13 years ago, the Central Coast lost teenage lifesaving champion Donnica Clarke. From tragedy came light in the formation of the Donnica Clarke Foundation who has awarded close to a quarter of a million dollars to local scholarship recipients. Earlier this month the 2020 scholarship winners were announced at a Gala event held at Mingara.
In attendance along with other sponsors was local leading Physiotherapy practice, Physio Connex Performance Clinic who is proud to be a supportive partner to help aspiring young athletes like Donnica to fulfil their sporting dreams.
Donnica Clarke’s philosophy was to “just keeping trying; you’ll always get there eventually”, today in the current climate this is now more relevant than ever. The aim of The Donnica Clarke Foundation is to offer financial, moral and ‘in kind’ support to young male and female athletes across all sports from the Central Coast region of NSW, Australia. The Foundation provides scholarships for young emerging athletes, male and female, across all sports from the Central Coast region of New South Wales, to assist in their endeavors to become a successful sports person.
Earlier this month the Foundation welcomed ten new scholarship recipients along with six returning recipients.
Class of 2020:
#60 Alyssia McGurk – Gymnastics
#64 Fletcher Armstrong – Kayak & Surf Life Saving
#69 Callum Sutton – Paddle Sports & Athletics
#71 Kaya Ardita – Touch Football, Oztag & Athletics
#73 Sam Hughes – Water Polo
#75 Kallan Strong – Ten Pin Bowling
# 76 Kirra Dibb – Rugby League
#77 Katie Gunn – Athletics
#78 Tyler Gunn – Athletics
#79 Aspen Henderson – Water Polo
#80 James Koch – Swimming & Surf Life Saving
#81 Lachlan McLeod – Water Polo
#82 Daniel McLoughlin – Swimming
#83 Molly Picklum – Surfing
#84 George Wells – Athletics
#85 Emelyn Wheeler – Surf Life Saving
Principal Physiotherapist and owner of Physio Connex Performance Clinic, Melinda Dennis is particularly passionate about supporting local athletes through the Donnica Clarke Foundation. “Donnica was a young, multi-talented athlete from the Central Coast whose future no doubt would have continued to see national and international accolades against her name. We want to support and nurture the young talent we come across at our clinic who are on a similar path”’ explains Dennis. “We are a niche sport-based practice, with staff who also grew up on the Central Coast playing sport, therefore it is a huge passion of ours to provide these athletes with as much opportunity as possible to be the best athletes they can be”.
Located at Unit 1, 25 Amsterdam Circuit, North Wyong (Wadalba) in a new state of the art facility with full scale rehabilitation gym on site, Physio Connex Performance Clinic is known as a preferred clinic for local athletes. The team of highly experienced and skilled physios, exercise physiologists and strength and conditioning experts use the latest techniques, technology and equipment combined with evidence-based practice to best serve the Central Coast community. They currently look after sports coverage for a number of local sporting clubs including Wyong Roos Rugby League Club, Doyalson Dragons Touch, Central Coast Roosters, Central Coast United and more.
Patrons of Donnica Clarke Foundation, Tony and Kerrie Clarke are ‘’thrilled to have Physio Connex Performance Clinic onboard as a key supporter of Donnica Clarke Foundation scholarship recipients”. The Clarkes continue “the more access these athletes have to premium treatment and services to help them on their sporting journey the better”. Physio Connex Performance Clinic is providing scholarship holders with discounted access to physiotherapy treatment and Strength and Conditioning assessment and programming. By supporting local athletes on the Central Coast, the team is helping local sporting stars and everyday individuals to achieve optimum performance in sport and in life.
Find out more: https://www.donicaclarke.com.au
Physiotherapy Tuggerah – Physio Connex | sports injury, remedial massage, exercise physiology
Ph: 02 4314 5183
Supporting local athletes on the Central Coast
