Paralympian Guest Speaker

On Tuesday 19 October we were lucky enough to have Paralympian, Alexandra Viney join us virtually to share her amazing life story. Al is a Para-rower and has just returned from the Tokyo Paralympics where she competed in the PR3 Mix4+ boat category. The boat contested Final A and put in a solid performance from start to finish to take the fourth overall world ranking! 

We had over 50 students and staff join the virtual meet which was a great turn out. Al was genuine, relatable and spoke from the heart about her journey. A few of the inspirational quotes from Al included: 

• Don’t rely on others to motivate you.
• It is important to be a good person, and then a great athlete.
• Just because you are not where you want to be now does not mean that you cannot get there.
• Believe in yourself and your capabilities.
• Surround yourself with things you like in order to succeed: routine, friends, hobbies etc.

Well done to students Jude Searle and Holly Brabner for asking great questions during the meet. 

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to hear from a 2020 Tokyo Paralympian, Al Viney. She talked to us about her experiences and answered our questions. Her struggle from finding her place in sport after her accident, to realising that she could do anything, led Al to fourth place in rowing at Tokyo. She told us to have a go at everything because you never know what opportunities may come your way. She told us that failure is a lesson and success is another step towards your goals in life. Al's talk was really inspiring and hopefully we'll see her in Paris in 2024!

Holly Brabner

More About Alexandra Viney

Tasmanian born Alexandra Viney was a promising young rower throughout her high school years. At the age of 18, Alex survived a serious, high-speed car accident caused by a drunk driver. The accident left Alex with lasting impairments to her left elbow, forearm & hand. Believing that her time as an athlete had passed, Alex channeled her passion for sport into a career, graduating from a Bachelor of exercise & sport science (sports nutrition) from Deakin University and working as a sport scientist and strength & conditioning coach in Geelong, Victoria until 2019. 

In May 2018, Alex was asked whether she had considered becoming a para-athlete because of her impairment. Unbeknown to Alex this had been an option for her since her accident in 2010. In November 2018, Alex began her journey as a para-athlete when she sat in a boat for the first time - a second chance at her rowing dream. Alex was selected for the Australian Senior Para-Rowing Team in the PR3 Mixed Coxed four in February 2019. In May 2019, Alex debuted for Australia at the Gavirate International Para Regatta placing second in the PR3 four and fourth place at her first World Championships, in the bow of her selected boat class, in August 2019. 

Outside of her training in pursuit of Paralympic selection, the current Mercantile member is studying a Master of Business (sports management) at Deakin University and operates a small business. Alex hopes to continue to raise awareness around road safety, mental health, women in sport and opportunities for those with impairments.