The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 56

THEY SO BROKE TO REPRESENT US I I fortune, there Is another forgotten group of men and women maKing Dig financial sac- nnces ior wieir spun. PAINTINGS GRAPHICS BY THE MODERN MASTERS These are some of tne Australian uiymjm. wwhwmw and spending thousands of dollars. The only gold they ii i --if jtww its? KarelAppel Oil on Canvas 1975 FRIDAY DECEMBER 5 AT 7 P.M. To be held at The North Sydney Club, 88 Berry Street, North Sydney.

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mm a way Ken Elphick spsnt Ken Grove no future By PHIL SCOTT pics, said in a recent letter to his parents that he had made up his mind to take out Austrian citizenship. "A top Austrian sportsman is sponsored by a firm, and in that way they learn a trade, have time for training, and are given all the time they need for competition with full salary," Grove wrote. Ken Grove has been awarded a scholarship at the Vienna Sports College and a monthly allowance of $136. In stark contrast, Australia's sportsmen are largely left to fend for themselves. Kevin Nicholls, and fellow Australian cycling champion Gary Sutton, have had to spend thousands of dollars to make it to the top.

"I had to give my university economics course away after two years because I couldn't afford not to work," says Nichols. "I've had to buy three bikes one for the track, one for the road and a training machine. They've cost me about $650 each. "On top of that is the cost of spares. Every time I get a puncture it costs me $27 for a new tyre.

"You just can't reach the top in cycling without spending big money." Nicholls now works as labourer for a former champion cyclist. "Old cyclists are the only people who'll employ you while you're training they understand what it's all about." Gary Sutton claims he hu may see is in the medals. $7,500 in Did tor Olympics here, so went to live in Austria. spent at least $5,000 in the last 18 months. "As well as equipment I have to travel all over NSW, to Queensland and Victoria for road and track racing during the season," he said.

"It's the only way to get competition. "Some of the fares have been subsidised, either by the government or the clubs, but most of the time you have to pay your own way. "I work, in a bank4 and I'm lucky that they give me time off to compete. "But when I retire I'll be in the same position as a junior because I won't have had the time to study." Hurdler Ken Elphick is convinced that Australia and New Zealand arc the only nations in the world where amateur sport still exists. "I've just paid my way across to the UK for a training stint," he said.

"Hurdlers in the British squad don't work. They train or compete and mysteriously maintain a very high standard of living." Australian 400 metre champion Stephen Gee is disenchanted. "It has cost me thousands to get where I am and if I win a medal in Montreal it will be for me," he said. Most Australians puff out their chests and. glow with pride when a local sportsman mounts the victory dais at the Olympic Games.

Very few stop to think how much that gold medal cost. In Ken Elphick's words: It you win a gold you've paw for it in hot sweat and cold cash. KM Amateur sport to inem is Kevin Nicholls spent thousands gave up uni, AT 4 o'clock on most; mornings Kevin Nicholls drags himself out of bed and climbs on to a bicycle. For three hours he pushes himself until his legs ache and his lungs gasp for air he's chasing gold for Australia, and it's costing him plenty. On the other side of Sydney Ken Eiphick limbers up in prepa ration tor a gruelling tour-mile "wind sprint." He, too, is aiming for gold and it's sending him broke.

Kevin Nicholls is the Australian 10-mile cycling champion and looks certain to represent Australia at the 21st Olympic Games in Montreal next year. Ken Elphick is a 400-metre hurdler. He, too, is striving for the coveted bottle-green track suit. Nicholls has sacrificed a university education and about $5,000 in the past two years for his chance at the Games. Elphick has lost 18 months from his law studies and about $7,500 in his bid to make Montreal.

That is the situation facing Australia's top amateur sportsmen as they step up their preparations. It is precisely the situation that prompted Olympic diving star Ken Grove to renounce his Australian citizenship and move to Austria. Grove, who represented Australia at the Munich Olym- 'y, i TO MSI 6 Installation extra If required. SP400 SD400 W900 S1200 2PKS 900 $92.00 $29.35 $60.95 $82.80 $8.00 $09.00 $25.40 Bullet Back Laminate $86.50 Kitchens designed and remodelled to suit your needs. A large range of door and bench top colours for your selection.

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