I've qualified to represent the USA in World Cup tournaments (or, tournaments where I can earn points towards the Olympics)! By taking Bronze at the 2014 USA Judo Senior National Championships earlier this month and boosting my national ranking to a career-high, 5th, I can compete in more international tournaments to earn points for the Olympics! The tournament I'm heading to is The Pan American Judo Open in El Salvador, which (I mentioned before) is a scoring event for the next Olympics Games, Rio 2016. In order to participate in a World Cup tournament, you have to meet one of the below criteria:
| |
This is a huge honor for me to compete in this tournament. I've only been doing judo for about 3.5 years...it's pretty crazy to think that I'm now competing on the same stage as World and Olympic Champions and Medalists! (Yea, this girl will probably be there....) (Don't forget this one...) Intimidating, yet REALLY exciting! In order to continue to compete at tournaments like these, I need your help. This trip alone will cost me close to $2,000. Though I pride myself in taking care of myself, being financially independent, and never taking hand-outs, I've come to the point where I either drop my ego and accept help or I don't compete. So, here I am, dropping my ego, asking for your help. If you are in a financial position to donate to help get me to El Salvador, I'd greatly appreciate it. If not, please forward this blog post or the GoFundMe Page to friends, family, and co-workers, or post it on your social media sites to help get the awareness out. Any little bit helps and I can't even tell you how grateful I am for your support and encouragement on this journey!
Stay tuned for additional information about the tournament in El Salvador. I'll write another post about it soon!
Stay tuned for additional information about the tournament in El Salvador. I'll write another post about it soon!