Athletics Australia Athlete Advisory Committee MembersAthletics Australia is delighted to announce the re-launch of the Athletes’ Advisory Committee (formerly known as the Athlete Advisory group). The Athletes’ Advisory Committee consists of current high performance athletes and provides a mechanism for the views of high performance athletes to be heard. The Athletes’ Advisory Committee members are; Cam Crombie (Chair), Ben Buckingham (Vice Chair), Rhydian Cowley (Secretary), Jaryd Clifford, Linden Hall, Mackenzie Little, Madi De Rozario, Steve Solomon. Contact: athleteAC@athletics.org.au |
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Cam Crombie (Chair)EVENT: Shot Put F38 How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? I consider myself lucky to be amongst such a high-performing and highly-regarded group of athletes, and being chosen to represent the athlete community is an absolute honour. Having an advisory committee comprising athletes who have represented Australia at the highest level of competition is incredibly important, but not as important as ensuring the committee is diverse in its make up of members, and remains capable of accounting for the needs of the wider athlete community. Together with my fellow members, I believe we have a well-rounded group of enthusiastic athletes, and I'm looking forward to what we can achieve during our appointment to the committee. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? When all is said and done, I just hope the Australian athletes (both able and para) and Athletics Australia management are in better positions than what they were when we started. I'd like to hope that the healthy relationships built by the previous Advisory Committees are not cast aside, but built upon and allowed to flourish. I'd like to ensure that a positive culture exists within the greater athletics community, so that we can help to foster positive working relationships between the athletes and management. I'd like the Athlete's Advisory Committee to push to remain visible, approachable and useful to our fellow athletes, so that the next committee has a solid base on which to push forward from. Although I've come to athletics quite late in life, being in the elite environment for seven years and the reigning World Champion and World Record holder for the last five, I've been privileged enough to have a reasonable insight into the 'ins and outs' of what it takes to perform as an athlete at a high level. While I still have much to learn in the athletics space, I believe my experience off the field as a father, a full-time company Director (construction), a Deputy Captain and Peer Support Officer (ACT Rural Fire Service), and a mental health presenter and advocate (Black Dog Mental Health Institute) all contribute to me being an approachable, considerate, and more balanced individual - I hope that my fellow athletes can rely upon me when needed. |
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Ben Buckingham (Vice Chair)EVENT: 3000m Steeplechase How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? Its a really important opportunity to give back to the athletics community and achieve meaningful change. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? Help athletes transition into careers post retirement. I don’t think athletes necessarily need to make a choice between work and training post covid and I hope to help others manage this space. I’m also very passionate about funding, selection and appeals processes - having helped out a number of athletes in this space in the past 5 years. What will you bring to the Committee? I have been part of a number of sporting and athletics committees over the past ten years. I’m also fortunate to have been able to represent Australia at the past two championships whilst working full time and I will bring legal and commercial experience to the role. |
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Rhydian Cowley (Secretary)EVENT: Race Walking How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? It's really important that Athletics Australia has an active Athletes Advisory Committee, to make sure athletes have a voice, a seat at the table, and feel like they are heard and listened to by the board and other decision makers. That's why it is exciting to be a part of the relaunch of this committee. I have been fortunate to receive a lot of support from my peers during my decade of representing Australia at the senior international level. I'd like to pay that forward to current and future athletes by supporting them on the Committee, hearing what the athlete community wants and needs, and going in to bat for policies and processes that help achieve those outcomes. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? If the committee can feel and show that it has been an effective voice that has helped strengthen the sport and left it in a better place for the future, I think we will have done our job. It's great that we've got diversity among the committee members, to make sure issues are considered from many perspectives. I think that gives us the best chance to effectively find solutions and advocate for outcomes, to build and strengthen an environment that athletes find supportive, respectful, inclusive, and ultimately conducive to them being their best selves on and off the track/field. What will you bring to the Committee? I hope to bring a willingness to listen to and learn from other perspectives, empathy and generosity, and the capacity to identify and effectively communicate solutions to issues that may arise. My own perspective is informed by my experience as a student-athlete and full time worker at various stages of my career. In my time as a Share a Yarn ambassador, and an ambassador for the Sports Environment Alliance, I have advocated on matters that are important to my values, which is fundamentally about taking actions to make sport a safer, better place. I also bring previous committee experience, on the VIS Reconciliation Action Plan working group, and on the committee of my local community garden. |
