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Dear Friends,
My daughter, Margie, is hoping to compete in the 2018 Oceania Swimming Championships to be held in Papua New Guinea from June 25 through 29. I’ve attached a message from her below explaining both why she needs your help and the many reasons why it’s so important that she compete in this swim meet.
Thanks in advance for sharing this note and for donating as you are able!
Stephen Winter
*********************************************************
Hello! My name is Margie Winter. I’m 16 years old and I’m a swimmer!
My family lives in upstate New York and I compete for both my high school varsity team and the local YMCA team. I’m doing fairly well and have placed high in regional competitions. I have also won a number of awards from both of the teams that I represent.
Even though we now live in the US, where my dad is from, I was born in Chuuk State of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). That’s where my mom is from. So, I am one of the many Micronesians that live far away from their island home.
Very few people in the US know where Micronesia is. To simplify things a little, it’s a large group of islands in the western Pacific. Besides the FSM, Micronesia includes the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and Guam. A lot of countries/political entities and even more islands. Chuuk is one of the four states of the FSM. The other three states are Yap, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.
Just recently, the FSM Swimming Association invited me to join their team that will be competing in the 2018 Oceania Swimming Championship to be held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The meet will take place on June 25 – 29, 2018. This may not sound like a big deal. But, participating in this meet is a prerequisite for competing in the Youth Olympics that will take place this October in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and even in the 2020 Olympics that will take place in Tokyo!
Sounds crazy? Not at all! Right now, my personal best times in my favorite swimming events are comparable to the times of female swimmers from the FSM at previous international meets --- and even the 2016 Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro. My goal is to be the fastest female swimmer on the FSM team! I know that I have the ability to do this and I'm confident that, with hard work and with the help of my coach, this can happen.
But, everything hinges upon me participating in the Swimming Championships coming up in PNG…
My problem is that it's very expensive to travel from New York to PNG. Also, since I’m only 16, I would like my mother to accompany me on the trip --- which doubles the travel expense. The FSM will cover the cost of my travel between Pohnpei (the capital island of the FSM where the rest of the FSM swimmers are from) and PNG. It will also cover my lodging and transportation expense while at the meet. However, I need to raise funds to cover these expenses for my mom. We will also need funds for a few days of rest on Pohnpei after we arrive there from the US.
But, by far, the greatest expense that we will have to cover is plane fare between New York and Pohnpei. This, alone, will come to around $5,600. Adding the above, the minimum funds that we will need in order for me to be able to compete in the meet will be around $7,500. Unfortunately, my family does not have the resources to cover any of these expenses.
Needless to say, if I compete in the PNG Swimming Championship, it will be a dream come true for me. But, aside from me, I think I might bring a bit of local pride to the FSM if I compete favorably with swimmers from nearby (rival) island nations (Palau and the Marshall Islands). And, finally, I’ll be the first female Chuukese swimmer to represent the FSM internationally. This will make my state proud and it will be an honor for me to do that.
Although I was born in the FSM, my home is now Norwich, New York, USA. And, I think that my hometown here in the USA will also be proud to be the home of an “international” swimmer. Maybe even a future Olympian! Perhaps I might even be an inspiration to young boys and girls here. That would make me extremely happy.
Please help me fly to Papua New Guinea!
My daughter, Margie, is hoping to compete in the 2018 Oceania Swimming Championships to be held in Papua New Guinea from June 25 through 29. I’ve attached a message from her below explaining both why she needs your help and the many reasons why it’s so important that she compete in this swim meet.
Thanks in advance for sharing this note and for donating as you are able!
Stephen Winter
*********************************************************
Hello! My name is Margie Winter. I’m 16 years old and I’m a swimmer!
My family lives in upstate New York and I compete for both my high school varsity team and the local YMCA team. I’m doing fairly well and have placed high in regional competitions. I have also won a number of awards from both of the teams that I represent.
Even though we now live in the US, where my dad is from, I was born in Chuuk State of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). That’s where my mom is from. So, I am one of the many Micronesians that live far away from their island home.
Very few people in the US know where Micronesia is. To simplify things a little, it’s a large group of islands in the western Pacific. Besides the FSM, Micronesia includes the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and Guam. A lot of countries/political entities and even more islands. Chuuk is one of the four states of the FSM. The other three states are Yap, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.
Just recently, the FSM Swimming Association invited me to join their team that will be competing in the 2018 Oceania Swimming Championship to be held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). The meet will take place on June 25 – 29, 2018. This may not sound like a big deal. But, participating in this meet is a prerequisite for competing in the Youth Olympics that will take place this October in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and even in the 2020 Olympics that will take place in Tokyo!
Sounds crazy? Not at all! Right now, my personal best times in my favorite swimming events are comparable to the times of female swimmers from the FSM at previous international meets --- and even the 2016 Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro. My goal is to be the fastest female swimmer on the FSM team! I know that I have the ability to do this and I'm confident that, with hard work and with the help of my coach, this can happen.
But, everything hinges upon me participating in the Swimming Championships coming up in PNG…
My problem is that it's very expensive to travel from New York to PNG. Also, since I’m only 16, I would like my mother to accompany me on the trip --- which doubles the travel expense. The FSM will cover the cost of my travel between Pohnpei (the capital island of the FSM where the rest of the FSM swimmers are from) and PNG. It will also cover my lodging and transportation expense while at the meet. However, I need to raise funds to cover these expenses for my mom. We will also need funds for a few days of rest on Pohnpei after we arrive there from the US.
But, by far, the greatest expense that we will have to cover is plane fare between New York and Pohnpei. This, alone, will come to around $5,600. Adding the above, the minimum funds that we will need in order for me to be able to compete in the meet will be around $7,500. Unfortunately, my family does not have the resources to cover any of these expenses.
Needless to say, if I compete in the PNG Swimming Championship, it will be a dream come true for me. But, aside from me, I think I might bring a bit of local pride to the FSM if I compete favorably with swimmers from nearby (rival) island nations (Palau and the Marshall Islands). And, finally, I’ll be the first female Chuukese swimmer to represent the FSM internationally. This will make my state proud and it will be an honor for me to do that.
Although I was born in the FSM, my home is now Norwich, New York, USA. And, I think that my hometown here in the USA will also be proud to be the home of an “international” swimmer. Maybe even a future Olympian! Perhaps I might even be an inspiration to young boys and girls here. That would make me extremely happy.
Please help me fly to Papua New Guinea!