The other side of a sporting life

In the mid 90's I was waiting with Mum, Dad and Jo (my sister-in-law) for my brother, Darren, to emerge from the dressing rooms. It was footy season, and a leisurely wait in the cold outside the members entrance at the Sydney Football Stadium was pretty much our routine.


It was during one of these 'wait' sessions, I first met the remarkable John.

I was used to meeting 'famous' people - especially during footy season - but John was different. He was exceptional.

John is standing in the back row 10th from the left

John was my age and as Jo was speaking with him about all things medical, Daz (now emerged from the dressing sheds with a new bout of cuts and bruises) was giving my parents and I the quick run down on avid football-fan and one-time rising star John (as you do!) just prior to the formal introductions.

Now Dad and Darren are born statesmen and so meeting John for the first time was no exception - for Dad. For me, it was a whole other story! Anyway... Dad being Dad (known for his solid handshake), put his hand out in greeting to John (Hadn't Dad been listening during Daz's 10 second de-brief?)

Not surprisingly, John smiled up at him, "I'm sorry Mr Junee, I can't."

I didn't understand what John meant, but without missing a beat, Dad stepped forward and patted him gently on the back with a 'Nice to meet you Johnnie' (another one of Dad's things).

It was then I learnt the significance and social ability of touch.

Taking Dad's lead, I too stepped forward when it was my turn to be introduced and touched John on the shoulder. However, I literally sent him into spasm! Not the response I was expecting, although it did prove a great ice-breaker...

Not knowing what I'd done or what I was supposed to do, I did what I do best: straight shooting. I asked John straight up what had just happened. After a moment, when he'd caught his breath, he laughed and explained he sometimes had spasms - it was just something that happened, ever since his accident.

You see John didn't have the facility to engage in a handshake (which is why Dad touched him on the shoulder); he still doesn't. John became what is called an incomplete quadriplegic after a head clash during a football match at the tender age of 15. Although, he does have the sensation of touch (so Dad must have been listening afterall!) and the spasms are what he calls the powercord effect of his disconnected nerves.

However, 21 years on from his accident, still wheelchair-bound and in need of 24/7 care, is not going to stop John 'walking'(okay rolling) his way from Brisbane to Sydney next year to raise money for the people at Youngcare with his girlfriend Theresa and best mate Paul.

JT has been a statistician for his beloved Wests Tigers since 1993

Why? Because John knows first hand the importance of the work done by Youngcare in their efforts to facilitate independent living for young people living with disability.

John is sharing a little more of his story - not always an easy thing, even for one as open as John - in order to promote the work of Youngcare who are kicking off their fund-raising long weekend with the inaugural Thong Day tomorrow (1 October).

So what is Thong Day? I hear you say... Well I'm glad you asked.

Tomorrow is Youngcare Thong Day, so click the link, find out how you can donate and get involved because access to 24/7 care for those who need it to survive should be a right, not a privilege.

Disability is not discriminating, it can happen to anyone at any time. So whenever you get the opportunity to improve the quality of life of someone living with disability, grab it with both hands, for no other reason, than you still can.

Chatting with JT about living with disability and the
National Disability Insurance Scheme earlier this year

This Business Called Sport

It has been a long-time since I played phone-tag with an athlete for an interview, and yet I remain tied to this business called sport.

By birth (and not through any exceptional athletic prowess of my own) I am intimately woven into the fabric of professional sport.  Not only the public performance part, but the otherside - the 'support' network.

Over the past decade (okay nearly two) while dressing for combat in the pre-requisite corporate suit, I oscillated between managing, pitching, sponsorsing and showcasing professionals (a lot of them athletes) in various marketing, communications and media roles.

But I'm not talking about the faux glitz and glamour of the mediatized version of sport.

I'm talking about the skeleton.  The place where it's all about what's best for the athlete to ensure s/he performs. 

Don't get me wrong...this business called sport is a multi-faceted, highly evolved beast.  So none of what I'm saying is particularly new.  Although...

Managing the brand, as well as, the person in this constantly-evolving, very public intricately networked digital world, seems to be a topic in which very few industry experts are engaged.

Or am I simply out of the loop?

To truly understand the profession of athleticism takes a lot longer than an hour's interview or a lifetime of observation.  It takes practical know-how.

Professionalism, or sometimes simply, the commercialisation of sports, adds a new dimension to an athlete's portfolio.

So where can and do athletes go to train in the art of the integrated media network?

Depending on who you talk to, the answer will vary.  Talent managers, media managers, sports unions, lawyers, stylists, university professors, candle-stick makers - it's really a free for all... or is it?

Speak to a veteran performer and more often than not, they'll tell you they've muddled their way through, with the help of a handful of friends and trusted acquaintances with mixed results.

Then turn to a rookie and watch.  The good ones are already sizing-up every person in the room to see if they are friend or foe, helper or hanger-on.

Understanding is key.  Acquiring knowledge, an assurity of stepping closer to success as a professional; because performance isn't all training, playing and recovery.

It's about agility, as demanded by the 24/7 news cycle, the capabilities of new media and mobile technologies, as well as, the traditional key stakeholders: the sponsors, administrators, managers, medicos, team mates, family and supporters.

Managing the person, as well as, the brand is an integrated and highly specialised skill.  One that has elvolved beyond knowing the right editor or producer at the various TV or radio stations.

So where can athletes and sports professionals go to train for the new media age?  Or rather, as they say in the corporate world 'network' to exchange ideas and share experiences?

I'm hoping they'll be brave enough to play here... eventually.