Training Fund for 2022 Olympics
Donation protected
Life has a funny way of leading us to places we never dreamed of, huh? When I had the crazy dream of pursuing a career as a professional snowboarder at age 17 (barely able to turn a snowboard at that point), I had no idea I was on a road to one day competing in the Olympics.
Most future professional snowboarders start their "training" at 7 years old, or younger. Since I was a little late in the game already, I had to do things guerilla style. I lived in my car so I could put money into snowboarding, worked odd jobs (for free) just to access training facilities, used hand me down gear, and watched "how to" YouTube videos from the pros. I was laughed at, talked down to, and told I was "gonna end up running home and crying to my mommy and daddy before the end of my first season."
Well, just six years after starting the sport, I was traveling the around world to Olympic Qualifying events with my sight set on competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. At that point I was receiving funding and support to cover the crazy costs and demands of training and competing all over the world.
Then, 6 months before the 2018 Olympics, I fully tore my ACL and partially tore my meniscus in a random snowboard accident while training in New Zealand. I pushed through the injury and competed in the next Olympic Qualifier only 3 weeks later. I did my best to work with my blown out knee for the next 6 months, training as much as my knee would allow, and competing in every qualifier event. At my last qualifier event I placed 15th, landing a new trick I had never done in competition. I thought I had secured my spot and my trip to South Korea for the Olympics was booked.
.....Except my spot wasn't secured like I thought. While I had met the eligibility criteria of having a top 24 result, and earned above the minimum point requirements, only 24 women get to compete in the Olympic Half Pipe event and I was 25th in line. My chance to be my country's (Malta) first Snowboarder in the Olympics was crushed. With a heavy heart, I returned home to finally get knee surgery and begin my recovery.
Fast forward to today. The final training season before the next Olympic Qualifiers is about to begin. I've had a full recovery, and am ready to put in the greatest fight of my life and train harder than ever before. The only thing stopping me now is funding. The financial support I had for the previous Olympics seems to have vanished. If I can secure my training fund for this year, I've got a real good shot of making it to the big show.
Competing in the 2022 Olympics won't just be a victory for me. It'll be a victory for everyone who's had the cards stacked against them. For everyone who's been told they're too old to try something new. For everyone who's been told they aren't talented enough, strong enough, good enough. This is to prove if you want to achieve a goal badly enough, there's nothing in the world that can stop you.
Most future professional snowboarders start their "training" at 7 years old, or younger. Since I was a little late in the game already, I had to do things guerilla style. I lived in my car so I could put money into snowboarding, worked odd jobs (for free) just to access training facilities, used hand me down gear, and watched "how to" YouTube videos from the pros. I was laughed at, talked down to, and told I was "gonna end up running home and crying to my mommy and daddy before the end of my first season."
Well, just six years after starting the sport, I was traveling the around world to Olympic Qualifying events with my sight set on competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. At that point I was receiving funding and support to cover the crazy costs and demands of training and competing all over the world.
Then, 6 months before the 2018 Olympics, I fully tore my ACL and partially tore my meniscus in a random snowboard accident while training in New Zealand. I pushed through the injury and competed in the next Olympic Qualifier only 3 weeks later. I did my best to work with my blown out knee for the next 6 months, training as much as my knee would allow, and competing in every qualifier event. At my last qualifier event I placed 15th, landing a new trick I had never done in competition. I thought I had secured my spot and my trip to South Korea for the Olympics was booked.
.....Except my spot wasn't secured like I thought. While I had met the eligibility criteria of having a top 24 result, and earned above the minimum point requirements, only 24 women get to compete in the Olympic Half Pipe event and I was 25th in line. My chance to be my country's (Malta) first Snowboarder in the Olympics was crushed. With a heavy heart, I returned home to finally get knee surgery and begin my recovery.
Fast forward to today. The final training season before the next Olympic Qualifiers is about to begin. I've had a full recovery, and am ready to put in the greatest fight of my life and train harder than ever before. The only thing stopping me now is funding. The financial support I had for the previous Olympics seems to have vanished. If I can secure my training fund for this year, I've got a real good shot of making it to the big show.
Competing in the 2022 Olympics won't just be a victory for me. It'll be a victory for everyone who's had the cards stacked against them. For everyone who's been told they're too old to try something new. For everyone who's been told they aren't talented enough, strong enough, good enough. This is to prove if you want to achieve a goal badly enough, there's nothing in the world that can stop you.
Organizer
Jenise Spiteri
Organizer
Redwood City, CA
