2018 Taekwondo Competitions

Hello,My name is Jacob Grace and I am an athlete in the martial art, Taekwondo. I created this GoFundMe page hoping to raise money for my competitions this year. I have been studying Taekwondo for 9 years and it has been my dream to represent my country in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan. Throughout my journey, I have accomplished many things that are slowly bringing me closer to making this dream a reality. In 2012, I won the US National Championships in Dallas, TX, earning a spot on the US Junior National Team. With that, I got the chance to represent the United States in Muju, South Korea in the World Taekwondo Culture Expo, earning a gold medal.As I got older, the competitions started getting more difficult. But even though the competitions started getting tougher, the love and support from my family and friends was endless and it fueled me to continue to pursue my goal. In 2014 I won the National Championships receiving an invitation to the 2015 US Team Trials. However I came up short, becoming 3rd in the nation in the Senior Featherweight Division. Even though I did not earn a spot on the team, the experience made more motivated and I became even more determined to finish what I started. After 2015 Nationals, I received another invitation for the 2016 US Team Trials. My hard work and determination paid off, on April 30, 2016, I became the 2016 US National Team Member in the Featherweight (-68KG) category. The blood, sweat and tears paid off, and with this win, my dream of an Olympian is almost in arms reach.As of right now, I am still continuing my journey. I am excited for the competitions ahead of me this year and I am ready to take them on. But I do need some help. This year I plan on participating in many International Opens to enhance my skills and gain World Ranking Points to participate in the bigger competitions, such as the Grand Prix. In order for me to be able to compete in these competitions, I do need to raise money for not just the competitions itself, but also flights, hotels, food and other miscellaneous fees. I am hoping that with your donation it will take me one step closer to being able to go to these upcoming events and closer to my dream. Being able to step onto the Olympic Stage is my dream. I hope with your help, it can help make my dream come true.Thank you very much,- Jacob Grace