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Yeah I think for me having being travelled internationally and seeing all other programs
the AIS sort of chops on every other program so to win this award amongst athletes across
all sports is quite an honour for both Anna and I.
What does it mean to you being an AIS athlete? The AIS has just done so much for me, living
in Sydney I used to go to the petrol station to fill up my car and not know if I had enough
money to put petrol in my own car so I don’t have to worry about that anymore. The AIS
supports me financially, I have fantastic services, my coaches are amazing, I really
can’t fault the AIS in one area.
Tell me a little bit about yourself, how did you become an AIS athlete?
I started cycling when I was seventeen years of age and I was quickly picked up by the
NSW Institute of Sport and then I showed potential to be of international calibre and Martin
Barras who was the original Track Cycling Coach invited me down to Adelaide and I got
my first World Cup and from then on it just grew and grew. I was given my first AIS Scholarship
I think it was three years ago now.
You mentioned there the NSW Institute of Sport. Obviously we have a network we have the AIS
and the academies, obviously for athletes to have that support must mean so much.
It defiantly does, NSWIS has been fantastic for me as well as the AIS. I wouldn’t have
gotten in to the AIS if I didn’t have NSWIS and I’m sure that’s probably the same
for most other sports. If you don’t have that support as a younger athlete you can’t
develop properly and therefore you won’t make it on the big stage. So NSWIS, AIS, right
through to my cycling club, the grass roots of cycling and sport in Australia is just
really, really great.
Kaarle tell me a little bit about, you mentioned about the support the AIS has given you can
you elaborate a little bit, if your an AIS Cyclist what does that support mean?
It covers all areas really. Adelaide Super Dome just got our first recovery centre which
is the hydrotherapy centre, that just alone in itself is just allowing us to recover quicker
from sessions so we can train more. So really just that alone is just fantastic. We have
a fulltime swanniere Bertie May, who comes with us everywhere who gives us our massages,
who is our doctor, who is our second Mum, if we didn’t have her I don’t know where
I would be. So the AIS covers everything and Cycling Australia is a big part of that as
well.