Shae Graham

Started: She took up wheelchair rugby in 2014. (theinnersanctum.com.au, 29 Jul 2021; paralympic.org.au, 01 Sep 2019; abc.net.au, 14 May 2019) Reason: She tried the sport after losing a bet to her younger brother while on holiday. If she had won the bet her brother had to carry all her luggage for the remainder of the holiday, but if he won the bet she had to take up a sport chosen by him. "I went travelling for six months and ended up losing a bet, over beers, to my brother. To me, as an outsider, wheelchair rugby looked like a sport where a bunch of guys tried to kill each other. When I came home, I had to give it a go, so I did. I loved it and I've never looked back. It was the best bet I've ever lost." (paralympic.org.au, 01 Sep 2019; abc.net.au, 14 May 2019) Ambition: Outside of sport, she aspires to open her own bookshop. (womenshealth.com.au, 30 Aug 2019) Milestones: She became the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby at the Paralympic Games when she competed at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (vis.org.au, 31 Mar 2023) In 2019 she became the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby when she competed at the Four Nations Invitational in Birmingham, AL, United States of America. (paralympic.org.au, 01 Sep 2019) Awards: She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2022 Victoria Wheelchair Rugby Cup in Australia. (Wheelchair Rugby Victoria Facebook page, 21 Jun 2022) In 2018 she was named Best New Talent at the Australian national championship in Sydney, New South Wales. (paralympic.org.au, 01 Sep 2019) Additional Info: PLAYING MIXED SPORT In 2019 she became the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby. "When I first started playing, the boys didn't hit me as hard. It didn't take long until the hits started getting hard, and I like that there are big hits, I like that it's rough. It feels really good to be part of a team again. I was so set on making the team that I kind of forgot that I was going to be the first female who was going to represent Australia at an international competition level. [Her male teammates] are very interested in helping me develop as a player. They're always checking in or answering my questions, they're a lovely bunch of humans." (You Little Ripper YouTube channel, 28 Jan 2024; womenshealth.com.au, 30 Aug 2019; abc.net.au, 14 May 2019; Australian Paralympic Team YouTube channel, 17 May 2019) OCCUPATION She has worked as a librarian in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. "It's a little bit different being on court and smashing into each other, and then going off to the library telling people to keep it down. Initially when I first joined the squad I was juggling three casual jobs and training. I was just burning myself out. So, I've learned balance over the last few years [speaking in 2024], and I've got a really good job at Melbourne Museum that allows me to kind of have more flexibility around working and playing, and heading overseas." (LinkedIn profile, 24 Mar 2024; You Little Ripper YouTube channel, 28 Jan 2024; kidsnews.com.au, 25 Apr 2021; wheelchair-experts.in, 30 Aug 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION Between 2015 and 2017 she studied for a master's degree in information management at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Victoria, Australia. She also holds a graduate certificate in teaching from the Australian Catholic University. (LinkedIn profile, 24 Mar 2024) OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2023 she was appointed as an athlete representative on the World Wheelchair Rugby Athlete Council. She has also been an ambassador for The Good Village, an Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] education programme that teaches primary school children about health, wellbeing, fitness and nutrition. (paralympic.org.au, 23 Jun 2023; worldwheelchair.rugby, 09 Jun 2023; vis.org.au, 01 Apr 2021)