BSSC Year 12 student, Avery McDermid, is a serious runner with every major national and international competition in his sights.
His parents’ involvement in the sport means Avery has travelled to triathlons and similar events since he was tiny.
Primary school cross-country events and Saturday afternoons running with a club began his own focus, but he looks back on these early years and sees he wasn’t that serious about training and consequently wasn’t all that fast.
At his 7–10 college, Avery joined BSE’s Athlete Development Program (ADP) and began working with teacher and Olympian, Andy Buchanan, who is still his coach.
While BSE’s ADP has produced some great runners, Andy initially didn’t have Avery on his radar as up-and-coming talent.
“Then I started training more seriously, more often, and competing more,” Avery says. “Within 16 months I was at nationals.”
Avery’s main events are 1500 metre and 5km on the track. He also competes cross-country, usually between 5km and 10km, but mostly 8km.
It’s currently cross-country season, and the next event on Avery’s calendar is nationals to be held in Ballarat in late August.
“I’m better at track,” Avery says, “but Andy and I are still aiming for me to end in the top ten in Ballarat.”
Having parents who understand his love of the sport is great, but they also impress him for other qualities, including the example they set and how hard they work. Avery says his mum is the hardest working person he knows.
“Mum and Dad have had to make sacrifices to support me and the choices they’ve made have made my choices possible.”
The running community in Bendigo is pretty tight knit and Avery says he’s been deeply impressed by the commitment of Andy and other people he trains with.
“I have a base respect for anyone who is good at something—but this group have really built on this, and I’m so grateful for their support of me.”
When he’s not training, Avery’s part-time job also revolves around running. At Verve he enjoys being able to encourage his customers—from casual joggers to professional athletes—to keep running a lifelong journey.
Despite schoolwork, his job, and training, Avery makes sure he still has plenty of time for family and friends, and anything else he really wants to do.
Like most athletes, Avery uses visualisation as part of his training and competition process to build and maintain belief in his capacity, “That what I want is going to happen”.
The next step for Avery is probably an athletic scholarship in the US where he would concurrently study a degree in business—a qualification very transferable on his return to Australia. He and his dad are going to the US in September to look at some of the options available.
He doesn’t need an ATAR, but Avery is committed to getting the best results he can—ensuring he really is giving himself plenty of back-up options.
Being a professional athlete would be the pinnacle of his dreams—and of course, he’d love to compete at the Olympics.
This year he’s studying English, General Maths, Psychology, Revolutions, and Accounting. He completed 3/4 Biology in Year 11.
Avery is enjoying all his subjects and teachers, and says this makes such a difference to how he feels walking into class. Maths is a favourite because, he says, he’s always been a ‘numbers person’.
When he sits down to study Avery finds note-taking works well, as do practice exams.
“Like everyone else, I get stressed sometimes—but I think it’s hard to measure because stress impacts everyone differently.
“Just sitting with stress and accepting I’m stressed because I really care about something, is a reminder I’m fortunate to be doing what I’m doing.
“Thinking like this allows me to take a step back and avoid becoming negative about that stress.”
If Avery needs a space to reflect on an important issue, running is his ‘go to’.
He describes BSSC with the word “opportunities” because of the “insane number” of different things going on at the college and where BSSC can take each student. For him this includes our Athlete Development Program.
Challenges that have arisen have tended to be personal, and he’s found if he raises these concerns, he receives “support in abundance”.
“After being here for 18 months, I definitely recommend this college,” he says, “and I don’t see why anyone would want to go anywhere else. Even when you look at Old Gold magazine, the variety of pics are incredible.
“The other word I’d use to describe the college is ‘excellence’.
“Whether it’s excellence in the heart—being honest and true to yourself—or in your studies, or other interests you have, this college produces good people.”
He’s thrived in other ways at BSSC too.
“I’m a lot more open to others these days—I think I was a bit closed-off with a small friendship group at my 7-10 college. Being at BSSC is almost like repainting myself,” Avery says.
“I view the world in a more positive light compared to three to four years ago too and I like, and am proud of, who I am becoming.”
Given the chance to go back and change things, Avery says he wouldn’t change anything because, “everything—even mistakes—are just as important as wins in making you who you are.”
