Aimee Ferguson | Sport

To whom it may concern,

Hello my name is Aimee Ferguson and I am a year 11 student at Hamilton’s Rototuna Senior High.

I have always been an active person and my parents have encouraged me to try a variety of team sports over the years. As a primary school student I enjoyed the annual cross-country event, winning four consecutive years, from years 3 through to year 6. In Year 8 I won the Waikato Intermediate Schools cross country.

I have always had a natural fitness, however, realised if I wanted to improve I would need the guidance of a coach. I met Kevin Bradley after a school athletics day last year. He spotted I had potential and after a meeting we decided to start some track training. Last summer I competed in numerous Athletic meets with surprisingly good results up against very experienced athletes. However my passion is cross-country, and this year decided to drop one of my winter team sports to enable me to compete in events and gain more experience.

After winning the Waikato BOP Senior Girls Secondary School Cross Country this year I flew to Christchurch to complete in the Nationals. This was my first year competing in the Seniors age group 16 to 18, coming 10th in a field of 120. I was still only 15 years old at the time.

A few weeks later I was named in the New Zealand team traveling to Hobart to complete in the Australian Secondary School Cross Country. Travelling to another country, wearing a New Zealand uniform as part of a team was an amazing experience. I placed 11th in the U18 individual race, then two days later ran in the team relay, winning gold.

After my success in Hobart I have now been named in the New Zealand team travelling to Paris next April to complete in the Secondary School Cross Country Worlds Champs. The team consists of six males and six females. This will be my only opportunity to represent my school and country as this is a bi-annual event, and in 2020 I will no longer be eligible. The cost of this trip will be approximately $6000.

I definitely could not have come this far without the guidance of my coach Kevin Bradley and the support of my parents through this very competitive past year. I know my parents work hard balancing my running plus my other sporting commitments around their own busy lives. Running has given me the opportunity to do things I wouldn’t normally experience, the Hobart trip, travelling to different places around the country plus the opportunity to coach younger students in our Junior High School.

Competing in Paris next year is a dream come true for me, however, this comes with a major financial commitment. Any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated in order to realise my dream.

Thank you for your consideration.
Aimee Ferguson