Sam Bramham
0:00:00.199,0:00:04.229
My name is Sam Bramham. I’m a Paralympic
swimmer. I’ve competed in the 2004 Athens
0:00:04.229,0:00:08.059
Paralympics where I picked up a gold, silver
and a bronze; the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne
0:00:08.059,0:00:11.709
and the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games I picked
up a gold and silver. I’ve trained with
0:00:11.709,0:00:16.309
the Victorian Institute of Sport here at the
AIS, and also at my local club - the Ivanhoe
0:00:16.309,0:00:20.290
Neons. Always swimming as a toddler and then
started swimming at the age of 10 to 11 and
0:00:20.290,0:00:25.430
then became more competitive in 2004 when
I made the Paralympic team. AIS and VIS both
0:00:25.430,0:00:29.510
came in and I started getting involved with
the AIS ACE Program from then on as well.
0:00:29.510,0:00:33.320
Before Athens and Commonwealth Games around
the corner as well, I was in year 11, so it
0:00:33.320,0:00:37.500
was a time when school was putting pressure
on me to be more serious about my education
0:00:37.500,0:00:41.250
and my swimming peers and my coaches were
putting more pressure on me to do well in
0:00:41.250,0:00:44.850
swimming as well, so you know I really needed
that support there and ACE was always there
0:00:44.850,0:00:47.300
to say “Hey look, we’re here” and they
basically helped me out from the get-go. They
0:00:47.300,0:00:50.340
said “Okay, we’ll speak to your school”
and they spoke to my school about panning
0:00:50.340,0:00:57.340
my year 12 over two years. Especially going
to university, ‘cause I was so busy with
0:00:57.640,0:01:00.809
my swimming schedule as well, there wasn’t
me sort of doing the running around and asking
0:01:00.809,0:01:04.030
all these people, you know, I can’t go to
this class, I can’t go to that class; ACE
0:01:04.030,0:01:07.450
was always there. And even from a younger
age, I think having ACE there really helped
0:01:07.450,0:01:11.149
me out where I am today because I was 16 when
I started going through ACE Program and it
0:01:11.149,0:01:13.990
was just probably the best thing I ever did
because I’m in uni now and I’ve basically
0:01:13.990,0:01:17.219
got a career path set out for me and one that
suits me best as well.
0:01:17.219,0:01:24.219
Not only have I used ACE for my education
and then career after school but they’ve
0:01:26.399,0:01:30.539
also been there to help me with presenting
myself to the media, what the dos and don’ts
0:01:30.539,0:01:36.600
of what to say to people and also just public
speaking courses as well, how to speak to
0:01:36.600,0:01:41.829
large groups, and also I’ve been able to
do odd jobs for the ACE as well, to go out
0:01:41.829,0:01:45.909
to you know TAFE, universities or schools
and have a chance to speak there to kids about
0:01:45.909,0:01:49.459
the importance of education in sporting careers,
and the importance of education as a whole
0:01:49.459,0:01:49.819
as well.
0:01:49.819,0:01:56.729
Obviously I can always do well in sport at
a young age but once that’s over you really…
0:01:56.729,0:02:00.009
you can’t keep swimming for the rest of
your life so you need that other stuff to
0:02:00.009,0:02:04.419
fall on. So I had ACE there, you know, to
help me with my career after sport. I conversed
0:02:04.419,0:02:07.029
with the ACE Careers saying “Look, once
swimming is over, what do I do?” And they
0:02:07.029,0:02:10.579
said “What do you like? What are your interests?”
I said that to them, they came back to me
0:02:10.579,0:02:14.519
with a list of courses which I could do and
that’s what I followed through. So it’s
0:02:14.519,0:02:18.170
comforting now knowing that once swimming
is finished, once I get to that stage where
0:02:18.170,0:02:22.939
okay, it’s time to move on to my next part
of my life, I know that ACE has set that part
0:02:22.939,0:02:26.040
up for me so I can go into my, you know, university
career.
