Alisa Camplin
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Alisa Peta Camplin, (born 10 November 1974) is an Australian aerial skier who won gold at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...
, the second ever winter Olympic gold medal for Australia. At the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...
, Camplin finished third to receive a bronze medal. She is the first Australian skier to win medals at consecutive Winter Olympics, making her one of Australia's best skiers.


Background

Camplin is an ex-gymnast, standing at 157 cm tall. She was educated in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
at the Methodist Ladies' College and has a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in
information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...
from
Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without acce ...
. As a teenager, Alisa was an accomplished sailor, winning two Australian National Titles in the Hobie Cat
catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-sta ...
class. Inspired by the example of three-time Olympian
Kirstie Marshall Kirstie Claire Marshall, OAM (born 21 April 1969) is an Australian aerial skier and Victorian state politician. Marshall was an ex-gymnast who became an aerial skier at Mount Buller, Victoria. During her skiing career Marshall won over 40 W ...
, Camplin approached the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia in 1994 to see the possibilities of becoming an aerial skier. She was new to skiing, and even in Salt Lake she trampled on her victory flowers when she fell over during the trip to the winner's news conference. She practiced jumps in a pond in
Wandin Wandin East is a town in Victoria, Australia, 45 km east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Wandin East recorded a population of 408 at the . Wandin Yallock Creek ...
(one hour's drive from
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
) and was coached by Todd Ossian. Injuries she has suffered include a broken collarbone, broken hand,
separated shoulder A separated shoulder, also known as acromioclavicular joint injury, is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. The AC joint is located at the outer end of the clavicle where it attaches to the acromion of the scapula. Symptoms include no ...
, two broken ankles, torn Achilles tendon, torn ACL, and nine
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration ...
s. Before the 2002 Winter Olympics, none of the dozen top 10 results she had made on the World Cup circuit included a victory, and compatriot
Jacqui Cooper Jacqueline Cooper (born 6 January 1973) is an Australian motivational speaker and retired freestyle skier. Skiing career Cooper started skiing aerials at age 16 and was on the Australian team for 20 years. During her career she had many injurie ...
was viewed as the favourite for the aerials event. While most athletes use flags to mark the start of their jumps, Alisa used a wooden spoon. The rationale was that early in her career, confusion was caused by both Alisa and Jacqui using Australian flags to mark their starts, but in Australia a wooden spoon is a metaphorical prize for people or teams coming last in their sporting event.


Salt Lake City 2002

Alisa competed at the Olympics against doctors' advice—she had injured herself after being caught by a headwind in training a few weeks before. At the time, she was told she had bone bruising, it was not until she was examined by doctors in Salt Lake that she discovered both her ankles were fractured. The doctors were amazed that she was walking, let alone planning to jump.
Jacqui Cooper Jacqueline Cooper (born 6 January 1973) is an Australian motivational speaker and retired freestyle skier. Skiing career Cooper started skiing aerials at age 16 and was on the Australian team for 20 years. During her career she had many injurie ...
injured her knee in practice a week before the games. Alisa was so nervous she did not eat dinner the night before the final. Camplin performed a pair of triple-twisting, double backflip jumps to win the event. Her family had been told to stay home by the athlete because she did not want distractions in the crowd, but her mother and younger sister Georgina defied her, watching her from behind a large Australian flag. Camplin said that
Steven Bradbury Steven John Bradbury OAM (born 14 October 1973) is an Australian former short track speed skater and four-time Olympian. He won the 1,000 m event at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last-corner pile-u ...
's recent win in short track made things easier for her: "When he came through, it almost pleased me that I didn't have to go out and do this," she said. "I knew that was a big thing my nation was trying to chase. When Steven did it, I was like, 'Good, I don't have the weight of the nation on my shoulders.'" Camplin's gold was celebrated by
Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post ...
issuing a 45-cent stamp of her. Her stamp was issued on 22 February, four days after her victory.Aussie golds in Winter games bring more instant stamps
by Glen Stephens. Linn's stamp news. 11 March 2002.
She received A$20,000 for the use of her image. Camplin was delighted, saying "For us to be put in with the summer Olympians who had their stamps and the previous 39 sporting legends who’ve had their stamps is amazing.""Gold medallists get framed stamps"
Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
25 February 2002.


