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{{label}}Staff Writer - 5 min read
30 May 2017
She’s faced her fair share of hardships, to which she’s discovered impressive solutions. We speak to AIA Vitality ambassador Alisa Camplin about the events that have formed her story.
Regarded as one of Australia’s greatest ever aerial skiers, a respected executive, loving mum and AIA’s new mental wellbeing ambassador, Alisa’s story is one of greatness – but it hasn’t been without its challenges. Yet, the ‘no regrets’ commitment she first poured into her sport has gone on to underpin everything else in her life – with some outstanding results.
When pressed to name her singular greatest achievement, Camplin pauses. ‘You could say my greatest achievement was everything that it took – physically, mentally and spiritually – to get to the start gate at the Olympic Games; everything that came before that three-and-a-half-second jump,’ she answers.
It’s this emphasis on the journey rather than the moment that’s important to Camplin and her way of thinking.
‘There seems to be a societal trend towards attaining perfection, and only valuing outcomes, she says. ‘It’s a skewed focus on the pinnancle points in our life as the true definition of our worth. But I’m 42, and there has been so much more to my life than the shiny bits,’ she reasons.
‘It’s the journey that defines who you are. It’s the ups and downs, highs and lows and the hardships that you overcome along the way. It’s the resilience that you found, the personal growth and small wins that are the content of your story.’
Having never seen snow until the age of 19, in 2002 Alisa was the first Australian woman ever to win a Winter Olympic medal. Just a few seconds in the air saw the culmination of the better part of 20 years of planning, training, sacrifice, commitment and drive.
Starting out as a track n’field athlete, before turning to hockey, sailing and finally gymnastics, Alisa nomintated herself to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia in 1994. Arriving with a grand plan to achieve her Olympic goals, she worked five jobs to pay her bills and spent years overseas living and training hard before her champion debut at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.
Camplin would go on to back up that win by taking out the 2003 world championships and the 2002-03 World Cup title, making her the second person ever to hold aerial skiing’s triple crown.
‘In sport, one of my mantras was leave no regrets,’ she explains. ‘I never wanted to look back with regret that I hadn’t given it my all… to think, what if I’d just tried harder or done more jumps, found another dollar, or hung in there just a little bit longer?’
Absorbing the pressure of being the defending Olympic Champion, and despite having snapped her anterior cruciate ligament twice in the 16 months prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics, Alisa came away with a bronze medal – a true testament to her unwavering commitment and mental strength.
By the time she retired from competition shortly after those games, Camplin would have an impressive 19 World Cup podium medals and a Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s ‘The Don’ Award to her name. Just one year later she’d be awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia.
Alisa is adamant that having multiple dimensions to life was critical to her sporting success. ‘My whole time as an athlete, when I was training and working towards my Olympic dream I was also finishing my university degree and beginning my coporate career,’ she says. ‘It was such a juggle, but I was applying the same level of planning and rigor that I was using to get to the Olympics to the advancement of my professional career.’
While training for the Olympics, Alisa completed a Bachelor of IT at Melbourne’s Swinburne University and began what would prove to be a long term and highly fruitful relationship with multinational tech giant, IBM. Today she runs her own company and holds a number of roles across sport, business, governance and philanthropy.
In 2011, Alisa would face arguably her biggest challenge to date when she and her partner Oliver experienced the devastating loss of their ten-day-old son Finnan to congenital heart disease. Believing in her heart that parenthood was still possible for her, Alisa is now the mother of two healthy young children.
However difficult the physical and mental challenges, Alisa’s realistic optimism, crafted alongside her careers, has proved a solid foundation from which to tackle life’s ebb and flow.
‘I wholeheartedly believe that better is always on the other side of wherever you’re at,’ she says. ‘I don’t expect life to be a smooth journey. I take time to enjoy the good bits but I also see the challenges as a way to learn and to grow. Better is always possible if you just keep taking one more step forward.’
Whatever the future has in store for Alisa will be met with that same burning drive that saw her conquering the slopes, the corporate ladder and family life, and we’re excited to have her on board as part of the OneLife family.
Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances
Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.
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