Kaarle McCulloch

My name is Kaarle McCulloch, and I am a professional athlete in the sport of track cycling.  I have been an elite athlete for 15 years, and I have competed at the Olympic level and won Olympic and World Championship medals.  I have written this letter as a reference for Harper Pestinger to support his endeavours to further his journalism education and career.

Harper contacted me to participate in his podcast ‘Where do we begin?’ before the Tokyo Olympic Games. I usually would not accept these opportunities, primarily due to lack of time and having a lot of media through my sporting organisation.  However, what helped me accept this opportunity was the originality of the podcast concept coupled with two young people (Harper Pestinger and Lachie Gibbs) who have a bold vision for where they want to take their podcast and what they hope to achieve.  I resonated with the way the podcast was structured. I was thrilled to find that Harper and was very professional. Furthermore, they had done extensive research on me and my sport. They had engaging and thoughtful questions beyond the typical questions that I get asked. 

Harper made me feel comfortable and was eager to learn about me. I was willing to engage and open up about complex topics (such as body image). As a result, a genuine episode was created that was touching and insightful.  It is not often that I find this particularly easy with media members due to a feeling of them having a hidden agenda. However, I felt as though Harper was a genuine listener who adapted questions as the interview evolved – a technique that I rarely encounter in a journalist who typically has pre-prepared questions, which I often answer before the question has been asked.

I expect as Harper gains more experience and education that his skills will grow further and strengthen. Therefore, I highly recommend Harper Pestinger as someone that would be an asset to a company or a worthy recipient of scholarships or internships.

Yours,

Kaarle McCulloch

21/09/2021