Australian Olympian battles for schools to lift ban on break dancing

Australian Community Media

Dr Rachael Gunn is competing in breaking in the 2024 Paris Olympics but at home she’s battling for NSW to lift their ban on children breaking at public schools.

Transcript

00:00For the first time ever, breaking, aka break dancing, will make its debut as a new sport

00:15in this year's Olympic Games.

00:17And Australia has a powerful fighting chance, thanks to Dr Rachel Gunn.

00:23I just want to go out there and do my best and really showcase what Australia has on

00:29the world stage and also do Australians proud.

00:33But back home, Dr Gunn, or Ray Gunn, is facing her own battle to unban the sport in Australia.

00:42In the late 90s I believe, breaking was banned in NSW schools because it was deemed too dangerous.

00:51It's an issue close to home for the NSW-born Olympian, with no other state or territory

00:58banning breaking in public schools.

01:01ACT public schools ban headspins, but not the sport itself.

01:07I kind of felt like it was more tied up in the kind of attitudes towards hip-hop culture

01:14in NSW.

01:17There is a lot of resistance and a lot of negativity around hip-hop culture in NSW.

01:25And as for the sport's safety, Ray Gunn has been breaking for almost 13 years and hasn't

01:32had a serious injury.

01:35Breaking's not a contact sport.

01:36We don't have external forces rushing at you, you know, you're in control of your body the

01:42whole time.

01:43You're also not falling from a great height, you know, you're not up on a balance beam

01:48or you're not being thrown up in the air on ice.

01:52One of the things you learn in breaking is actually how to fall properly so that you

01:56don't injure yourself.

01:58So I actually think by not having these programs in schools is probably going to be more risky

02:04for kids who are super excited after seeing breaking at the Olympics and aren't going

02:09to get that tiny bit of level of instruction that's just going to keep them safe.

02:22For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov

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