Donate to help Sophia,Irish ice skater,pursue her ambitions!
Donation protected
Hello! I am Sophia, I’m 19 years old, I’m from Gorey, Co. Wexford and I represent Ireland in figure skating at international competitions.
I started figure skating when I was five years old. At eight years of age, I won my first gold medal at a club competition. Six years later, I claimed my first national title. I claimed another national title again last year. I have been a member of the Irish National Figure Skating Team for six consecutive years, and I have competed at the ISU Junior Grand Prix, three times, along with countless other international competitions. I was one of fifty people awarded the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund, out of 700 applicants. Figure skating has taken me all over the planet, from Turkey, to the US and most of Europe. It has provided me with magnificent opportunities and has shaped me into the person I am today. Figure skating has taught me the importance of perseverance, resilience, dedication, and hard work, and at this moment, I need your support.
As you have probably guessed, there is a severe lack of training facilities for my sport, not only in Gorey or Wexford, but in Ireland as a whole. Not a single permanent ice rink has been in place in the country since the Dundalk Ice Rink closed during the recession, so consequently, opportunities for training have always been very limited for me. I have lived in a small estate in Gorey for the majority of my life, yet I train 3 hours away by car and 5 hours by public transport at a recreational ice rink in Belfast. These circumstances are far from ideal; up to this point I could only train once a week on Sundays, when the rink is packed with little kids is blue, plastic skates and the environment is unsuitable for athletes ambitious to reach expert levels, such as myself. Hence, you can imagine my excitement when I received an offer for a placement in a Centre of Excellence for Figure Skating in Bergamo, Italy.
The Icelab is a centre designed specifically for the development of athletes to professional levels. It trains European and World champions and would be a dream come true to take part in and represent my country at the highest level. This is an incredible opportunity that I am tremendously grateful for, but one that I, unfortunately, cannot financially afford. Therefore, I ask for your contribution in assisting me in achieving my goals.
The monthly cost for training in the Icelab is 1,200 euro. This includes ice time, off-ice, gym and choreo training with elite, world renowned coaches. Your assistance would be massively appreciated!
Here is a recent article from the Irish Examiner on the subject:
Organizer
Sophia Tkacheva-Tracey
Organizer