Tasmania's Sporting Sons & Stars

Tasmania's ability to create sporting champions has been well documented, and when you live here you can better understand how such a small population (currently celebrating the 500,000 mark) can produce such a long list of celebrated achievers in the sporting arena.

Our kids love sport of any shape and size and we'd be very happy for them to be experts in their chosen fields. We have short listed the possible advantages for residents of Tasmania (sport and activity oriented) and intend to take advantage of them. Here's a sample:

Australasian Golf Museum, Bothwell Tasmania (Photo by Dan Fellow)

Firstly, Tasmania's climate is often maligned but the weather and rainfall level are clearly sympathetic to the growth of grass for greens, as there is an abundance of golf courses scattered around. Scottish settlers near Bothwell (home of the Australasian Golf Museum) thought it prudent to develop Australia's original golf course on their grazing property.

Current day clubs encourage a mixture of standards chipping in, providing reasonably priced access to all comers. There are the elite establishments for the budding Tiger Woods, or should we say Mathew Goggin (TAS), but then there are also public courses for the weekend novice (aka hacker - not that there's anything wrong with that!).

We have some dedicated golfers (definitely NOT hackers) in our extended family, so we are hoping they get to visit and test-drive some of the fairways.

Robbo & Lachie
(Photo by Kylie Makin)

Passion (or that elusive and immeasurable spur of being the underdog) must have a bearing in this discussion. The quota per capita of elite athletes hailing from Tassie seems to tip the balance in favour of living in the “boondocks”. Tasmania's residents resent the inference of being from a backwater - with good reason - and raising their hackles might magnify that competitive edge. Can't imagine the slur would sit well with former Richmond AFL player Matthew Richardson (TAS), former Melbourne AFL player Russell Robertson (TAS) or the captain of the Australian cricket team, Ricky Ponting (TAS).

We have already noted excellent standards of expertise in leadership and instruction in sport, as home-town heroes return from successful touring careers to enjoy the local lifestyle on offer. Simon Youl (TAS) reached the top-100 tennis players in the world and yet now he chooses to lead Tasmania's next generation of budding talented juniors. You would imagine that successful performers on the world stage might want to remain in the highly populated and fiercely competitive cities, with more contenders pressuring for selection. Yet he gets to make an impact in his home state - and the lucky Tassie squad get to absorb his skills, knowledge and experience.

Domain Tennis Centre, Hobart Tasmania - sport headquarters

TAS benefits!

Proximity to sporting facilities opens a world of possibility. Inclusion at a state level in any sport requires a pledge to training schedules, with regimes co-ordinated at central headquarters with chief coaches. Remote or rural communities from the mainland have very limited access to the highest level of participation in sport purely through distance restrictions. Whereby in Tasmania, sport at a local, association or state level can be accessed in a much more compact physical area. After school, head to Hobart for training, and then be home again for dinner - back in your own, small country town. Brilliant!

So there you have it - a brief overview and only a minority of Tasmania's assets when it comes to endeavours of the sweaty nature. Burdened with choice we find ourselves, but what a great burden to have.