Mara Stransky

Mara Stransky

My name is Mara Stransky, I am 22 years old and I grew up on Russell Island, a small regional community south of Brisbane. With the help of this fundraising platform, I became the Bay Islands' first ever Olympian, finishing 14th out of 44 in Tokyo in the women's singlehanded sailing class, the Laser Radial (now ILCA 6). Without the generous donors, whose assistance has been facilitated by this program, my dream could've become just another lost in the pipeline somewhere between grass roots and elite.


I didn't take a break after the games, instead dedicating all my time and energy to my next goal of gaining selection for the Paris 2024 Olympics and ultimately winning Australia a medal. This decision paid off as I concluded the 2021 season with a 6th place finish at the World Championships in December, separated from the medals by only a narrow margin.


In the past I've compromised in many areas to ensure I could attend all the major regattas in an attempt to gain the experience necessary to bridge the gap to the world's best. At the European Championships in 2019, I stayed onboard a miniscule trailable boat, wore wetsuits I'd patched myself and sailed a secondhand boat. Of the 120 boat fleet, I finished 7th overall and 1st Under 21 by a huge margin. This event proved a turning point for me as I began to realize my potential.


As no stranger to hardship, setbacks and curveballs, I feel I'm developing a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to win and am so excited to head back into this season's competition to see how much closer to my goal I can get. My competition schedule for the year is ambitious and I am finally upgrading the my 2014 Europe boat, meanwhile; entry fees, accommodation, equipment and transport costs are relentless. I know I will be putting everything I have physically and financially towards this dream and won't be deterred if it's not a smooth journey however, as always, I appreciate any assistance you're willing to provide. :)


When I was updating this description, I found it interesting to re-read the original from 2017 (included below). It clearly shows my ongoing dedication to the same goal, which is now supported by the achievement of some milestones along the way, thanks to you!


Mara is an 18 year old with the goal of representing Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the Laser Radial (women's single handed sailing class). Although her rapid progression into this class has been far from conventional and her period of involvement extremely short compared to those of her competitors, she has already progressed to the point where she is in a realistic position to fight for the next Olympic selection. After being involved in the sport of dinghy sailing for just two years she has achieved the results necessary to progress through her state's underpinning program and into the state high performance program (Queensland Academy of Sport) and national squad (Australian Sailing Squad). This journey so far has taken her from an unknown, un-ranked girl in a country rich in sailing success and history, to one now ranked among the top 5 Australian females competing in the class. These results however do not come without sacrifice as already Mara is required to spend 1-2 weeks per month training, away from home, at the National Training Centre, travelling overseas at least twice a year to compete in crucial international events and of course committing to a high volume training load on and off the water whilst at home which makes maintaining a consistent job difficult. Naturally all these things incur considerable expense, not to mention the steep ongoing costs of maintaining and replacing equipment on a regular basis. This fundraising program aims to assist Mara in covering the costs of an Olympic sailing campaign over the next 3 years. Being a young girl who has progressed so fast to international standard whilst still being able to compete in local youth events alongside other youngsters with big dreams is a positive for the sport of sailing in Australia as it provides an example which bridges the gap between these big dreams and reality.

  • Sailing

Your donation to this project is tax deductible

The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is the only deductible gift recipient for sport in Australia. This means that donations of $2 or more to approved projects on our website are tax deductible. Shortly after making your donation, you'll receive an official receipt from the ASF that you can use in your income tax return. If you have any questions about your donation, please visit https://asf.org.au/faqs

Recent donations

Anonymous

Donated to your project

$505.00

Simon Jones

Best of luck at the olympics Mara! You got the who...

$100.00

Best of luck at the olympics Mara! You got the whole laser youth squad cheering for you. p.s. we will have to rematch the arm wrestle when I get back. -Alex

Anonymous

Donated to your project

$505.00

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Your donation to this project is tax deductible

The Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) is the only deductible gift recipient for sport in Australia. This means that donations of $2 or more to approved projects on our website are tax deductible. Shortly after making your donation, you'll receive an official receipt from the ASF that you can use in your income tax return. If you have any questions about your donation, please visit https://asf.org.au/faqs