ABOUT ME: 

Hi, I’m Bailee, a 21-year-old beach volleyball athlete from Adelaide.

Growing up I played every sport, giving absolutely everything a go! I would take any chance I could get to take the day of school to play sporting competitions. Until year 11, I played 4 sports narrowing it down to basketball and volleyball. During this time I was talent identified for the Volleyball South Australian Academy. In 2022, I received a scholarship at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) for Beach Volleyball.  

My training sessions at SASI include: 

·      Strength and Conditioning (gym) 

·      Sand/court session (beach volleyball) 

·      Conditioning (Sand and Bike) 

·      Recovery and/ or heat acclamation (Sauna) 

Our trainings are preparing us to compete in both national and international competitions throughout the year. I am aiming to win a medal on the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour this summer and compete in Beach Pro Tour events (International tournaments). 

Since making the transition to beach volleyball in 2022, I have experienced incredible highs. I will never forget the first Pro Tour event I qualified for! Another memorable moment was a pool play game against Japan. We knew we would have to bring our best volleyball to win, and we managed to showcase the skills and hard work we had been putting in over the off/pre season. It was an unreal feeling!

Overcoming injuries and balancing my studies with training has been a challenge, but my hard work and commitment continues to drive me to achieve my goals and excel in both my academic and athletic pursuits. My life as a beach volleyball athlete requires balancing: 

·      Multiple training sessions per day

·      Part time study (Physiotherapy) 

·      Casual work (Reformer Pilates Instructor) 

Outside of my training I study part time as a physiotherapy student at Flinders University. I am currently in my 4^th year of study with 2 years left of Masters to complete. In addition to this I also work as a reformer Pilates instructor to compliment my studies and help support my beach volleyball journey. 

Your Contribution: 

I am looking to raise some money to support my Beach Volleyball Journey. These funds will be important in helping to cover the cost associated with national and international travel, equipment and various service providers to support my peak performance. An example includes: 

• Equipment: $300
• Service Providers (Sports massage, Cryotherapy, Whoop etc.): $500 
• Travel (Flights) $5,000
• Accommodation(s): $5,000

I am lucky enough to have the support from the South Australian Sports Institute with coaches and health providers (physiotherapy, Dietitian) however, I am still required to find the funds to support the competition periods. Travelling nationally and internationally for competitions involves cost associated with travel such as; accommodation, flights and on ground cost (e,g food, transport ect). The demand of being a high performing athlete, whilst also striving for academic excellence can be challenging especially when there are financial barriers. Your donations will be extremely helpful in allowing me to compete and perform at my best as I able to fully commit and concentrate on my volleyball pursuits, without additional stressors.  

Million Dollar Challenge 

I am really excited to be a part of the Aussie Athletes Fund’s Million Dollar Challenge powered by Ampol. This initiative pairs 100 Aussie athletes with businesses to raise $10,000 each, aiming for a collective $1 million to support our sporting dreams. In this challenge I will be paired with an Australian business that will support with fundraising, networking and mentoring to help me raise the funds to cover my training and competition expenses.

For more information, click here to read about the Million Dollar Challenge or watch this short video from Nat.

I am excited to explore partnership opportunities with Australian business interested in supporting Aussie athletes. If you have any questions or opportunities, please feel free to reach out to me on bailee.kendall7@outlook.com. 

Thanks for your support and joining me on this journey, 

Bailee