Media Releases

Teresa Branca - Bantam Weight Gold Medalist. Australian AUG National Championships.

http://www.acu.edu.au/about_acu/news_events/update/2008/issue_19_-_thursday_2_october/

Athletes perform at University Games

ACU National’s team of athletes are currently performing strongly at the Australian University Games in Melbourne.

Exercise Science student and Taekwondo athlete Teresa Branca has won the University’s first medals of the Games, by claiming a gold medal in her own weight division on top of a silver medal in the class above her.

Congratulations to Teresa, and good luck to the rest of the team for the remainder of the competition.

Uni Games

ACU National medallist Teresa Branca (right) with fellow competitor from RMIT

Bernadette Branca appears on Creature Feature

http://www.abc.net.au/creaturefeatures/celeb/berniebranca.htm

Bernadette Branca

Bernadette Branca is a rising star in the Korean martial art of taekwondo.

The Brancas believe in keeping it all in the family. They have four cats who are all siblings, two dogs who are mother and daughter, and the entire Branca clan is involved in taekwondo.

Father Ronnie is a full time instructor and a massage therapist for the Australian taekwondo team. Mother Sharon does all the data entry for the Victorian taekwondo competition. And their three daughters are all tough competitors.

24-year-old Theresa is a former national champion. 16-year-old Jasmine is in the National Junior Team. And 19-year-old Bernadette has just been accepted into the Australian squad for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Bernadette started taekwondo when she was four, learning kicking and punching, and was about seven when she moved on to sparring.

"It's quite a safe sport because kids under 13 aren't allowed to do head kicks," she said. "We have mouth guards, shin guards, head guards and other protective gear."

The Branca family has two dogs, Gizmo and Bella.

Gizmo is about five years old, very small and possibly a Pomeranian. Gizmo often brings Bernadette her mobile phone when it's ringing.

Bella is Gizmo's daughter. She's two years old and also good company, but not as smart as her mother.

The Brancas also have four cats, Ginger, Elvira, Betty and Blue Boy. About three years old a pregnant cat appeared on the doorstep and the family adopted her. The cats they have now are her kittens.