Pushing to make my Olympic dream a reality!
Hi everyone! I’m back again with my last
campaign before the 2016 Olympics in Rio. First of all, I want to thank
everyone for all the support they have shown me over the last two seasons. I
honestly would not be where I am without you and I can’t thank you enough. I also want to give a great big THANK YOU to Richard Skura for putting together my video for me and taking so many great photos for this campaign. I can't thank him enough because he generously volunteers so much time and energy into these campaigns! It means so much to me.
This season is the last push for the 2016
Olympics. I don’t know what will happen, but I do know I am going to give it my
all! I have many competitions to attend before April 2016, which is when all of
the Olympic Qualifying events finish. My biggest thing when I decided to try
for the Olympics was that I didn’t want any regrets. It’s going to be tough,
but I’ve known that from the beginning. I don’t want to wonder what would have
happened if I did something differently. I plan to just push until the very end
because it isn’t over until it’s over. I am currently ranked 2nd in
Canada and by the end of this season my goals are to be ranked 1st
in Canada and to qualify for the Olympics.
Here is where you all come in!. I do not
receive any funding and I work a full time job to try and make ends meet. Your
contributions will go toward the high costs of training, travel, registration
fees, and health care and it is crucial for helping me meet my goals this
season. Here is a breakdown of all the Olympic qualifiers that I would like to
attend this season (please keep in mind that I need to pay for flights, hotel,
registration, food, etc for each and every one of these competitions):
Venezuela (World Cup): October 9 – 11, 2015
France (World Cup): October 30 – November 1, 2015
USA (Grand Prix): December 12 – 13, 2015
Mexico (Satellite Tournament): December 15 – 16, 2015
Turkey (Satellite Tournament): January 9 – 10, 2016
Greece (World Cup): January 29 – 31, 2016
Belgium (World Cup): February 19 – 21, 2016
Italy (Satellite Tournament): March 19, 2016
Korea (Grand Prix): March 25 – 26, 2016
I will also attend National level
tournaments and International training camps this season. I wouldn’t be
surprised if all of the tournaments this season cost me upwards of $20,000. On
top of that, I spend approximately $500 per month just training (club fees,
private lessons, and gym membership) and approximately $2000 in additional
health services (sports psychology, massage, acupuncture, physio, chiropractor,
etc). Thanks to a generous sponsorship by Absolute Fencing to the Canadian
National Team, I now have a great set of fencing whites, a lame, a glove, and a
mask along with a fencing bag for my travels. I will, however, still need to
buy parts for my sabres (particularly blades, which break almost every
month). The National Team fencers have also just received sponsorship from Nike, so I will receive brand new fencing shoes, a track suit, and workout apparel, which also really helps me out.
Right now, I am more motivated than ever
and I have a game plan. I know what I need to work on and in the course of the
next few months I am going to work hard to be the best fencer I can be. The
experiences throughout the past season have really taught me some valuable
lessons going forward.
Thank you again to everyone for all the support they show in all the different ways as I work to make my Olympic dream a reality!
Every champion needs her crowd!
Hi! My name is Marissa Ponich and I am one of the top women's sabre fencers in Canada. I have been a national team member since 2013 (the same year I started fencing internationally). I started fencing at the late age of 19. I train at Sergei’s Sabre Club with Sergei Kazimirski and he’s been my coach since I started fencing in 2006. I have grown quickly and I am continuing to grow in this sport because it is a serious passion of mine.
