ISABELLA'S AAF ONE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE

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To raise $10k in 5-time Olympian Nat Cook's AAF $1 Million Challenge to keep me in the sport

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Isabella Crosbie is an Artistic Swimmer and has big dreams to represent Australia at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. She has been selected for the 2nd year in a row as one of only 100 athletes nationwide to take part in the Aussie Athlete Fund’s $1 Million Challenge, a national initiative spearheaded by 5-time Olympian Nat Cook. The challenge aims to support promising athletes through mentorship, storytelling training and grassroots fundraising opportunities. Isabella has already represented Australia at the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming World Championships in Athens in 2025 where the team placed 20th, and more recently has built on this success by winning a gold medal with her local club at the Australian Championships in Sydney in April 2026. Her participation in the challenge comes with monthly tasks, including approaching local businesses for sponsorship, sharing their stories online, and engaging with their communities in creative ways. One such initiative encouraged athletes to ask for a box of fruit or small prize from a local store to both build confidence and foster grassroots support. Competing internationally is incredibly challenging, both physically and financially. Many athletes rely on fundraising to represent Australia on the global stage. The $1 Million Challenge helps break down athletes&#39; financial barriers by providing fundraising education and assistance from businesses and/or employees of businesses. Isabella&#39;s dreamArtistic swimming is Isabella&#39;s passion and she is am aiming to represent Australia at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. Her next goal is to be selected tp represent Australia at the next World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships in 2027. My Journey to the World StageIsabella began swimming lessons when she was only 2 years old. Over the next few years, she then tried other sports, including dance, tennis, golf, netball, calisthenics, and teeball. When she was 6 years old, she started playing waterpolo. She loved being in the water and playing in a team. She continued to play waterpolo throughout primary school and began to play in the Junior State League in her final year of primary school. However, she then went to a &quot;Come and Try Day&quot; for artistic swimming and found a sport she loved. Since then, she has competed at three National Championships and at the 2025 Youth World Artistic Swimming Championships in Athens. Isabella’s commitment to artistic swimming is unwavering. She trains between 14 and 25 hours each week, balancing the demands of high-performance sport with her academic studies and school extracurricular activities. She is currently a member of the WA High Performance Team and a member of the Gold and Green National training squad. Recent Achievements<ul><li>Gold medal at the 2026 Australian Artistic Swimming Championships in Sydney as part of an Open Team routine</li><li>Bronze medal at both the 2026 Australian and Oceania Artistic Swimming Championships in Sydney as part of a Youth Combo routine</li><li>20th place at the 2025 World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships in Athens as part of the Team Free routine where we placed 20th in the World.</li><li>Gold medal at the 2025 Australian Artistic Swimming Championships in Melbourne as part of an Open Team routine</li><li>Received the Hannah Burkhill Perpetual Trophy by my local club in May 2025.</li><li>Gold medal (team event), silver medal (duet event) and bronze medal (individual event) at the 2024 Australian Artistic Swimming Championships in Brisbane.</li></ul> How can you help?With Isabella&#39;s goal comes significant costs - including airfares, accommodation, training expenses and equipment. This is why Isabella is reaching out to the community for support. If you would like to support Isabella&#39;s journey by making a tax deductible donation, no matter the size, that would be amazing!!! How will your donation be spent? - Budget breakdown for the 2026 season<ul><li>National Training Squad (travel and camps at AIS Canberra) $5,615</li><li>National Championships (flights, accommodation, food in Sydney) $3,000</li><li>Club fees $4,905</li><li>Pool entry fees $1,100</li><li>Training Equipment and costumes $1,000</li><li>High performance fees $990</li><li>Registration and competition fees $645</li><li>Additional coaching $700</li><li>Physiotherapy/recovery $600</li><li>Uniforms $300</li><li>Other $500</li><li>TOTAL $19,355</li></ul>﻿NB: It is currently expected that the 2027 season costs will increase to approximately $25,000 for the year