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Dale helps the Aussie team win the shot-put in the England vs Australia track and feild challenge in Newcastle, 2009.

Age: 21
Sport: Athletics, specialising in shot-put.
Occupation: Currently studying Secondary Education and Sport and Outdoor Recreation at Monash University in Victoria.

Monash University student Dale Stevenson last week successfully defended his Australian University Games shot-put title, breaking the games record and setting a new personal best in the process. The young throwing power-house has gone from strength to strength in 2009, achieving some stellar results. After finishing second in the shot-put at the national championships in March, Dale went on to represent Australia in both the shot-put and discus at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia.
There’s no doubting that Dale is a talent on the rise! Be sure to look out for him at next years Commonwealth Games.

Dale took some time out from his busy study and training routing to have a chat to YounG’UNS.

CC: What is it that you love about athletics?
DS: Athletics is obviously a sport where you generally don’t make much money. You might get a little bit of prize money and sponsorship here and there, but its hardly enough to even scrape by. So everyone who is trying to make a career out of athletics is really in it for the love of competing and the love of the sport. I really enjoy the fact that its so self-driven. It can be great to be part of a team, but I love that I alone have control over my performance. At the end of the day, it’s you competing, achieving…failing. It’s about me. You really can’t compare the sort of satisfaction you get as a solo athlete with team sports.

CC: What has been the highlight of your athletics career so far?
DS: Definitely competing at the World University Games in Serbia earlier in the year. It was just a great experience for me, and the standard of competition is amazing. Its actually the second biggest multi-sport competition in the world, after the Olympics. It was a massive experience, and I learned so much from it. It’s really going to help to set me up for the Commonwealth Games next year.

CC: What are your sporting goals?
DS: My biggest aim is to continue representing Australia at a senior level. Right now, Im very focused on training to make the 2010 Commonwealth Games team. I’m also hoping to compete at the 2012 Olympics. I’ll be 23 by then- so I’ll be getting to an age where I can start to be really competitive at an international level. I also aspire to promote sport to kids and hopefully help and inspire them to make the most of all the opportunities they are given.

CC: Do you play or follow any other sports?
DS: I love all sport, but Im a very passionate Collingwood supporter. I’m a member, and I try to get to games as often as I can when I’m at home. Its been a bit difficult this year, though, I’ve been competing overseas- although I did get to go to some of the finals games. I also played junior football (AFL) until I was seventeen, but gave it up to focus on athletics.

CC: How do you go about balancing your study with a busy training and competing schedule?
DS: It can be a bit tricky to find a balance at times, especially at this time of the year when so many assignments and essays are due. But Im a part of the Monash Elite Athletes Program, which allows me the luxury of having a bit more flexibility in my coursework. I still have to complete all the same assignments and teaching rounds as everyone else, but they recognize that I might have to take time off to compete occasionally, or might need to hand in an essay a week early or a week late. It’s been a big help.

CC: What advice would you give to up and coming young athletes?
DS: Just stay at it and keep working hard. But at the same time, you need to be in it for the right reasons. If you don’t enjoy it and you’re not having fun, there’s no point. Athletics can be quite a solitary and lonely sport, so its important to talk to competitors and keep making friends- get involved with things like the Uni Games and try to meet people.

-Courtney Crane

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