Beth's Team USA Journey

Support Beth Turconi on her Team USA Dragon Boat journey!
  
If we are fortunate, at least once in our lifetime, we have the great honor to witness true grit, determination, sacrifice and the realization of what would have appeared to be an outlandish goal. Our friend and teammate Beth Turconi is an inspiration and role model on and off the water and her dream to earn a position on Team USA has become a reality but she needs our help to get there!
 
Beth’s dragon boat journey began more than three years ago when she saw a promotion for Dragon Boat racing in Sarasota.  She was in a dark place overcoming multiple knee surgeries, plantar fasciitis, chronic pain and the inevitable associated weight gain. Having nothing to lose, Beth joined a boat full of newbies and began dragon boat paddling every Saturday morning.  Her first coach, a former Team USA paddler, planted the seed and encouraged Beth to work hard and try out for Team USA in 2019.
 
As the days got longer that first year, our training moved to the gym and Beth’s dream to earn a spot on  Team USA began one squat, one pull-up, one ERG minute at time.  We watched with admiration as Beth worked out in the gym, trained for a triathlon, ran 5K races in all kinds of weather and kept up her training at the gym. The dream almost died when we found ourselves without a coach and with just a handful of paddlers, but Beth never gave up and never lost focus.
 
The dream started to get real this year as Beth prepared for a series of time trials and camps for Team USA hopefuls. We anxiously awaited any and all news regarding Beth’s progress, praying and hoping that her dream would be realized.

 And then just two weeks ago the dream came true and Beth was notified that she made the 2019 USA Senior B Women’s team competing in Pattaya, Thailand this August.
 
After the euphoria wore off the harsh financial reality of this dream began to set in. The cost to travel to Thailand, accommodations, uniforms, equipment and training is overwhelming.

Beth is a proud, hard-working single mother who has battled her way against great odds to achieve this goal and she needs our help getting there. Your contribution, no matter how small, will help to eliminate the financial stress for Beth to allow her to focus on training.

Won’t you please join me and our team to show your love, support, admiration and thanks to Beth who inspires us every day!