Help Ross Fence at Commonwealth Under-20 Champs!

Hi, my name is Ross Shepherd and I've been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2018 under-20 Commonwealth fencing championships in Newcastle, England, from the 23rd to 30th July.

I first started fencing in 2011 at a local club in Christchurch, and quickly fell in love with the sport, entering my first national competitions only a year later. Since then, I've regularly competed at regional and national events, and have been proud to bring home medals for NZ at Australian and Oceania championships. In the past couple years I have also been coaching to encourage the next generation of fencers and to support my own training and competition.

I was proud to get the best individual results of all New Zealanders in my event (men's epee) earlier this year at the Oceania under-20 fencing championships. Commonwealths is the next step up for me in my fencing career. In preparation I've been training as much as possible around my full-time chemical engineering studies, and I can't wait to represent New Zealand at an international level.

Any contribution big or small is greatly appreciated and will make it possible to travel to and compete in Newcastle for my first truly international event.

Thank you so much for reading this, and for your support - Ross