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Ski champ uses USC degree for business
Oystein Barhaughogda can’t stop smiling. The elite waterski jumper visited the Sunshine Coast to help launch his sporty fashion range in the country where he first got the idea – as a student at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The Oysteins label has this year become a full-time business for the 30-year-old Norwegian, in between skiing competitions around the world.
His swimwear and casual wear aim to reflect the dynamic, outdoorsy lifestyle of waterskiers and wakeboarders. The label was showcased at a Sydney fashion event in early March.
Oystein said he was targeting global markets after winning a regional newcomer business award in Norway. He’s now using a $50,000 Australian Government grant and the backing of investors to push into Aussie and American markets.
He said he was steered in the right direction by his USC degree.
“I came to Australia in 2000 when I was invited by my then Sunshine Coast-based coach Ray Stokes. I wanted to improve my skiing while studying,” he said.
“My plan was to become a computer engineer but I ended up completing a Bachelor of Business (International Business and Marketing) at USC by 2003. It suited me much better.
“Ray helped me add another 20 metres to my jumping so I could jump 60 metres and then I got more sponsors. One of the things I learned in the degree was events marketing with Gayle Mayes, so I put the logo from my personal website on the shirts I wore to the World Cup in Melbourne. People started saying, ‘Where can I buy your clothes?’ and it all happened naturally.”
USC Tourism and Marketing Lecturer Dr Gayle Mayes said Oystein was a wonderful example of how students could achieve international success with the application of business principles.
Dr Mayes, a former Olympic kayaker, said the Norwegian ski champ’s ambition stood out when he took her course, Sport Festival and Event Marketing.
“Right from the start I could see he was a man on a mission,” she said. “He was keen on doing an assignment based on his sport’s international competition.
“He wanted to make waterskiing more high-profile and came up with radical ideas to advance it, make it more spectator-friendly, get more sponsors. It was very meaningful for him and he worked hard because he wanted to create his own business.”
Dr Mayes, who has taught the course for nine years, said it now catered for all types of events, from sports to arts and culture.
“It’s brilliant because the Sunshine Coast is a real events destination so the students can get hands-on, practical experience attending and analysing them from a marketing point of view."
– Julie Gatehouse