Help Dawn Play U24s!

Hi! My name is Dawn Culton, and I was recently selected to play on the US Women’s U-24 National Team for ultimate frisbee. I am incredibly excited about this opportunity to represent the US on an international stage and to get to meet and play with others from across the US. We will compete near London, England in July for a world title. I am stoked about this opportunity, however, it comes with a pretty big price tag.

I am fundraising with a goal of $5,035. The team was originally given an estimated price range of $2,500-$3,600 however this has been updated to be $4,135-$5,035 which includes flights, room and board (for training weekend, training camp, and the tournament), transportation, and a few other fees. This opportunity is obviously incredibly expensive. I appreciate you considering donating, I feel grateful for donations of any size, or a share if you are not in a position to donate.

About me as a player:

I currently play for UNC Pleiades, Raleigh Phoenix, and Raleigh Radiance. I’ve played on Pleiades since my freshman year of college (2018-2019). We tied for third my freshman year, had the next couple of years disrupted by covid, and then won back the back titles in 2021 and 2022 (the first in program history!). I captained during both of those seasons and was lucky enough to pick up a few awards as well (Callahan award, 2022 POTY, 2021 1st runner-up POTY, 2021 DPOTY). I’ve been on Phoenix since the 2019 season where we made it to quarters and eventually got 7th. In 2021 we made it to semis and finished third, earning a bid to club worlds where this summer we also finished third. This year at club nationals we finished fifth. I began playing on Radiance in 2019 as well, we finished second at championship weekend in 2019, first at a regional championship weekend in 2021, and tied for third this year in 2022.

I began playing ultimate in my freshman year of high school at East Chapel Hill. I played on the girls’ team Eclipse and captained my last two years of high school. I also played on my high school open team. Additionally, I played tourists, a team of high schoolers playing in college tournaments, in my junior and senior years (it didn’t exist before that!). I also played on Warhawks for four years throughout high school and won YCC after my junior and senior years.

I am lucky to have had so many opportunities available to me throughout my ultimate playing career. I hope that I have made the most of them by working hard and dedicating myself to the sport. I appreciate the time, effort, thought, and love that my coaches have continuously poured into the teams that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. I would never be in the position that I am without them, and I am eternally grateful. Frisbee has given me some of the best memories and friends of my life and playing makes me so incredibly happy.

About me as a community member:

I try to give back to the ultimate community as much as I can. While in college, I started assistant coaching Eclipse, the high school team I was a part of, in 2019. I coached them until the pandemic stopped the 2020 season. In 2021 I completed a position with AmeriCorps and Triangle Ultimate in which I served 450 hours. As part of these hours, I helped out at a local Boys and Girls club. I also coached various Learn2Play programs and summer camps run through Triangle Ultimate. I also began coaching the Chapel Hill High School open team (CHUF). My service term ended in November 2021 but I continued coaching CHUF through their spring season. This past summer I coached two weeks of Carolina Flight School, a new overnight summer camp in the area. I also coached one week of a frisbee day camp run through the Carborro parks department.

About me as a person:

I just finished my first semester of grad school! I am officially a quarter of the way towards getting my Master of Social Work degree. I have declared a direct practice concentration, and I hope to eventually earn my LCSW. This year, as part of the program, I spend 16 hours a week interning at a domestic violence agency on top of taking five classes. Outside of my MSW program, I am a part of a research team studying the impact of COVID-19 on gig workers and other unstable workers in New York! I’ve been a part of this project since the winter of 2020. It’s a sociology research team but they were nice enough to let me continue even though I’ve transitioned away from sociology to social work! Outside of my academic pursuits and actively playing frisbee, I love to lift and watch film. I also love to hang out with my friends, go on walks, and drink bubble tea.

I hope you consider donating to my fundraiser. I am so grateful for the opportunity to play for the U24 national team, and any financial help you can provide me is so, so appreciated.