THINK of an Australian athlete pulling on the green and gold for their country and images of Cathy Freeman, Ian Thorpe and Ricky Ponting are conjured.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Few Australian athletes have the honour of wearing their country’s colours, and fewer still get there by throwing a frisbee.
But Lauren Tink is out to change that.
The Serviceton woman, 21, will compete for Australia at the World Flying Disc Federation 2015 World Under-23 Ultimate Championships in London.
The team was officially named on Saturday, but Tink said coaches tipped her off last week that she would be selected.
Tink said she was over the moon to have the chance to represent her country.
‘‘It is a dream come true for me,’’ she said.
‘‘Ever since I was a little kid I have wanted to play sport at a high level, so it’s definitely very exciting.’’
Despite her determination to succeed athletically, Tink has only been playing ultimate frisbee for a year and a half.
She took up the sport while studying at uni and quickly fell in love with it.
Tink experienced a rapid rise through the ranks and competed at the World Flying Disc Federation’s annual World Ultimate Club Championships in Italy in August.
Her team – Sporting Team Box Athletico United – went through the Australian Ultimate Championships undefeated to qualify for the world club championships.
At the worlds, the club finished 14th from a field of 48 women’s teams.
Tink said the experience gained in August would help her prepare for July’s under-23 world championships.
‘‘It has definitely helped me a lot because the club competition is open age, whereas this one is under-23, so I will definitely have a lot of experience up my sleeve,’’ she said.
‘‘I think it will be good playing in my own age group because I was the youngest one on my team at the club championships.’’
Tink said she played mainly as a defender at the world club championships but expected to take on more of an attacking role in the national side.
She said the USA and Japan would be Australia’s main threats next year.
Tink said she hoped to raise the profile of the sport in the Wimmera.
‘‘I think it is rising in popularity and the number of people who are playing it is growing,’’ she said.
‘‘There isn’t anyone else in the Wimmera that I know of, which is a shame because I need a training buddy.
‘‘Hopefully some teams start to form around here in the future.’’