The 2018 Pierre de Coubertin Awards, Olympic Academy and Teacher/Sport Administrators’ Forum was held at the MCG last week with glowing success.
At the event, 185 Victorian Senior Secondary School students and State Sport Association athletes were acknowledged with the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin award. Named after the founder of the Modern Olympic Games, the award recognises students who demonstrate academic excellence and sporting prowess whilst exemplifying the Olympic values.
The students had the opportunity to hear from VIS athletes Scotty James and Hannah Macdougall about life as an elite athlete and their journeys to the top of Australian and International sport. They also had the chance to tour the MCG and visit the National Sports Museum, where they interacted with triple Olympian (athletics) Pam Ryan AM MBE.
James’ message to the students and athletes was to trust your instincts and believe in yourself.
“It was awesome to speak to the kids today, my message to them was ‘anything is possible if you set your mind to it, no matter what the end goal is. There are a lot of awesome personal messages which I am fortunate position to share these experiences at this point in my career,” said James.
The experience was of enormous benefit with James believing days like this are integral to prolonged success.
“It’s cool, everyone getting together from other schools they’re sharing their interests, love for their sport, and learning from each other which I think is key to success in sport and life.”
In addition to the awards ceremony, an Olympic Academy was held for an additional 105 students, and an Olympic Forum for 40 Teachers and Sport Administrators. VIS staff members Bernadette Sierakowski and Bill Tait presented at the Teacher/Sport Administrators’ Forum on “Managing Dual Careers” and “Long Term Athlete Development” respectively.
