Send Christian to the World University Games

Family, Friends, East Grand Rapids Community, Oakland Community, and all others,

I have recently been selected to represent the USA Swim Team at this summer's World University Games in Chengdu, China from July 28-August 8. This is an incredibly exciting chance to be one of only 18 women and 18 men who will represent our country as part of the USA Swim Team.

The World University Games is an international competition bringing together athletes from all around the globe. There will be approximately 300 American athletes in the delegation competing in 18 different sports. In total, there will be more than 10,000 student-athletes from at least 100 different countries, and more than 300 million people will tune in to watch the games live!

The total cost of the trip will be around $5,500, but goal is to raise $3,500 to offset the expenses associated with the trip that USA Swimming is not covering for the swimming delegation this year. Those expenses include flights, lodging, and meals.

As you may know, swimming has been a large part of my life since I was a child. I have swum through EGRA Waves, EGR Highschool, and Oakland University. I am so grateful to all of those at EGRA Waves who helped develop me as a swimmer and to those at EGR high school who helped me realize that swimming could take me places. I will forever be so thankful for my time at Oakland which helped me grow as both an athlete and a person. Oakland gave me a place to call home for the past 5 years and I have been so honored to be a Golden Grizzly. Without Oakland, I would not have had this opportunity today. Though I thought that I was done competing and hanging up my goggles, being selected to represent the United States in an international competition is a dream come true.

I would be so thankful if you would be willing to support me in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent our country this summer at the World University Games in China. It would mean the world to have your help.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. Go Waves, WDFA, and Grizzlies!

Christian Bart