An Olympic Quest — China and Beyond by Mayumi Roller

Editor:

My name is Mayumi Roller and I am campaigning for the 2008 Olympic Games in China. Along with a lot of practice and hard work, it takes a lot of money to try to fund such a campaign.

From the following list, you can probably tell that just one regatta puts quite a substantial dent in my pocket. Such a campaign involves far more than just one event. In order to be truly competitive amongst the world’s finest athletes, I need to participate in a great number of regattas to fine tune my racing skills and prepare myself both mentally and physically.

The final qualifying regatta is the Women’s Radial World Championships in New Zealand from March 13 through 20. In the event I don’t make the final cut in New Zealand, the Virgin Islands Sailing Association has already requested a “wild card status” for me, which is still under consideration.

A small number of such spots are made available to small countries that display growth in a particular sport. I will also be attending the Youth Radial World Championships in New Zealand from March 24 through 29.
Additional regattas that are necessary to hone skills and maintain a keen competitive mind frame are also a very integral part of my campaign.

My participation in upcoming events, including the Martin Luther King Day Regatta at the St. Thomas Yacht Club, the 7th International Youth Regatta at Club Nautico de San Juan, and finally the Laser Midwinters East in Clearwater, Florida, are all part of the intense effort needed to prepare.

These will then be followed by other regattas to be determined in the early summer.

List of major ongoing expenses:
– Travel
– Hotels
– Car rentals
– Food
– Regatta registration
– Boat and equipment rentals
– Gear
– Coaching (including travel, food, accommodation, coach boat, gas, and related expenses)

I have a considerable resume which offers evidence of my skill and abilities. I have represented the Virgin Islands in many esteemed regattas, like the ISAF Worlds in Portugal, the Pan American Games in Brazil, and the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia.

I recently attended the annual Orange Bowl regatta in Florida and finished as the top Virgin Islander and second best girl in 20th place out of a fleet of 138 sailors.

Any contribution that you could make would be greatly appreciated.

*Important* please note:
All donations should be made payable to: the Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, and please enter “for Mayumi Roller” on the memo line.
(All donations are tax deductible as the VIOC is a 501-C3 designated organization.)

For more information please email me at mroller31191@yahoo.com.                                                                                                                              

Thank you very much,
Mayumi Roller