ABOUT AMBER

INTRODUCING AMBER

Hi, my name is Amber Parkinson and I'm a fencer. After many years of training and competing at the highest level nationally and internationally, I've just qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics! Now that I have qualified, I'll be heading overseas again to compete in four more competitions, both to maintain my world ranking and gain invaluable training practice with the world's best. I'll then also train in Europe in July, all to give myself the best chance on Wednesday 13 August.

Fencing is a minority sport in Australia, and like many sportspeople involved in such sports, to date, I've been self-funded. For the past five years I've juggled full-time work as an editor, training five to six times each week, and competition at a national and international level. The financial burden has been significant but the aspiration of realising my goal makes it all worthwhile.

In return for a unique opportunity to sponsor an Olympic athlete, there will be numerous media opportunities in the lead-up to the Games where my sponsors can be mentioned. In addition I'm allowed to wear a promotional patch on my jacket or breeches while competing. In addition I would also be happy to provide motivational speaking, organise fencing demonstrations or conduct fencing team-building activities for staff.

Thank you for your attention, and your support and assistance are very much appreciated. I'd also like to thank Worldwide Ticketing for their generous support.

ABOUT AMBER

My fencing journey in recent years to arrive at this point has been an amazing one: always physically and emotionally challenging, it has also been incredibly enjoyable and rewarding. The psychological stamina and mental agility required to outwit your opponent are as important as physical fitness, training and competition experience.

Competing at any level is exhilarating and triumphant in winning, yet humbling and at times soul-destroying in defeat. But these are important lessons to have learned not just for competing on the piste but also for everyday life. Fencing has enabled me to learn how to win and more importantly how to lose gracefully. Hitting someone or being hit by someone repeatedly with a long piece of metal most days of the week is indeed one of the most primal ways this can be expressed. In recent years I have also proven to myself that I can survive quite well largely on a diet of baked beans!

I began fencing at the age of 11 as an after-school activity and continued through my school years, through my university years and beyond. Early on I never expected that fencing would become such a large part of my life, nor did I ever expect in those early days that I'd one day be in the running for Olympic qualification.

I am the current Australian National Champion for women's epee and in August 2007 I placed second at the Asian Fencing Championships, losing only in the final to the current world number one. This is the best result for any Australian fencer at an international competition in the lead up to these Olympics and it was certainly one of the highlights of my career.

Outside of fencing I work full-time as an editor in educational publishing. I speak Italian and French fluently and am lucky to be able to use these languages in my work. I have also recently started learning German. My other interests include cooking, reading, seeing friends, going to the movies and travelling… although between work and training I find I don't have much spare time! Fencing has also allowed me to travel to all corners of the globe. Ultimately the many sacrifices have been worth it for the wonderful experiences I've had and fantastic people I've been able to share them with. Competing in any sport at an elite level necessarily involves making sacrifices in all facets of your life. You can only hope to achieve your goals and hope that the hard work and sacrifices pay off.