Anne is competing at the Rio Olympics but needs financial assitance

The opportunity has arisen to fulfill her long term goal by competing for her mother’s country of birth, Samoa in the discipline of sprint kayaking. This will be the first time that Samoa has had a woman represented at the Olympics in this discipline.

I feel that Anne is not only representing the country of Samoa, she is also representing the community in which she lives and works. This gives us the opportunity to be part of her journey.

Unfortunately, Samoa are unable to contribute much financially. She has had to self-fund her attendance at the World Championships in Italy and the Oceania Championships in Australia in 2015 in order to qualify for Rio. She says” "Money has never been a reason for me not to go to the Olympics. I've just had to make it all happen, but it's been pretty tight some years. This is me and it's my choice to do it. I'm pretty realistic about my chances in Rio. The top paddlers are all training fulltime, but it's a completely different ball game for me. I've a house, mortgage, fulltime job and my partner to consider."

Anne lives in the Hawkes Bay and works in Palmerston North. In the past she has also represented New Zealand in sprint kayaking, wild-water kayaking and whitewater rafting.

In order for Anne to give her best at Rio she also needs to attend World Cup competitions and training camps in Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic and Australia over the next five months

I believe that for Anne to compete to the best of her ability she needs two things;

• our support for time away from work (which is being managed with the help of her workmates) and

• money. She needs money for travel and accommodation expenses, boat (kayak) rental and to help to cover the expenses of her coach. By reducing some of the worry about debt and financial pressures she should be able to concentrate more on her performance.

Any donation that you can make to assist Anne would be very welcome and most appreciated.

For further information about Anne’s journey to Rio go to;

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503460&objectid=11613125