For as long as I can remember, I have been doing competitive sports. Water polo wasn't any different, a player of the sport since 13 years old. I always played on hearing squads so when the opportunity came to play on a deaf squad, it was one I couldn't pass up. I was recently selected to the United States Deaf Water Polo team that would be competing in the 29th Deaflympics in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Deaflympics is a venue for deaf athletes from all over the world to complete on a level playing ground. It offers the same sports that the Olympics offers. Many countries have funds set for their deaflympic athletes, United States isn't one of them.

This is where you come in play, about 4,500 dollars is needed for me to attend the 29th Deaflympics. The trip to Taipei will be approximately three weeks from August 25th to September 16th. The 4,500 dollars will cover my round trip flight from Los Angeles to Taipei, cost of room and board, and some bare necessities. I also will be spending a week in Southern California for a week-long training camp just before the trip to Taipei. In additional to that, I will be attending approximately six weekend-long camps to prepare for the Deaflympics.

Your donation is tax-deductible and every little bit helps, It is our team's quest to reclaim the gold medal that USDWP won in 1993 and silver in 1997. We also want to raise our team's standards to equal these premier deaf squads in Europe.