Sport: Scholarships for high achievers

By Suzanne McFadden

Silver Fern Lesley Nicol has been given special incentive to become a doctor and heal New Zealand's ailing athletes.

Nicol is one of 34 leading sportsmen and women given help to pursue a life after sport with tertiary scholarships from the Sports Foundation.

A former New Zealand netball captain who will play for the Ferns against Australia this weekend, Nicol already has a physiotherapy degree. But now she has decided to study medicine at Otago University.

Sports Foundation chief executive Chris Ineson said there had been no hesistation in granting Nicol the scholarship after helping to fund her first degree.

"We know that whatever we give Lesley, it will never be as much as she will give back to sport as a doctor," he said.

The grants, up to $4000, will be awarded today. Over 150 applied for the scholarships, worth $110,000 in total.

Among the other recipients are New Zealand cricketer Matthew Bell, who is in his third year towards a B Com at Massey, and twin rowers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, studying for business and science degrees.

World champion yachtsmen Kevin Borrows, studying medicine and engineering, and Matt Davies (bachelor of sport) have been given assistance while they continue their sailing partnership.

Soccer player Michele Cox is studying for a masters degree in psychology, while Commonwealth Games cycling medallist Tim Carswell is doing a double degree while training for the 2000 Olympics.

"New Zealand gets a double benefit from this investment," Ineson said. "We're going to let loose into the community some well-qualified, high achievers. They will enter the marketplace as big contributors.

"We've realised our athletes simply need more than money for competition and sport science.

"Athletes perform better when they are happy, when they know in the back of their minds that they have something to go on to when they have finished their competitive days."

He said the scholarships, partly funded by Fletcher Challenge, are one part of the Foundation's holistic approach to supporting New Zealand's leading sports figures. It also helps through career development and employment programmes.

Athletes who are unsure of what to do for a job are given career-testing through Price Waterhouse.

Other companies, like NZ Post, were giving employment opportunities to athletes.

"Now we're looking at developing an exchange programme between the universities, sports and corporate sector," Ineson said. "Studying athletes will be able to work a year in a business, go out and compete for a couple of years and then maybe go back to the business."