Turin 2006

In her preparations for the Turin Winter Olympics, Camplin incurred a serious knee injury in October 2005, requiring a
knee reconstruction Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament can either be removed from ...
. To speed the healing process, she used the relatively uncommon practice of using donor tissue in the knee, and returned to limited training only 11 weeks after the surgery. She finished fourth at a World Cup event in Lake Placid to secure her place in the team. On 22 February, in a night competition that was marked by a thick fog that disturbed competitions to an extent, Camplin registered a score of 94.99 in her first jump, the fourth best. In the second jump, she received a 96.40, which temporarily placed her second, a silver medal. She was, however, eventually dislodged by
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
's
Li Nina Li Nina (, born January 10, 1983, in Benxi, Liaoning) is a Chinese aerial skier who won silver at both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. She placed 5th at the 2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the X ...
, finishing third behind
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
's Evelyne Leu, who won the event, and Nina, who took silver. She also benefited from the unexpected fall of China's Xinxin Guo, who had received the highest score in the first jump and was expected to secure a place in the Olympic podium—at which time Camplin, who was already third then, would have gone out of the medal zone. She was selected to be the Australian flag-bearer at the
Opening Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
.


Post-skiing career

Camplin announced her retirement from competition in July 2006. She intends to pursue interests in the media and in the ski travel industry. As of 30 July 2006, she is an international executive for IBM, works as a motivational speaker, and does promotional and charity work. Camplin currently works as a senior executive at IBM managing a team of over 300 people. She has been the face of Wrigley's Extra
chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its t ...
in Australia since shortly after the 2002 Winter Olympics. She is also a judge on the Australian television competition ''
Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice ''Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice'' was an Australian reality television series which was based on the original British version, ''Dancing on Ice''. The series premiered on the Nine Network on Tuesday, 11 July 2006 at , and involved celebriti ...
'', and runs Alisa Camplin Ski Tours. On 4 November 2009, Alisa Camplin was one of 15 international torchbearers taking part in the relay's International media program, aimed at increasing global coverage of the cross-Canada relay. She ran on day 6 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic torch relay through the town of
Dawson City Dawson City, officially the City of Dawson, is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest town in Yuko ...
in the
Yukon Territory Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
. On 8 December 2009, it was announced that Alisa has joined the
Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club ...
board as a replacement for
Sally Capp Sally Anne Capp is an Australian politician who is the 104th lord mayor of Melbourne, elected on 18 May 2018 and sworn in on 24 May 2018. She is also the former executive director of the development lobbying group the Property Council of Victori ...
.


Personal life

Camplin married Oliver Warner in December 2010. Their first child, Finnan Maximus Camplin-Warner, was born six weeks prematurely on 10 March 2011. Finnan died 10 days later due to a congenital heart condition. Camplin and Warner have set up the charity Finnan's Gift (http://finnansgift.com), organised through the
Royal Children's Hospital The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is a major children's hospital in Melbourne, Australia. As a major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria, the Royal Children's Hospital provides a full range of clinical services, tertiary care, as we ...
, to raise money to buy equipment that will detect heart defects in other babies. On 3 October 2013, Camplin gave birth to their second child, Florence Camplin-Warner. On 20 July 2016, Camplin gave birth to their third child, Felix Camplin-Warner.


Honours

Camplin received the
Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
in 2000. She was awarded a
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in 2003 for her 2002 gold medal win. In 2008, she was inducted into the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser t ...
. In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours Camplin was appointed a
Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...
in recognition of her "significant service to the community through support for paediatric health care".


References


External links

* * * * * *
Flying high: Camplin's aerials win gives Australia another gold

She comes from the land Down Under : Aussie aerialist Camplin captures gold in dramatic fashion

Camplin to Carry Australian Flag
– sportal.com.au, Friday 10 February
Finnan's Gift
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camplin, Alisa 1974 births Living people Australian female freestyle skiers Freestyle skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Freestyle skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Olympic freestyle skiers of Australia Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Sportswomen from Victoria (Australia) Swinburne University of Technology alumni Olympic medalists in freestyle skiing Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees People educated at Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Skiers from Melbourne