Taking their marks: Inside the lives of our teenage Olympians
For most senior high school students, the hardest thing they will do this year is the HSC. These students are primed to face some other tests: they are also Olympians.
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For most senior high school students, the hardest thing they will do that year is the HSC. But these students have an extra challenge – they are also Olympians.
Teenagers Olivia Wunsch, Jeff Dunne, Ruby Trew and Ellie Cole have achieved what many will spend their entire lives working towards, landing a spot in the coveted Australian Olympic team – all before graduating high school.
They would be forgiven for slacking off in school or the late homework – (when it comes to excuses, it doesn’t get much better than ‘I am training for the Olympic Games’), but each of these students have incredible drive.
ELLIE COLE, 17, DIVING
The Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney
Having ticked off what many spend their entire life working towards at the tender age of 17, HSC student Ellie Cole has a new goal – to become an engineer.
“I want to continue with diving as long as possible, but I also really want to study engineering at university,” she said.
The superstar student from Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney, has made the Australian Diving Team but won’t let it cloud her academic goals.
When she’s not spending 20 to 30 hours training each week, she’s at school, studying physics, extension maths, extension science, PDHP and advanced English.
She admits it can be challenging juggling school and diving but has found it doable thanks to the support of her school.
“PLC Sydney has been such an amazing help … they help me arrange my assessments around my diving. My friends are really helpful when I miss class, they help catch me up on my notes,” said Ellie.
JEFF DUNNE, 16, BREAKING
Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School
When 16-year-old Jeff Dunne boards the flight to Paris for breaking, he will do so, knowing he is one of the youngest athletes to represent Australia.
It comes with some caveats – he has to have a chaperone within 10m of him at all times.
His mum admits she is a bit nervous – “I have heard all about what goes on in those Olympic Villages.”
Like all Olympic students, Jeff is a hard kid to catch.
We managed to speak to him in between his school athletics carnival, where he was quite the novelty. It’s not every day an Olympian is competing in the under-17s boy long jump.
“Everyone has been very supportive. They all come up to me and to shake my hand. It feels crazy,” he said.
His school, Lindisfarne in Northern NSW, allows him to do school remotely a couple of days a week, and his sponsor, Harvey Norman, provided him with a laptop to do lessons from home.
While Jeff pulled off third place in his humble school event, his true talent is in breakdancing.
The teenager first decided he wanted to go to the Olympics when he was just 12 years old and spent the next four years making it a reality.
“I told my mum I wanted to be in the Olympics. At that stage, I was 12, and nowhere near as good as I am now. My mum just laughed at me at first, but then she noticed I was actually getting good.”
Mum Rhondda Dunne admits she was at first sceptical about her son’s goal. Like every 12-year-old boy, she questioned if it was just a phase.
“I thought to myself, mate, you have the whole of Oceania to beat … but he set his own bar. He got up at 5am every morning, and I wondered how long it would last, but every morning at 5 o’clock he was up and away. He never stopped being dedicated,” she said.
OLIVIA WUNSCH, 18, SWIMMING
Mount St Benedicts College
Like all of our student Olympians, 18-year-old Olivia Wunsch’s day begins before the sun is up. She is awake by a quarter past four, driving herself to training for the Australian swimming team.
After two hours of training, she’s back in the car, headed to school, where she spends every spare moment studying for her HSC exams.
When the final bell rings for the day, instead of relaxing for a few hours like most teens, Olivia heads to the pool for another two hours of training, plus rehab and stretching.
Then she starts her homework.
“I naturally just want to do well in school. Nothing is perfect, but if I always do my best, I can walk away knowing that I put my best foot forward.”
Despite her hard work, Olivia never thought she would actually make this year’s Olympics.
The 18-year-old was shocked to lean she had made the relay team.
“I wasn’t expecting to make the team, I just went into the Olympic trials looking to get more exposure and experience racing with the open girls. Making it was a bonus.
“It’s really awesome. I just feel really supported by really lovely people.”
RUBY TREW, 15, SKATEBOARDING
Narrabeen Sports High School
She’s too young to take her driver’s and three years away from being able to order a drink, but that won’t stop Ruby Trew from doing something most adults dream of.
The 15-year-old Narrabeen Sports High School student is set to be one of Australia’s youngest Olympic athletes. The teen skateboarder and surfer is a frontrunner to represent Australia in skateboarding.
Currently in Budapest for the Olympic Qualifiers, the young gun said she couldn’t get here without the support of her school.
“Narrabeen Sports High School has been really supportive. They’re an Olympic pathway school now and have supported me so much on my journey to the Olympics. I couldn’t thank them more.
“It can be pretty hard to balance it all out but they are super good with me. When I come back to school, they help me out with all my subjects and help me get it done – they know how important it is to me.”
Ruby’s has no doubt played a major role in her success. Her dad, James Trew said that it’s hard to pull Ruby away from the classroom.
“When we came back from Dubai (Olympic qualification) we landed at 11 o’clock at night and she went to school the next morning at 9. Not because I forced her, she wanted to be at school.”
Got a story? Email emily.kowal@news.com.au
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