We at St. Luke are proud that one of our younger members has been invited to go to Australia for a track competition. In a letter to the Church Council, Kaylynn explained, “I recently received an invitation to join the Track and Field team in the Down Under International games in Australia in June of 2009. I was invited to go to Australia and Hawaii next summer to compete in an international competition for track and field. I will also join other youth across the United States and travel to the Gold Coast of Australia to compete in track and field events with people from several other countries.Then, after spending 7 days in Australia running and enjoying the culture, I’ll travel to Hawaii with the team to enjoy an authentic luau and Polynesian cultural with a visit to Pearl Harbor to pick up on some American history before returning to the states.”
“What an opportunity this will be to not only doing something Kaylynn loves, but have the experience of other cultures.” said her mother, Michele Portell.
Kaylynn got noticed as a result of her success last year in track and her extracurricular involvement including her service at Work Camp last year at Pawhuska, OK. Kaylynn finished 8th in the two-mile, was awarded All-State, and went to State with the 3200-meter relay team.
If able to raise the funds, Kaylynn will represent Missouri Track & Field in the 21st annual Down Under Sports Tournaments. The tournaments are hosted each June and July in Australia or New Zealand. Athletes from across the United States, Australia and New Zealand come together each year to participate in the Down Under Sports Tournament. The tournament is sponsored by International Sports Specialists, Inc. ISSI’s goal is to provide athletes who excel in their sport to experience the culture, beauty and grandeur of the land Down Under all within the framework of spirited and intense competition in many different sports.
More on Down Under track & field…
