Help Xan compete in Oceania Speed Skate Champs

My name is Xan, I am 12 and I am a speed skater.

I’ve been skating for a few years, and I have previously played roller hockey with the Nelson Whalers, but what I really wanted to do was just skate - fast. When the Nelson Speed Skating club restarted again at the rink just over a year ago, I was one of the first to join up. I have had an amazing first year. I have already qualified and competed at national level and have just been selected to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Speed Skating Championships in Toowoomba, Australia in April. This is a week-long competition with lots of events over different distances from short sprints up to 20km elimination races.

I am the only representative from the Nelson Speed Skating club selected to go to Australia. This will be an amazing opportunity for me to train and compete with the top Oceania skaters and coaches. I want to bring back medals and new skills to share with the rest of the team.

Making it to this level has been hard work but it’s what I want to do, so I’ve been training 6 times a week to be ready for the competition.

Getting to this competition is going to take more than training hard though, and I have started this campaign to help me raise enough money so I can compete. I only have a few weeks to raise the necessary funds but with my amazing coaches, parents and the team behind me, I really want to go for it!

I need to raise $6500 to achieve my goal. Here is a breakdown of what I need:

Team Fees:

Camp fees (accommodation, transport, insurance and food) - $1600

NZ uniform (skinsuit, jacket, track pants, shirt, shorts) - $465

return flights to Brisbane from Nelson - $987

Equipment:

I will also need the following to compete as I have outgrown my current skates. My current ones are owned by the Nelson Speed Skating Club and any skates and wheels funded by this campaign will be donated to the club when I outgrow them.

Wheels $200

Skates $500

Parental Support:

I am also raising funds for the cost for my Dad to go with me to support me and assist the NZ team.

Flights, accommodation, food, car hire $2500

Supporting the Nelson team:

If we are fortunate enough to reach our target, any further money will be put into a fund to assist Nelson speed skaters with future competitions.

All my supporters are very special to me and I couldn’t do it without you! I will be sharing my journey on my Facebook page and other social media and also giving special thanks and progress updates to my supporters via weekly updates on this page.

Any amount you can pledge would be amazing, and thank you, it would mean so much to me to know you are helping me to achieve my dream.

For my lovely supporters who pledge $100+, I will give them a personal shout-out on my Facebook page and a special mention at the end of my weekly update video.

For my amazing supporters who pledge $250+, I will make a video just for you to say thank you and post this on my Facebook, campaign page and YouTube page.

For my special supporters who pledge $350+, if you can make it to Nelson, I will give you a 1 hour speed skating lesson and all the above.

For my fantabulous supporters who pledge $500+, as well as all the above, if you can make it to Nelson, my Dad will take you out for a tandem paraglider flight!

Feel free to ask me questions and I’ll reply in my weekly video or on my Facebook page.