A glimpse of my story,

Who am I? I am a small-town kid who LOVES to skate! I am a member of the Ice World Skating Club in Brisbane. I am also the current Australian National Ice Dance Champion. It was my proudest moment so far, this past December when we won the gold medal and so many members of my family made the trip up the coast to Erina to cheer us on. I can hardly wait to be back at Nationals in a few short months for another great experience. Funding is for sure needed to get us back to Australia for the National Championships this year as well as to help out with expenses as we represent Australia at several international competitions this season.

I enjoy many sports, but nothing feeds my soul the way that Ice skating does. The ice rink has always been my happy place, no matter what else is going on in my life, the hours I spend at the rink pushing myself to excel and improve always bring a smile to my face. The only other thing that compares to my love of skating is agriculture, I am just a farm kid at heart, I am a 3^rd generation farmer, and my family still farms in the Riverina area of NSW. With the exception of Skating, there is nothing better than feeding cows or sitting on a tractor going round and round!

I began skating at the age of 5 and discovered Ice Dance around 11 years old. And while I enjoyed singles skating, Ice Dance piqued my interest from the get-go, I enjoyed the intricate technical skills required as well as the artistry and skating with a partner was a game changer!  For the next 8 years or so I competed from Pre-Juvenile all the way up to Junior with a few partner changes along the way. Those early years brought me podium finishes at the regional and national levels and the opportunity to compete at the North American cup in Lake Placid NY. My goal was to always improve and raise the bar.

 Two years ago, I met my current partner Romy, and this was the beginning of some big changes for me. First off, moving to the Senior ranks, and with the change in partner came a change in training location for me as I moved to Vancouver British Columbia, Canada to train at the prestigious Vancouver Ice Dance Academy. The program here is headed up by former Canadian and World Medalists, Olympians Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe. This is a Premier training facility in Canada and offers a more intense training environment and more opportunities for growth. The academy provides a mix of on-ice instruction balanced with off ice fitness, ballet, contemporary, and ballroom dance, as well as performance techniques and choreography. Having all these training opportunities in one location is so key to success in this sport. We have the top instructors in all aspects of our training, and every day we are training alongside other international skaters who are at the top of their game, and that pushes us to do better and better.

I am fortunate that I was accepted into their program. But this level of training and competing is a huge financial burden, one that I am looking for support with.

Last year, after less than 3 months together as partners we started attending competitions, Things went well and at our first international competition together in Germany we finished 6^th. And in December we won the gold medal at the Australian National Championships. This was a proud moment for me, hard work paying off is so rewarding.

This year now that we have had more time to grow as a team, we have increased the difficulty of our programs and skills and are ready to make Australia proud as we chase our goals. We will have the opportunity to represent Australia at 3 international competitions this season, the goal is to achieve our points to qualify for the 2025 Four Continents Championships in Seoul Korea in February. And of course, we will be returning to Australia in November to compete at the National Championships in Melbourne.

Moving to this level of skating as well moving to Vancouver has come at a great increase in training costs, not to mention competition travel costs. And not having the luxury of living at home either. Even with our busy training schedule, I work as a coach in the evenings, and I also work part time at a Dairy Farm in Langley to help pay for my living expenses. But it’s just impossible to afford all of the financial aspects that come with this sport at this level. even with help from my parents. So that is why at this time I am asking for support from others. So, if you can spare a little, and have a love for sport and share my passion for pursuing excellence I hope you will consider helping me out with my journey by making a donation, Thank you.