When Steven Bradbury won Australia's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics, his victory was glorious but also humorous.
So it makes perfect sense that the motivational speaking he does nowadays reflects both sides of his greatest moment.
"When I do events on stage, I do a combination of motivation and humour. I call it Olympic comedy," Bradbury said.
Bradbury will speak at a luncheon in Newcastle on Friday, June 10, which will raise money for Grow A Star - a youth mentoring and scholarship program that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The program, run by Home in Place, provides scholarships to social and affordable housing residents and other disadvantaged youth to help them realise academic, sporting or artistic dreams.
Bradbury won gold in the 1000m short-track speed skating final at the Salt Lake City games in 2002.
It was hailed as a great victory for the underdog when his four rivals collided and fell on the ice, leaving him to skate to the finish line alone.
It marked the end of a career that featured four Olympics, a bronze medal in a relay and shocking injuries, including a broken neck and severed thigh that was life threatening.
His speeches focus on his recipe for success, but he isn't worried if his humour puts him on thin ice. He has a thick skin. Words don't hurt him.
"Political correctness in the 21st century is ridiculous. I do some politically correct jokes on stage and if people take offence from that, I see that as their problem not mine."
His advice to make it in this day and age is to "become a specialist in something".
"I think the 21st century demands expertise in something," he said.
"When I was a kid, my dad could fix everything. But now everything has become so specialised that it's difficult for somebody to become a jack of all trades. Therefore you need to become one of the best at something."
He urges people to map out their goals and not shirk hard work.
"When you truly become elite at something, like I used to be at speed skating or like I try to be now as a presenter on stage, the adrenalin comes with that and it doesn't feel so much like hard work anymore," he said.
"The question is, are you prepared to do the hard, shit work and the tough days for however long it takes before you become elite at what you do?"
Star Power
Wickham student Max Heffernan has recently benefited from a $2000 Grow A Star scholarship.
Max, 16, a Year 11 student, will receive a computer and financial help for school costs.
"Next term I start TAFE at Hamilton. I'll be doing kitchen operations there. I'm currently working in the kitchen at the Mary Ellen pub," he said.
He hopes this experience will enable him to travel.
"My big plan is to get in a van, do it up and travel around Australia," he said.
Max lives with his mum.
"I do have a very strong connection with my mum. It's been her and I since I was six months old. I'm always happy and smiling when I'm around mum. I always try to be anyway," he said.
Max often stays after school or borrows his girlfriend's computer to complete homework and assignments.
"I'm grateful for the scholarship. I've been saving up for a computer for so long and it's just been given to me. I can put my savings now into my future and travels," he said.
"I'm very passionate about short film making and video editing and I haven't had a computer to do this on. So getting a proper computer will help me heaps."
Max said his mum - a hairdresser - "likes to keep her finances private".
"She tries to shield it from me, but we get by week by week. It's not always easy. It's obviously not a stroll in the park for a single mother to raise a 16-year-old boy.
"Things have been very tough in the past. We always seem to manage."
It's fitting that Max won a Grow A Star scholarship because he is aiming for the stars.
"Mum rents a Home in Place property and they referred me to the Grow A Star program. Mum has always told me the sky's the limit and I've taken that strongly to heart. It really doesn't matter where I start, it's where I go," he said.
Home in Place community partnerships manager Michelle Faithfull said Max's scholarship was "supported by Hunter-based member organisation Collective Heart".
She said scholarship recipients receive mentoring from Grow A Star co-ordinator Shane Marshall.
"Often the cost of equipment, lessons and extra-curricular programs prevents some kids with talent from realising their potential," Ms Faithfull said.
"We provide mentoring to give young people another adult to talk to and help them in setting goals to reach for the stars," she said.
Founder of Collective Heart, Matt Linnert, said educational scholarships can make a real difference in young people's lives.
Tickets for the luncheon at Noah's on the Beach are available through humanitix.com.
