WOMEN in sport are underrepresented compared to men, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
CQUniversity staff, students and alumni are helping to break down barriers and pave the way for a more inclusive sporting industry this International Women’s Day (8 March 2024).
Alumna Taryn Gollshewsky said she is proud to be part of a new wave of female athletes leading the way for future champions.
As a seasoned Commonwealth Games competitor and Oceania Champion for discus throw, the athletics athlete has seen how the industry has improved throughout her career.
“Female sport has come a long way in recent years, and it will be exciting to see how women’s sport continues to evolve,” she said.
“Women’s sport is broadcast on free-to-air television, wages have increased, exposure has improved, the season length of team sports have been extended and women have more opportunity to play professional sport than ever before.
“I am inspired in my career by Australian female athletes who have achieved extraordinary things – people like Dawn Fraser and Cathy Freeman, as well as current champions like Emma McKeon.
“They have succeeded in ways all of us aspire to. They have proven that hard work, dedication and self-belief can result in the achievement of lifetime dreams.”
Harnessing the power of sport for empowerment has been a key motivation for fellow CQU alumna Shae Graham, who is the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby.
“Looking back, it is an amazing achievement – it is so rare these days to be the first person to do something and I get to keep that forever.
“It has also been amazing to watch and celebrate the growth of female participation in my sport in Australia and internationally,” Shae said.
“In saying that, the media do need to present, talk about and celebrate the achievements of para-athletes a lot more.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, and there are a lot of young kids and adults out there who don’t know that there are these amazing sports to be a part of.”
In 2022, it was estimated that only 50 per cent of Australian adult women, and only 20 per cent of women with a disability, participated in a sport-related activity at least once a week.
Shae said she is an advocate for all women, no matter their age, ability, or sporting experience to get involved in sport – especially team sports.
“There are so many benefits to playing and participating in sport; physical, mental, health – but I think the biggest benefit comes from being part of a community of people,” she said.
“I have amazing teammates and coaches that have supported and guided me through my athletic journey.”
Shae and her team, the Australian Steelers, will compete later this month in New Zealand for a final Paralympic qualifying game.
CQU Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science Dr Mandy Plumb agreed that increasing the visibility of women at an elite level is a first step to achieving equality, with the sports researcher working to support aspiring athletes with the tools and resources to succeed at a professional level.
Dr Plumb is the athlete development lead with The Female Co, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering the athletic talents of female athletes in regional and remote areas, in FNQ, across sporting codes, including Netball, Soccer, Athletics, AFL, Rugby League, Softball, and Basketball.
“I have worked with 15 female athletes in The Female Co. in the Cairns region who were interested in taking their athletic performance to the next level,” Dr Plumb explained.
“This involved conducting medical and physical screenings, monitoring sleep, running strength, and conditioning sessions, conducting speed and agility training and implementing recovery protocols.
“From this, we have seen great success with six athletes competing in state-wide competitions, three excelling at the national level, and two representing their countries internationally.”
CQU Allied Health Associate Professor Melanie Hayman said more research and funding to conduct high-quality studies is needed to support female athletes throughout every stage of life.
“To date, a significant portion of sports performance research has focused on male participants, however, we know that males are physiologically different to females,” she said.
“More recently, there has been a growing effort to conduct more studies specifically focused on female athletes.
“This includes research on topics such as female-specific training programs, hormonal influences on performance, and other factors unique to women in sports, such as pregnancy and return to sport postpartum, bra fit and support.”
Associate Professor Hayman has spent more than a decade driving research into women’s exercise during pregnancy and postpartum.
“In the past, female athletes retired to start their family. This is changing and we are seeing more female athletes choosing to continue to train during their pregnancy and return to elite competition postpartum,” she said.
“Women should be able to ‘have it all’ and no longer need to choose between being an athlete or a mother.
“If we can get this right, it means generations to come will have both male and female role models to look up to and be inspired by, and we will be a healthier nation for it.”
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