Heath Francis
0:00:00.229,0:00:06.330
Hi, I’m Heath Francis. I’m an AIS scholarship
holder. I currently compete in athletics and
0:00:06.330,0:00:10.629
I’m an AWD athlete, which is athlete with
disability.
0:00:10.629,0:00:14.320
I’d say the greatest achievements that I’ve
had on the track would definitely be Beijing
0:00:14.320,0:00:19.179
Paralympic Games. I was fortunate enough to
win the 100, the 200 and the 400; the 200
0:00:19.179,0:00:26.179
and the 400 in world record times. My first
experience working with ACE was back in 1999
0:00:26.490,0:00:31.800
and that’s when I was working with actually
the NSW Institute of Sport ACE Adviser, and
0:00:31.800,0:00:36.660
that was making the transition from secondary
school studies through to university studies.
0:00:36.660,0:00:40.579
It went to the next level when I moved down
to the Australian Institute of Sport and I
0:00:40.579,0:00:44.140
was actually working almost daily with the
ACE Adviser when I first moved down here to
0:00:44.140,0:00:48.340
make sure that I would be able to continue
my studies.
0:00:48.340,0:00:53.140
I think the reason why I wanted to keep my
studies going whilst I was training was, one,
0:00:53.140,0:00:56.820
I knew within myself that athletics was only
a temporary thing; I wasn’t going to be
0:00:56.820,0:01:01.210
an elite athlete until I was 60, and so there
was going to be a long time after my athletic
0:01:01.210,0:01:04.480
career that I was going to need to be doing
something, and while sport is wonderful and
0:01:04.480,0:01:07.810
is a really important part of my life at this
point in time, but after this point in time
0:01:07.810,0:01:10.610
I’m going to need to have something to fall
back on.
0:01:10.610,0:01:15.190
I don’t think it was ever a choice that
I ever had to choose between studying or training;
0:01:15.190,0:01:19.150
I always saw them as being really, I guess,
symbiotic. I found they actually worked incredibly
0:01:19.150,0:01:23.640
well together and I was a much happier athlete
and a much happier student when I was doing
0:01:23.640,0:01:26.070
the two things together.
0:01:26.070,0:01:31.750
For me and my time at AIS, it would have been
a very different scenario had I not had the
0:01:31.750,0:01:35.490
support of ACE and it was really important
for me to make sure that I achieved both my
0:01:35.490,0:01:40.610
athletic goals at the same time, which was
really important for me, my tertiary and educational
0:01:40.610,0:01:44.300
goals as well, and that would have been impossible
I think without the support of ACE.
Hi, I’m Heath Francis. I’m an AIS scholarship
holder. I currently compete in athletics and
0:00:06.330,0:00:10.629
I’m an AWD athlete, which is athlete with
disability.
0:00:10.629,0:00:14.320
I’d say the greatest achievements that I’ve
had on the track would definitely be Beijing
0:00:14.320,0:00:19.179
Paralympic Games. I was fortunate enough to
win the 100, the 200 and the 400; the 200
0:00:19.179,0:00:26.179
and the 400 in world record times. My first
experience working with ACE was back in 1999
0:00:26.490,0:00:31.800
and that’s when I was working with actually
the NSW Institute of Sport ACE Adviser, and
0:00:31.800,0:00:36.660
that was making the transition from secondary
school studies through to university studies.
0:00:36.660,0:00:40.579
It went to the next level when I moved down
to the Australian Institute of Sport and I
0:00:40.579,0:00:44.140
was actually working almost daily with the
ACE Adviser when I first moved down here to
0:00:44.140,0:00:48.340
make sure that I would be able to continue
my studies.
0:00:48.340,0:00:53.140
I think the reason why I wanted to keep my
studies going whilst I was training was, one,
0:00:53.140,0:00:56.820
I knew within myself that athletics was only
a temporary thing; I wasn’t going to be
0:00:56.820,0:01:01.210
an elite athlete until I was 60, and so there
was going to be a long time after my athletic
0:01:01.210,0:01:04.480
career that I was going to need to be doing
something, and while sport is wonderful and
0:01:04.480,0:01:07.810
is a really important part of my life at this
point in time, but after this point in time
0:01:07.810,0:01:10.610
I’m going to need to have something to fall
back on.
0:01:10.610,0:01:15.190
I don’t think it was ever a choice that
I ever had to choose between studying or training;
0:01:15.190,0:01:19.150
I always saw them as being really, I guess,
symbiotic. I found they actually worked incredibly
0:01:19.150,0:01:23.640
well together and I was a much happier athlete
and a much happier student when I was doing
0:01:23.640,0:01:26.070
the two things together.
0:01:26.070,0:01:31.750
For me and my time at AIS, it would have been
a very different scenario had I not had the
0:01:31.750,0:01:35.490
support of ACE and it was really important
for me to make sure that I achieved both my
0:01:35.490,0:01:40.610
athletic goals at the same time, which was
really important for me, my tertiary and educational
0:01:40.610,0:01:44.300
goals as well, and that would have been impossible
I think without the support of ACE.
