Top athletes are new faces of campus sport

Two leading athletes have been appointed as Sports Development Officers to promote sports and recreation at the University of Adelaide.

They are Holly Noack, a prominent 800m Australian runner, and Caitlin Stanley, one of the State's top 400m specialists.

Holly, a University of Adelaide graduate in Health Sciences, has just started her fifth season in competitive athletics.
She said that her love for sport led her to study Health Sciences.

"My fascination with the body comes from being very active from high school, pushing the boundaries as far as fitness is concerned and understanding the body," she said.

Before becoming a professional athlete, Holly was an A-grade netball player. While she was still a university student, she played centre for the South Australian netball team.

Caitlin, who has graduated in Social Work from the University of South Australia this year, said she loves sport and people.

"I love sport but there is more to me than sport. I am a pretty intuitive person, so I love walking in a room and knowing how to talk to people. I think that's a strength of mine," she said.

While she has been running since she was little and played A-grade softball during high school, she decided to turn professional 12 months ago.
"Sport is so much fun and I love the feeling that I get when I run."

Both Holly and Caitlin come from very sports-oriented families. They think that it has contributed to their enthusiasm for sport, which they want to pass on to university students.

They believe that they will be able to provide a link between the University of Adelaide Sports Association and the different sports clubs of the University.

"The sports are fairly established here. We want to create a culture and make people proud of being involved in the University of Adelaide as far as sport is concerned," Caitlin said.

Holly and Caitlin also hope their appointment will give a boost to elite athletes studying at the University.

They believe that the future of sport at the University of Adelaide is looking bright, with increased participation at the recreational and competitive levels.

"There is so much potential. We have great facilities as far as the lawns and gyms go. Now we want to create an environment where people get excited about sport and I believe that we are going in the right direction," Holly said.

On a more personal level, Holly is aiming for Commonwealth Games selection in 2010 in 800m, while Caitlin has similar ambitions for the 2014 Games in 400m.

The Adelaide University Sports Association is currently seeking nominations to its Board, with nominations closing on 15 May. For more information contact the Sports Office on +61 8 8303 5403 or visit the website: www.theblacks.com.au

Story by Sandhya Rughoo