Natalia's European Gymnastics Championships Dream

(My teammate, Emma (on left), and myself (on right) at the International Meet in Paris, France in 2019)

Thank you for taking the time to let me share my story with you. I am an Elite level gymnast and I am currently on the Polish National Team (my parents are both Polish so I have dual citizenship). I accomplished my goal of making the Junior National Team for Poland in 2018 and I was able to compete at the European Championships in Glasgow. It was an incredible experience to meet athletes from around the world and compete on such a huge international stage. One of the highlights of my trip was being named as an Opening Ceremony ambassador and I got to speak during the opening ceremonies.


I train 30-36 hours per week in the gym in pursuit of my gymnastics goals to represent Poland as a Senior athlete (Olympic-age eligibility)  at this year’s European Championships in France. A week ago, I achieved my first step toward this goal. I competed in a National Elite Gymnastics Qualifier and I obtained the score I needed in order to compete at the European Championships.


This is a dream I’ve been chasing for a couple of years and I am so excited to be able to have the opportunity to represent Poland again as a Senior. Unfortunately, the Polish Federation doesn’t have the financial backing to cover any of my travel and uniform expenses. I am trying to fundraise donations to cover the various expenses (travel, uniforms, etc) associated with competing at the European Championships. Any contribution, regardless of size, would help me greatly. Thank you so much for being a part of my journey to get to France this summer!


Sincerely, 

Natalia Pawlak