Alumni Stories
GRADS 2024: Seth Chen
Seth Chen was an athlete growing up.
Throughout his school years, he competed in basketball and swimming, and also excelled in tennis and athletics.
But it wasn’t until a mate dragged him to play in a volleyball tournament when he was 15, that he found the sport that would see him become an elite athlete.
“My best friends Jayden Lee and Andy Kim moved to my high school from a big volleyball school, and they invited me to join the volleyball team in a NSW Schools Cup volleyball competition,” recalls Seth.
“I played well in that tournament and ended up really enjoying the sport and the culture, so I decided to focus on volleyball and kept playing.”
Through repetitions and his athletic background, Seth rapidly progressed, and he eventually caught the eye of scouts. In Year 11, he was selected for the first time to represent Australia as a junior, competing internationally in Thailand against teams from Japan, China and Korea.
By the time he was 17, Seth’s growth and potential had landed him a scholarship offer to join the Centre of Excellence program at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). But the timing wasn’t quite right.
“At the time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fully commit to volleyball and I was only in Year 11 – I was still enjoying school and wanted to see it through and at the same time, use those years to improve my volleyball skills and figure out what I wanted to do for uni,” says Seth.
He used the next couple of years to hone his volleyball skills, spending countless hours in the gym, multiple times a day. In the process, he transitioned from a middle blocker to a setter – the most difficult and technical position on the court.
“As I got more into the game, I realised that my strengths aren’t limited to my athletic abilities – I can also read and see the game in different ways, which allows me to have more of an impact on the court as somewhat of a leader,” says Seth.
“I also thought that in terms of pursuing this as a career, I’m not as tall as some of the top middle blockers in the world, but as a setter – some of the best setters in the world are in their 30s – I have the advantage of my strong physicality, and I’ll also be able to mature into the position as I gain experience.”
Over his next few high school years, Seth decided that he would study physiotherapy at uni, dedicating most of his time in Year 12 to achieve this goal, and ultimately sacrificing his position on the Australian Junior team at 2018 Asian Youth Champs.
“It was one of the biggest sacrifices that I’ve ever made – prioritising my studies in Year 12 over an opportunity to qualify for World Championships with my teammates. But I wouldn’t have done anything differently, as that decision allowed me to achieve my other dream of pursuing a career as a Physiotherapist,” says Seth.
“Although my coach Les Young loves to constantly remind me that it’s likely we would have qualified for Worlds if I played!”
After two years of studying full-time in Sydney, Seth finally decided to join the AIS program when he was 20 and transfer to the Bachelor of Physiotherapy program at UC. He feels it’s one of the best that the University has to offer.
“Being a physio aligned with my interest in sports and the human body. My parents were very supportive of my volleyball pursuits, but they also instilled the importance of having a backup plan,” says Seth.
“A pro athlete’s career only lasts for a relatively short period – if you’re lucky, you get maybe 10-15 years – so I wanted to make sure that I was able to optimise my hours and pursue my athletic career while also keeping track of my studies, so that I’m setting myself up for my career outside of pro sports.”
Seth has approached his academic pursuits with the same drive and discipline he exhibits in his athletic career. Despite his busy training schedule, he always made sure that he was on top of assessments and was the best version of a physiotherapist he could be for his patients, during his placements and as a sports physiotherapist intern.
“Placement for physio is done through five five-week blocks – so there would be times that I’d be in Bega Hospital Monday to Friday, then drive to Canberra on Friday night so I could train as much as I could for volleyball over the weekend, then Sunday night or Monday morning, drive back to Bega for another week of placement,” recalls Seth.
“The Elite Athlete Program was great for timetabling and when they could, my lecturers allowed me some leeway in terms of timelines and assessments. But for my placements, I just adhered to a strict and disciplined schedule that allowed me to work efficiently so that I could complete everything I needed to do, and still had time to train.”
Packed is an understatement to describe Seth’s schedule during placements. He would go to the gym and get volleyball reps from 6-8:30am, head straight to an eight-hour placement, then head back to training and recovery for the next three hours, before going home for dinner, and to complete paperwork and plan for the next day.
Throughout, Seth continued his progress in volleyball, securing a roster spot with the Canberra Heat, and playing an instrumental role in the club’s run to the 2022 Australian Volleyball League championship.
“That was crazy because our first setter at that time caught COVID-19 and wasn’t cleared to play the semifinals [against defending champion and top seed Queensland]. I had to step up and I ended up playing some of the best volleyball I’ve ever played. We won a five-set thriller,” recalls Seth.
“And then to back it up and win the grand final against Adelaide in another five-setter, was such an amazing feeling.”
In 2023, Seth landed his first overseas professional contract in Denmark with Nordenskov UIF Elite Volley. It was a good first taste of what a future in the sport could look like. The team secured a silver and bronze medal with the team in the Danish League and Danish Cup respectively.
“Instead of focusing on being technically perfect and getting as many quality reps in practice as possible, it’s now shifted towards optimising performance for games, and knowing and executing the gameplan on matchday,” says Seth.
“There’s a bit of pressure, because success is now more strictly measured in wins and losses and your individual performance is tied to that. It could mean the difference to the next contract.
“But I really enjoyed the experience, getting to travel and visit places I’ve never seen before and building some great relationships with teammates. That’s why I’m looking to do it again somewhere this year, especially now that I’ve completed my degree.”
As he enters the next chapter of his life, Seth reflects on his time in Canberra with fondness, and hopes he can blend a career in physiotherapy with his upstart volleyball career.
“I’ve made some lifelong friends here at UC – going through our studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now graduating together, is pretty special,” says Seth.
“I want to pursue being a pro volleyball player, and I also want to see if I can find a way to do physio work while I’m at it, because I love both and I can see amazing benefits if I can find a way to pull it off.
“That’s my next challenge.”
Words by Mike Verzosa. Images by Liam Budge.
This September, we celebrate the graduating class of 2024.
Many have overcome challenges with grace and resilience, and all have grown in remarkable ways. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone.
We celebrate those who are already making an impact in their chosen fields, those who have changed careers, and others who have embarked on their postgraduate study path – we look forward to seeing what you achieve as alumni of the University of Canberra.