Dennis' Team Canada Fund
Hello, my name is Dennis Cook and I am a Surf Lifesaving Sport athlete from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.
Where I come from this is a growing sport and may not be as well-known as is it in countries like Australia, so I’m going to take a minute to explain. Lifesaving Sport is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is the only sport that has humanitarian purposes. What does that mean? Every event in the sport incorporates a skill used to save a life in an aquatic environment. Pretty cool eh? I’ve posted an awesome video for you see how cool it is, check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9gp3jiRnxU&feature=youtu.be
Back to me. I have been competing in Lifesaving sport for 5 years as a member of the Richmond Hill Lifesaving Club. It has been my goal since I started competing to represent my country at the World Lifesaving Championships. I am really excited to announce that a few weeks ago my dream became a reality! I was named to the Canadian National Team for the World Lifesaving Championships in Netherlands this September.
As this is still a growing sport here in Canada, athletes have to fund themselves when attending competitions nationally as well as internationally. Therefore, I’m trying to raise $4000 to represent my country. All money raised by this page will go directly towards the funding I require to represent Canada on the International stage.
Any amount donated will be greatly appreciated. Lifesaving Sport has become my life. I have been working extremly hard for the past five years to chase this dream and it started to pay off as I had the best season I have ever had in 2015. I was able to win the national title in the Beach Flags event and come a close second in the beach sprint. I was also able to win my first medal in the pool as well, earning gold in the line throw event!
(I am the one second from the left)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCS-gkxglaY
The highlight of my athletic career thus far was at the 2015 Sanyo Bussan International Lifesaving Cup in Japan. I was able to earn Canada's first-ever gold medal at this event in the Beach Flags competition! I would have loved the opportunity to defend my title this year, however due to funding reasons was not able to make the trip to Japan. Here are some clips from my time competing in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Qvi-CBZEc&feature=youtu.be
Early in 2016 I decided to step up my training and go live in Australia for the sole purpose to train and compete with the best athletes in the sport. I chose the Kurrawa Lifesaving Club as they have some of the best beach flaggers and sprinters in the world. It was a great experience! I developed so much as an athlete and especially as a person. It’s the reason I am currently in the best shape of my life and running the fastest I have ever ran.
I would love to test myself against the best and see what I could do for Canada on the International Stage at the World Lifesaving Championships in September. I have dedicated my life to this sport for the past 5 years, and any donation, no matter how small, will mean so much to me that I cannot describe in words.
Thank you for taking the time to read my page.
If you would like to participate in my journey to the World Championships in September you can follow my athlete page on Facebook, where I will be posting daily updates on how my training is going.
https://www.facebook.com/DaMenaceCook/