World Championship Fundraising Page

In October 2015 I qualified to represent New Zealand in my age group at the Irish Dancing World Championships which will be held at Easter 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. I've been working toward this competition since I was 6 years old - it's been a long road to get here!

Competing against the best Irish dancers is difficult for those of us in the sport in New Zealand. The major competitions are a long way from here and the standard of dancing is simply outstanding. Travelling to the World Championships and training in the United Kingdom before the competition is vital to help me be at my best. But it is expensive.

Training for the competition will take up 6 days a week with up to 20 hours of high intensity work, aerobic exercise, and of course, dance practice itself. Irish dancing is an explosive power sport as well as being an artistic expression. Dancers heart rates approach 200 beats per minute during some of the dances which can last for over 2 minutes - It's just like running an 800 metre race but with kicks, spins, and jumps thrown in!

The training is hard but essential to give me a chance against the top 150 girls in my age group from across the world. My aim is to make it through to the final round of competition which will give me a top 50 placing in the world. Very few New Zealand dancers have made it to that position over the years so this will be a BIG challenge for me.

There will be nearly 5,000 dancers at the Worlds which take place over the course of a week. The competition is the Olympics of my sport and is a special event to be a part of.

As well as my training I work part-time to raise funds for the trip. With school work thrown in it means each week is pretty full on.

Fundraising for the trip will be used to pay for airfares for me to get to the UK, and accommodation and training expenses for about 10 days prior to the competition.