A short summary of your project
I'm raising £500 so that I can represent GB and Brunel at the prestigious World University Summer Games in Naples, Italy!
Who are you?
My name is Will East. I'm an undergad Industrial Design student at Brunel University London, from Canterbury, Kent. When I'm not at university you can find me fencing! I am currently in the national team representing Great Britain at U20 and Senior level.
MY story
Inspired by Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean, I started fencing when I was 8. From there my journey into the sport began, leading me to be ranked no.1 in the UK and 18th in the World. The hard work over those years gave me the opportunity compete internationally at World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, European & World Championships, and now this- The World University Games!
After winning the Commonwealth Games, August 2018.
The fencing event I have qualified for this July is part of a wider World Universities Games event taking place in Italy, with 10,000 competitors participating in over 13 different sports - it's like a mini-Olympics for university students. This is an amazing opportunity to compete against the best university fencers from across the World and I don't want to pass it up!
Competing in this event is the next step to bringing me closer to my ultimate Olympic dream.
Fencing in the UK has no funding provision, and unlike other sports we don't have a lucrative sponsorship deal, so athletes must fund themselves for events like this. I was lucky enough to receive some support from SportsAid, however, since qualifying for this event the trip organisers have had to increase the cost due to a significant rise in flight prices, which is why I'm asking for your help!
Where will the money go?
The organisers (BUCS), have said that total amount for each athlete going in the GB fencing team is £1750 plus £175 for the share of the Team Leader costs. This totals £1925 per athlete. This covers flights, accommodation, catering, transport, team wear, physio/medical support, administration, insurance and entry fees. I have been able to fund the majority of the trip myself but I just need making up the rest!
UPDATES
You can follow how the competition goes on my Instagram account, here, from 2-10th July!
Thank you so much for anything you can give! Even £1 would be a useful contribution - or otherwise, help me out by sharing my page with anyone you think might be interested. Thank you!
