iServi News | 27 September 2019 | Term 3, Week 10
Calvin Nguyen (SA5) and myself, Andrew Pham (SA2), were nominated by Servite College to attend a Australian Olympic Change-Maker Forum. The forum was held at Curtin University, giving us the chance to meet other students from different schools and multiple past and present Olympians.
On arrival we were enthusiastically greeted by Jesse Philips, who was the host for the day. Jesse Philips was an Olympian at the London Games for sprint kayaking, and also won five national championships in men’s kayak doubles. We soon got to meet three other current national athletes who are training for the 2020 Japan Olympic Games. Brooke Peris, a Hockeyroos player who played in the Rio Games, Jake Whetton, a Kookaburras player, who also played in the Rio Games, and Grant Irvin a butterfly swimmer who swam at the Rio Games.
We listened to the story of Danielle Woodhouse, a water polo goalie, who played at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Ms Woodhouse spoke of her progression through water polo to her present day roles as a physio and coach. We then had a session with Andrew Gaze, a former player in the NBL and NBA, considered to be one of the best basketball players ever from Australia. We went through a few dribbling drills and a shooting game. We then met elite gymnast Olivia Vivian, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the uneven bars, 2014 Commonwealth Games on the uneven bars, NCAA Tournament for Oregon State and now competes in the Australian Ninja Warrior.
Meeting Olympians, seeing how they dealt with setbacks and observing their influence on others, gave Calvin and myself new ways of seeing how to deal with adversities and become better leaders and people in our daily lives.
Andrew Pham (SA2)