree.
"Studying at Monash has been fantastic and all of my lecturers have been great.
"They were aware of my sporting commitments, and when I needed help or extensions on my assignments, they were always flexible and helpful. This was particularly useful for me at busy times like during the Olympics."
Lauren says athletes who try to balance study and sporting commitments need to put the discipline required to be a successful sportsperson into practice.
"Really wanting to do it and succeed is half the battle," she says. "It is also important to be interested in what you are studying. Athletes need to think about long-term goals, because without an education it is very hard in the real world once sport has gone."
Action: For more information on the elite student athlete support program, go to the Athlete Support website or contact Ms Briony Schofield on +61 3 9905 4172.
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