Jono's Athletics Tour To California

Hi, my name is Jonathan , I am 17 years of age and have been selected to compete in several meets over in California this April.

Since a very young age I have been involved in a variety of sports and still do not wish to specialise. However, track and field is my number one sport. I have been a sprinter for most of my life and more recently a 400m Hurdler. I train hard in a lot of the many sprinting aspects of athletics but have decided that what's best for my build is sprint hurdles, as it clearly shows how much strength, speed, and endurance is required to make it round a full loop of the track. With this comes an incredible amount of hard work, but also the greatest amount of satisfaction crossing the finish line. I am very excited about the challenge this brings. My greatest vision in life is to represent NZ in Track and Field. This international trip will be a stepping stone towards reaching my goal and will give me the experience I need in the international arena. The cost of the trip will be $4000 and I will do whatever I need to do to raise the necessary funds.

I come from a household where all three children are super passionate about sports and as a result of this, we all compete at high levels in New Zealand. The costs involve training, travel, competition entry, equipment etc. My mother has parented alone since I was 5 years old. She gives everything she has towards us excelling in our sports. International travelling will be far too much for us to manage and seriously push my family to our maximum.

I will put everything I have into the competition in California and do NZ proud!

Thank you for reading my story, I hope to inspire other athletes around NZ to get involved an learn the enjoyment sport has to offer!

I will be grateful beyond words for any support that I may receive, thank you.