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Jaryd CliffordEVENT: Middle Distance/Distance T12
How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? For far too long our sport has languished when it comes to elevating athlete voices. It is immensely important that we change this culture and I am encouraged by the creation of this committee. I feel that alongside my peers we can make the most of this opportunity. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? On this committee, I will seek to ensure that decisions made by Athletics Australia in relation to para-athletes are decisions informed through genuine consultation with us. I want athletes to feel like Athletics Australia have heard them, because for many this is not always the experience. Simply, I want athletes to be front and centre in this organisation and that the persisting concerns of para-athletes are given a clear and loud voice. What will you bring to the Committee? At 22, I believe I bring a wealth of experience. I debuted at senior international level in 2015, I've been to two Paralympic Games, and have also competed at the World Athletics World U20 Championships. I also have experience as a student councillor on the University of Melbourne Student Union as the disability representative. I've been in the high performance system since the age of 13. I've experienced the good and bad of this organisation, and having spent almost half my life interacting with it I feel personally invested in its development. I believe my attributes include a willingness to discuss matters of concerns with all people and no-fear attitude in using my voice for others. |
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Linden HallEVENT: Middle Distance How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? I think the Athletes’ Advisory Committee is important because it gives us as the athletes a voice, and will help the athletes and Athletics Australia be able to be more collaborative in decision making. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? I think the biggest overall goal will be to improve the communication & relationship between athletes and Athletics Australia. If I can play a role in helping the athletes feel heard, that will be a really rewarding achievement. What will you bring to the Committee? As a more senior athlete, I’d like to think I can bring a range of experiences from my time in the sport, as there is certainly a lot that can be learned in reflecting on these. Having been a part of Australian Athletics teams for the past 6 years, I feel I’ve developed good relationships with a lot of the other athletes across a range of event groups. |
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Mackenzie LittleEVENT: Javelin How important is it for you to be on the Athletes’ Advisory Committee? It is important for me to be part of the athletes advisory committee because I recognise the fulfilment and opportunities that I’ve been afforded through athletics and feel responsibility to share my experience and shape it for others. What do you want to achieve during your time on the Committee? During my time on the committee, I would like to advocate for our diverse cohort of athletes and support the idea that athletes are all unique and multifaceted. I would like to help athletes foster a healthy relationship with the sport focusing on longevity and balance which I believe translates directly to personal and professional achievement for the individual and for Athletics Australia. What will you bring to the Committee? Finally, I hope to bring to the committee an optimistic energy and my experience as an athlete making the transition from junior to seniors, and also training and competing at a high level while navigating full-time study/work like so many of my teammates. |
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Madison de RozarioEVENT: Middle Distance/Distance T53/54 I’ve been a part of the sport for some time and have seen how a lot has changed over the last 15 years, but also some of the things that may need a little more momentum. Primarily I’d hope to bring a perspective that is representative of all of us as athletes into the conversation. I’d love to be able to do whatever I can to help create a more robust & trusting relationship between AA & the athletes - with particular focus on our para athletes. |
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Steve SolomonEVENT: 400m This is a very exciting opportunity for me and one that I believe will be a valuable addition to the high performance strategy team at Athletics Australia. I was 17yrs old when I made my first senior team at the World Championships in Daegu and have been a member of nearly every national team since those championships - my time in the sport has given me a lot of perspective that I hope to use with the team around me to propel our beloved sport into a successful direction ahead of 2032 home olympics in Brisbane. I have seen how the best in the world run the show in the USA and there are many learnings around long-term planning and setting up an environment for success that I intend to help our sport establish here in Australia. |