November 2010 - Elite athletes are welcome at Curtin

Harry Taylor, Geelong defender and part-time Curtin Physiotherapy student.

Geelong defender, Harry Taylor, who is studying Physiotherapy at Curtin University, recently joined the greats of Australian football by being named in the All-Australian team.

The part-time student was chosen for the first time in his career as centre half-back and joined five other Geelong team mates in the star-studded side.

The Geelong player said that it was a great honour to be named an All-Australian.

"I am very proud of this achievement, but I'm also very grateful that I play in a great team with some terrific individual players. My team mates are the ones that have made me an All-Australian player," he said.

Taylor said that completing his degree and playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) was challenging, but that his course had provided him with a distraction from the mental challenges that AFL players face during the season.

"The AFL world can be a stressful place. Physiotherapy has allowed me to focus my attention on something totally different. My studies have enabled me to relax and have taken me away from the pressures of professional sport."

"Thanks to the Elite Athlete program at Curtin, I'm undertaking a study plan that fits around my busy sporting schedule.

"The School of Physiotherapy's clinical coordination team have worked hard to develop a program that allows me to undertake clinical placements in Geelong, and there is also a flexible delivery of course content for my final year. All of these changes have enabled me to study whilst playing for Geelong at the same time."

Taylor aims to complete his Physiotherapy degree in two years and is interested in the gerontology side of physiotherapy.

Found out more about Curtin's Elite Athlete Program.
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