Hi, my name is Sam Woolford. I'm 19 years old and from Coffs Harbour. I have been given the honour to represent Australia at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Romania in July, 2023.

I first tried orienteering in 2013 when Orienteering NSW held a promotional event in the Coffs Harbour Botanic Gardens. I was instantly hooked, and my family were foundation members of Bush 'n' Beach Orienteering Club which started in 2014 in Coffs Harbour. I have represented NSW at the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships from 2017 - 2022 (except 2020-21 which were cancelled due to COVID-19) and was selected for the Australian Schools Honour Team in 2019 and 2022 due to my results in the carnival. I have also competed for the NSW Stingers in the National Orienteering League, where I competed in M20 Elites and placed overall equal 3rd in 2022 and overall winner in 2023. This included winning 1st place in the Oceania Long Distance and Middle Distance Championships in 2023. I was selected to represent Australia at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in 2022 and competed in Portugal - traveling in both July and November due to postponed events.

The Junior World Orienteering Championships are being held from the 3rd - 8th July in Baia Mare, Romania and consist of 5 events: sprint, sprint relay, middle, long and forest relay, all of which I will be competing in. The funds I am raising are to help cover the costs associated with the trip including flights, accommodation, uniform and equipment.

My goal is to continue representing Australia in the years to come and raise the profile of orienteering in Australia. Orienteering as a sport has minimal government funding and therefore the majority of costs involved in competing at such events need to be covered by the individual athletes and their families. I have worked 3 jobs over the last 6 months to help pay for my trip. Any donations will be greatly appreciated.