Katie Jackson Australian U19 Rower

Katie….fun, smiley and fiercely loyal friend, but that is just a glimpse of the girl!

Currently, we are looking to raise $10,000 to send Katie to Italy to compete at the World Rowing Championships where she will represent Australia in the U19 Women’s 8. Her seat fee for the boat alone is $8000 and the additional $2000 is for expenses in the lead up.

But who is Katie Jackson.

From the little girl who did not want to do physical education lessons because it made her sweat to the athlete she has become today, it has been a journey of enlightenment and dedication. Katie was not a natural athlete. As a youngster, she was uncoordinated and awkward. But from a very early age, it was apparent that she had ‘Grit, determination and a hunger to be the best at everything she did.’

At 9 years of age, Katie was diagnosed with Dyslexia and it has proven to be a gift! Whilst you might wonder the correlation between dyslexia and sport, you see, Katie developed strategies, strategies to help her succeed academically, she never gave up! And the same is true on the sporting arena. She is what we called a grafter. With sport, she would be out practicing her goals, doing a core workout, going for a run or at the gym. She continued to go above and beyond, determined to make herself stronger, fitter and more capable than her competitors.

As parents we encourage her to ask questions if she does not understand. And when the Australian selectors gave a speech regarding the final analysis of their performance and said you are kind of through, but not…… what do you know, Katie had a question. So did we make it? Yes was the response. Some of her crew said, I am pleased you asked, because it was not clear to me either!

Katie is proof that perseverance pays off. She is a credit to herself for her hard work and determination. If you would like to support Katie, achieve her sporting dream of representing Australia, in Varese Italy to compete in the International World Junior Rowing Championships, then please donate to her gofundme account or share this post to allow others to support her.