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Support Sammie's Ski Racing Season and her 2027 World Ski Championships Campaign

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I am a slalom specialist on the Australian Alpine National Ski Team, going after my ski racing goals with everything I've got, and I need some help to get there

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<h1>Back Sammie to the Start Gate!</h1> Australian alpine ski racer. Slalom specialist. Six wins last season, less than a year out after a knee reconstruction. I&#39;m Sammie, a slalom racer on the Australian National Alpine Ski Team. I&#39;m chasing a top-30 at the World Championships this season, a top-15 finish in World Cup slalom, and a start at the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. I&#39;ve done the work. What I need help with is the cost. <h2>What happened</h2>About a year after my dad died of bowel cancer, I had a devastating crash in a GS training session at the World University Games in Italy. I obliterated my right knee. I tore my right ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus, with widespread bone bruising. One week, I was training well, in contention for the 2026 Olympics and about to race my debut World Championships in Saalbach. The next, I was on crutches and in a brace for three months, facing a major reconstruction. I had to learn to walk again after the crash, and again six weeks later after surgery. When it happened, I didn&#39;t know if I would ski race again; I was faced with serious uncertainty, doubt, and a big mountain in front of me. I could have stopped then and there. <h2>What I did instead</h2>The day of my crash, the medical experts and team doctors had determined that my ACL was fully torn; I had done a pretty good job of it. I cried a little bit that afternoon, partly due to pain, but partly for the heartbreak of missing out on what I love to do, and some big goals I had envisioned for myself, along with my beautiful dad and family, who had supported me and sacrificed so much to help get me to where I was. I talked to my Italian coach, Nicole, and we conjured up a little plan. She said that this is going to be a difficult walk up the mountain, but you just need to keep taking the small steps to get back to the ultimate goal. She and my other coaches at Kronplatz Racing Center were incredibly supportive. They said if anyone could do it, it was me, because of my strength of character and mindset. So instead of quitting, I started taking baby steps (albeit limping at first) and chipping away just a little bit more every day. Walking up this figurative mountain so that I could ski down it again. I then went home to Australia and did everything in my power. I worked with my support team, did my rehab very diligently, and used the time to grieve my dad properly. I also worked out who I am outside of skiing, and got clear on why I do this at all! Nine months after surgery, I was back on snow, my team took everything step by step to have the best long-term outcome. Last season I won six races, including Chiesa Valmalenco in Italy by nearly two seconds, my second-best result ever, all within about a month of racing on very little preparation. The same week as my crash, I was accepted into the Mental Fitness Ambassador Program, run jointly by the Black Dog Institute and the Australian Institute of Sport. As soon as I could walk again, I started speaking at schools and sports clubs around the country about my dad&#39;s diagnosis, about mental health, and about what I&#39;ve learned as a national team athlete. That same year I worked at Thredbo as an administrator for the children&#39;s snowsports program, which runs around 1000 kids through the season. Helping families and first-timers find their feet was so meaningful. I also played a role in organising the Australia New Zealand Cup ski races at Thredbo, and was able to see ski racing from a totally new perspective, while still retaining my connection to it, and helped my home club, Thredbo Ski Racing Club by mentoring younger racers. <h2>Why I ski</h2>I ski because I love it, and because of the challenges I have to solve every single day. But it&#39;s about more than results. I learned from my dad that life is short, and that you have to go after the things that matter while you can. I want to bring people with me on the journey, give back to the ski community in Australia and at Thredbo, and show younger kids what&#39;s possible. That you can come back from hard things. That they don&#39;t define you. That what matters is how you respond!As Australians, we are the underdogs in this sport, and I&#39;m used to fighting and working harder than my competitors, and doing so not just because of the result, but also because of the ripple effects that it has, and what that means to me. <h2>The problem</h2>Ski racing is expensive, and asking for help is hard. I&#39;m grateful for my current sponsors, and for the value-in-kind support from the ACT Academy of Sport and Snow Australia. But alpine is one of the harder sports to fund in this country. Snowsports funding tends to follow disciplines with recent medals, and alpine is one of the deepest, most competitive fields in world sport, and we have not had one for quite some time (yet!). Our main season is on the other side of the world, which means months living out of a suitcase in Europe. Even when named on the national team, I source my own coaching and cover my accommodation, sports insurance, food, travel, overseas ski passes, race entries and equipment. I try to run my ski racing career like a small business, discern true value over price, and figure out the best way forward and partners to work with strategically. A full season costs upwards of $30 000 AUD. I budget and pay for it myself, without family support. I fund it by working as a consultant and public speaker, and through sponsors and fundraising. I have also completed a Bachelor of Commerce from ANU and a Master of Public Health, which I&#39;m midway through at UNSW. <h2>Where your support goes</h2>Every dollar goes directly into days on snow and the racing that comes with them: <ul><li>Coaching fees and training camps</li><li>International race entries and ski passes</li><li>Travel costs, including airfares and baggage fees</li><li>Accommodation, food, and travel across the European circuit</li><li>Equipment, servicing, and bootfitting costs</li><li>Sports insurance, medical cover and visa costs</li></ul> <h2>The ask</h2>I&#39;m asking for help filling in the gaps. I work really hard independently, but any extra support helps so much.Whatever you can give, at any level, buys me training days, more time on snow, and a fair shot of competing with the best in the world. Thank you for being part of this and my journey; it is about more than just ski racing. I also have a Substack called Sammie&#39;s Season where you can follow along on this journey and my reflections: https://sammiegaul.substack.com/, as well as my Instagram @sammiegaul. Lots of love, and thank you for supporting me. Sammie