My name is Sam Bramham. I’m a Paralympic
swimmer. I’ve competed in the 2004 Athens
0:00:04.229,0:00:08.059
Paralympics where I picked up a gold, silver
and a bronze; the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne
0:00:08.059,0:00:11.709
and the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games I picked
up a gold and silver. I’ve trained with
0:00:11.709,0:00:16.309
the Victorian Institute of Sport here at the
AIS, and also at my local club - the Ivanhoe
0:00:16.309,0:00:20.290
Neons. Always swimming as a toddler and then
started swimming at the age of 10 to 11 and
0:00:20.290,0:00:25.430
then became more competitive in 2004 when
I made the Paralympic team. AIS and VIS both
0:00:25.430,0:00:29.510
came in and I started getting involved with
the AIS ACE Program from then on as well.
0:00:29.510,0:00:33.320
Before Athens and Commonwealth Games around
the corner as well, I was in year 11, so it
0:00:33.320,0:00:37.500
was a time when school was putting pressure
on me to be more serious about my education
0:00:37.500,0:00:41.250
and my swimming peers and my coaches were
putting more pressure on me to do well in
0:00:41.250,0:00:44.850
swimming as well, so you know I really needed
that support there and ACE was always there
0:00:44.850,0:00:47.300
to say “Hey look, we’re here” and they
basically helped me out from the get-go. They
0:00:47.300,0:00:50.340
said “Okay, we’ll speak to your school”
and they spoke to my school about panning
0:00:50.340,0:00:57.340
my year 12 over two years. Especially going
to university, ‘cause I was so busy with
0:00:57.640,0:01:00.809
my swimming schedule as well, there wasn’t
me sort of doing the running around and asking
0:01:00.809,0:01:04.030
all these people, you know, I can’t go to
this class, I can’t go to that class; ACE
0:01:04.030,0:01:07.450
was always there. And even from a younger
age, I think having ACE there really helped
0:01:07.450,0:01:11.149
me out where I am today because I was 16 when
I started going through ACE Program and it
0:01:11.149,0:01:13.990
was just probably the best thing I ever did
because I’m in uni now and I’ve basically
0:01:13.990,0:01:17.219
got a career path set out for me and one that
suits me best as well.
0:01:17.219,0:01:24.219
Not only have I used ACE for my education
and then career after school but they’ve
0:01:26.399,0:01:30.539
also been there to help me with presenting
myself to the media, what the dos and don’ts
0:01:30.539,0:01:36.600
of what to say to people and also just public
speaking courses as well, how to speak to
0:01:36.600,0:01:41.829
large groups, and also I’ve been able to
do odd jobs for the ACE as well, to go out
0:01:41.829,0:01:45.909
to you know TAFE, universities or schools
and have a chance to speak there to kids about
0:01:45.909,0:01:49.459
the importance of education in sporting careers,
and the importance of education as a whole
0:01:49.459,0:01:49.819
as well.
0:01:49.819,0:01:56.729
Obviously I can always do well in sport at
a young age but once that’s over you really…
0:01:56.729,0:02:00.009
you can’t keep swimming for the rest of
your life so you need that other stuff to
0:02:00.009,0:02:04.419
fall on. So I had ACE there, you know, to
help me with my career after sport. I conversed
0:02:04.419,0:02:07.029
with the ACE Careers saying “Look, once
swimming is over, what do I do?” And they
0:02:07.029,0:02:10.579
said “What do you like? What are your interests?”
I said that to them, they came back to me
0:02:10.579,0:02:14.519
with a list of courses which I could do and
that’s what I followed through. So it’s
0:02:14.519,0:02:18.170
comforting now knowing that once swimming
is finished, once I get to that stage where
0:02:18.170,0:02:22.939
okay, it’s time to move on to my next part
of my life, I know that ACE has set that part
0:02:22.939,0:02:26.040
up for me so I can go into my, you know, university
career.
