Sights Set on Gold: 2026 Youth National Championships & Competition Season

twitter:title

Don't turn away now! Help National Record holder Aerynn Guerrero set her sights on the 2026 Youth Nationals & beyond. Support this self-funded teen athlete.

description

twitter:description

https://www.datocms-assets.com/102439/1701081359-2023-asf-website-social.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=1200

twitter:image

https://www.facebook.com/AustralianSportsFoundation

twitter:card

twitter:site

&#128680; CAMPAIGN UPDATE: THE MISSION TO TASMANIAWe have official confirmation: The 2026 Youth National Archery Championships will be held in Launceston, Tasmania!While we are thrilled that Aerynn has the chance to compete on the Apple Isle, this venue announcement brings a unique logistical challenge for our 100% self-funded team. The &quot;Bass Strait&quot; Reality: Unlike previous years where we could drive to mainland venues like Canberra or Adelaide, the 2026 Nationals requires crossing the Bass Strait. Transporting a Warrior&#39;s specialized equipment, support crew, and vehicle via the Spirit of Tasmania has effectively doubled our travel logistics costs compared to a standard mainland event. Why We Are Raising the Bar: To accommodate this &quot;Bass Strait Premium&quot;—including the significant cost of the ferry crossing and extended accommodation logistics—we have adjusted our fundraising goal to $12,000. This increase isn&#39;t for &quot;extras&quot;; it is strictly to cover the confirmed transport costs that ensure Aerynn and her gear arrive at the line ready to compete. Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever: Every tax-deductible donation today goes directly to bridging this new gap. To those who have already donated—thank you for getting us started. To those joining us now—welcome to the team. Let’s get this Warrior across the water! =======================================================================(ORIGINAL STORY BELOW)======================================================================= She wasn&#39;t supposed to be here. Medically, her birth was considered impossible. Physically, her single-sided deafness should have limited her balance. And financially, the path to elite sport without government funding is a wall most families cannot climb. Yet, here she is: a 14-year-old National Champion setting her sights for the 2026 Nationals. This is her story. The Rapid RiseIn February 2024, Aerynn Guerrero made the decision to turn a hobby into a mission. She committed to an intensive training regime, and the results were immediate. By the end of the year, she was a National Indoor Champion.In a sport that usually takes years to master, Aerynn’s ascent has been remarkable. Her current standing includes:<ul><li>National Indoor Champion: Gold (2024 &amp; 2025)</li><li>Youth National Archery Championships: 4 Medals (2 Gold, 2 Bronze)</li><li>Trans-Tasman Challenge: Team Bronze (International Debut)</li><li>State Champion: Target, Field, and Indoor Titles</li><li>Record Holder: Multiple current State and National Records</li></ul> The &quot;Renaissance Warrior&quot;But Aerynn isn&#39;t just an athlete. She is what we call a &quot;Renaissance Warrior.&quot;When she isn&#39;t on the shooting line, she is a disciplined Suzuki Method violin student, a formidable member of her school debate team, a lead actress in her school musical (Mary Poppins Jr.), and a passionate, self-taught enthusiast of historical sword fighting (HEMA). She applies the same intense focus to everything she touches. Defying the OddsAerynn has been defying the odds since before she was born. After years of medical struggles, her parents were told that having a child was a medical impossibility—a 0% chance. Aerynn arrived anyway.She was also born with microtia and is profoundly deaf in her right ear. Yet, she presents so well that most people—even classmates and teachers—are shocked when they learn she wears a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid).That spirit of defying the &quot;impossible&quot; is written into her DNA. It explains why she refuses to let single-sided deafness stop her from being a musician, a debater, or an elite archer. She trains in the rain. She analyzes her form with the precision of a scientist. She treats every opportunity as a gift she fought to get. Grit Over Glory: The Trans-Tasman ComebackIt’s easy to be a champion when things are going well. Aerynn proved she was a champion when things went wrong.Representing Australia at the Trans-Tasman Challenge in New Zealand (September 2025), Aerynn experienced significant shoulder and back pain on Day 1. She was hurting, ranked last, and thousands of kilometers from home.Instead of withdrawing, she dug deep. Faced with an injury that made her normal shot impossible, she simply adjusted her crawl (literally and figuratively). She recalibrated her entire process to find a new way to aim through the pain, fighting through the barrier to help her team secure a Team Bronze.That is the character of the athlete you are supporting. She does not quit; she adjusts. The ChallengeArchery—specifically Barebow Recurve—is a non-Olympic discipline. This means there are no government-funded high-performance programs to support her daily training. While there are some funding pathways available through the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), these are limited.The vast majority of costs—every arrow, every competition entry fee, every flight, and every hour of coaching—are funded by us (her parents, Hal &amp; Christine).We were incredibly grateful to receive a Local Sporting Champions grant from the ASC to help fund Aerynn&#39;s recent trip to New Zealand. However, the grant only covered a portion of the costs. The rest was made possible only through the extraordinary generosity of her Uncle, who stepped in to cover the gap. We are forever thankful for his support, which allowed her to make her international debut.As she moves into the 2026 Season (U16 Cadet Division), the scale of her campaign has grown even further. To compete at the highest level, we are now looking to the wider community for support. Aerynn is currently training alongside experienced mentors and elite peers, preparing for the 2026 Youth National Championships (Interstate). How You Can HelpWe are seeking to raise $9,000 to cover the 2026 Season. Your tax-deductible donation via the Australian Sports Foundation goes directly toward:<ul><li>Travel &amp; Logistics ($4,000): Flights, accommodation, and ground transport for the Youth National Championships and key State ranking events.</li><li>Equipment Upgrade ($2,500): High-performance limbs and arrows tuned for the longer Cadet distances, plus maintenance of consumable gear (tabs, strings).</li><li>High-Performance Support ($2,500): This will cover<ul><li>Coaching: Mental management and technical coaching fees to keep her form elite.</li><li>Medical/Physio: Ongoing physiotherapy and conditioning to manage her workload and prevent recurrence of shoulder/back pain.</li></ul></li></ul> Your Impact: What your donation can doEvery contribution, no matter the size, makes a tangible difference to Aerynn&#39;s season. Here are a few examples of how your support translates into action:<ul><li>$50: Covers the entry fee for a local Qualifying Ranking Event (QRE), a Grand Prix Event, or a session of high-performance coaching.</li><li>$100: Funds one critical physiotherapy session to manage her shoulder rehabilitation.</li><li>$250: Purchases a dozen high-performance competition arrows.</li><li>$500: Covers the return flights for one interstate National Ranking event.</li><li>$1,000: Funds a full week of accommodation for the Youth National Championships.</li></ul> The GoalAerynn has proven she has the talent. She has proven she has the grit. She just needs the resources to stand on the shooting line.Aerynn is here. Don&#39;t turn away now!Please consider partnering with us to support the &quot;Warrior Aerynn&quot; as she sets her sights for her next National Title. Follow the JourneyWant to see Aerynn in action? You can follow her training updates, competition results, and behind-the-scenes moments on her official athlete page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Aerynn.Guerrero" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/Aerynn.Guerrero</a>