Donate to Ethan for the National Athletics Titles

Hi,

My 12 year old son Ethan needs your help to get to the Australian Athletics Championship for school sports. 

He only started his athletic journey this year through the Mackay North State School. He has excelled in his sprinting achievements and very quickly moved through the ranks to end up being chosen for the Qld Athletics team to compete at the National Australian Championships in November. He is an underdog and has natural talent. He had no formal training until about six weeks ago after he was selected to be in the Capricornia region team and started training with a private group (The SLEAK Squad) after school. We just wanted to give him the best opportunity, and thanks to his coach Dave Lester it has paid off.

He's not only made it into the Qld team but now has a shot at winning medals at a National level. When he started, he said he just wanted to get a shirt for the Southern Suburbs; then it was Mackay Districts, then he said if he got to the Capricornia team, he would be happy.

He has really enjoyed the journey to date, and it's important to us that he gets an opportunity to go all the way to the top at least once in his life to show him that if you set goals and try hard, you can achieve great things.

All this has come about very quickly and unexpected for us, and I am new to navigating my way around the athletics world; so because it's a school sport, all expenses are on us to get him to the competition and chaperone him the whole time. 

Sponsorship is not an option as there is nothing to offer a sponsor for their investment as it's all education department-related, and advertising may not be allowed.

We recently returned from the Qld Track & Field Championships in Brisbane, which was a 2-day event, and we were away for three nights plus time off work with no pay, so the cost to the family is up to over $3000.

This next event is only four weeks away and is a six-day event back in Brisbane and we are forced to commit to being there for the whole time, and this time will be seven nights away, so travel expenses will be much more.

Qld Schools Sports Australia requires a fee of $400-$500; there are compulsory uniform items to buy for around $200, plus flights, accommodation, transport to and from training camp and competition, meals etc.

Xmas is around the corner; family birthdays are still to come; the start of the new school year brings more expense as Ethan will go to grade 7 in 2023, and he's back in Brisbane for school camp between the 18th - 21st of October.

He has real potential to go further with this and has been noticed by many people, including the head of athletics from Ipswich Boys Grammar school, who are interested in giving him a scholarship.

Knowing what I know now will be easier to manage next year if he continues on this path, as we can plan ahead. 

This year of competing to this level was not exactly what we expected, but he's a natural-born sprinter and will only get better given the right opportunities.

Thank you so much for donating, and I can assure you that our family appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.