Olympic long jumper Brooke Buschkuehl visited Clyde Primary School on Thursday 7 December, as part of the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)’s Play On program.
A two-time Olympic finalist and two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Ms Buschkuehl holds the Australian record of 7.13m.
She talked about her story of success, disappointment – two centimetres separated her from a medal in the 2022 world championships – and perseverance in front of the school.
Despite not being able to perform her stunt, the athlete showed everyone how far 7.13m was with a tape measure.
Her talk was well received by students, according to the school’s physical education teacher Amanda Bevis who applied for the program.
“I loved how resilient she was in the face of her injuries. She never gave up and made sure she achieved her goals. She was inspiring and reminded me that there’s always a way out of a problem,” Year 5 student Harper said.
“I found her story interesting, and she had a great impact on me going forward,” Year 5 student Ethan said.
“I like how she was a great problem solver and always found a solution even when she had the worst of injuries and her long breaks. She made sure she achieved her dream,” Year 5 student Kiera said.
Ms Bevis said the message from Ms Buschkuehl was to build the resilience and how to overcome things.
“Life can be hard, but you just keep going if you’ve got the things that you want to achieve, no matter what it is, which was what she talked about as well,” she said.
“I’ve already applied for next year’s program.”
The VIS Play On program encourages primary and secondary school students to stay active and lead a healthy lifestyle.
“The program helps to promote physical activity and its links to wellbeing and features interactive and inspirational presentations with elite athletes from the Victorian Institute of Sport,” VIS community engagement coordinator Amy McMahon said.
“Key topics are tailored for specific school year levels and include motivation, resilience, goal setting, coping with pressure, health and nutrition.”
The Play On program is free for government schools, with funding from School Sport Victoria (SSV). Non-government schools can also participate for a fee.
To register interest in the Play On program, please call 9425 0000 or email reception@vis.org.au
For more information visit vis.org.au
