Erica's US Pentathlon Fundraiser

In June of 2017, I started competing in Modern Pentathlon at the National Level. Modern Pentathlon is an Olympic sport that is a combination of 5 different events: Swimming, Fencing, Equestrian Show Jumping, Running and Marksmanship with a laser pistol or Shooting. The whole competition takes place in one grueling day. I had competed locally in swimming and running events, regionally in Equestrian events and Nationally in Tetrathlon (Swimming, Shooting, Running and Equestrian Show Jumping) but the equipment and formats are very different for competition. My first national pentathlon competition was at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. I was very nervous and had to borrow most of the equipment needed to compete. Although I finished 10th, just competing with the best athletes in the country was a great honor. I started to get the hang of the pressures and strategies of the competition and rapidly improved over the several competitions held during the week. At the end of the week, I was part of the GOLD MEDAL mixed relay team securing my first NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. I added two more National Championship GOLD Medals in 2017 for U17 (Under 17 years of age) Biathle – or Run and Shoot, and Triathle – Run, Swim and Shoot where the competition is limited to 2 or 3 events. These 3 National Championships earned me the right to represent the United States and compete in the 2017 North, Central and Caribbean  (NORCECA) Pam AM Pentathlon Championships in Merida, Mexico. My first opportunity to compete internationally.  Most people don’t realize that all of Team USA’s funds for training and competition are raised from private donations or paid by the athletes themselves. The National Olympic Committee does kick in $1,000 if I finish in 6th place or better in an international event - Let’s hope for that assistance in the future. Today for me as a junior developing athlete, I have to pay for all of the competition fees and travel expenses and I need to provide all of my own equipment. For international competition, I need to acquire internationally certified fencing and laser pistol equipment as well the appropriate education and training to be competitive. The good news is that I hope to use them several times in the coming years as I move forward on the ROAD TO THE 2020 OLYMPICS ! This first step and competition is the 28th of August 2017. Thank you for considering assisting me in raising these funds and thank you for your support of my Olympic Dreams.