Impact Alumni Magazine Winter 2024/25

MITCH ROBINSON ’13

MADISON HAR G RAVE ’15

Mitch Robinson ’13 is currently the Media Manager for the Supercars Championship in Australia, but his love of sharing sports with the public started at GC. Supercars is the most popular form of motorsport in Australia. Speaking broadly, it could be described as Australia’s version of NASCAR, though there are a number of differences between the two. “I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland and my role is to teach the world about racing and persuade them to become fans. I work closely with race teams and drivers, to show off the sport to as many people as possible.” Mitch helps Supercars promote race events. The largest of these events is the Bathurst 1000, a 1000-kilometer race around a track set on a small mountain a few hours west of Sydney. “We hold around 12-15 race events each year across Australia and New Zealand.” While at Guerin Catholic, Mitch was a part of the school’s Sports Broadcasting Club. “I got my start in sports broadcasting with Coach (Jeff) Buckner calling basketball games, during my junior year at GC. I was on the call for the whole run to the Golden Eagles’ first Boys’ Basketball State Championship in 2012, which in hindsight is pretty cool,” said Mitch. He learned vital sports marketing skills that he still uses in his career today. “Sports broadcasting helped me build skills I actually use quite often these days.” Mitch studied Communications with a minor in Marketing at Ball State University. In 2017, he graduated and relocated to Australia to begin his career in motorsports marketing. “The cliched phrase of ‘no two days are the same’ applies here. At the end of the day, I’m living in one of the most fascinating countries in the world, traveling to some of its coolest places, and doing cool stuff with race cars, all while getting paid to do it!” n

Madison Hargrave ’15 currently serves as Assistant Gymnastics Coach at Clemson University in South Carolina. “After competing as a student athlete for the University of North Carolina, I transitioned into coaching as a graduate assistant at NC State.” In 2022, Madison joined Clemson University after they announced the addition of gymnastics as a women’s sport, with the inaugural season set for 2024. Madison’s first year at Clemson was a hybrid role, in which she took care of various operational and business functions. “By 2023, I officially became an assistant coach, focusing primarily on the floor event as we prepared for our first competitive season. Our first season exceeded all expectations. Our incredible fan support was overwhelming—nearly every home meet was sold out, with an average attendance of over 8,500 fans per event.” Clemson finished 8th in the country for attendance, which was a remarkable accomplishment for a new program. Throughout most of the season, they were ranked nationally and peaked at 19th in the country. The team also made an impressive showing at the ACC Conference Championships, finishing in second place. “As the floor event coach, I am especially proud that our team ranked 16th nationally in this event.” “As I reflect on my journey, I find that my leadership style and coaching philosophy are deeply rooted in my experiences at Guerin Catholic. The teachers, staff, friends, and coaches I encountered there all played an important role in shaping who I am today, both as a person and a coach. I am incredibly grateful for my time at Guerin Catholic and proud to have been a Golden Eagle!” n

16 IMPACT MAGAZINE • WINTER 2024/25