We know that most athletes do not have enough money in their pocket to pay for the trip. Through fundraising, athletes who are willing to work can raise all the money necessary to go.
Organize a Penny Bowl-A-Thon that will consist of 3 games being played and ask people to sponsor you one penny for every pin that is knocked down. Make up a flyer announcing the Penny Bowl-A-Thon and asking for sponsors to pledge just 1 penny a pin – the maximum amount any sponsor would have to pay is $9.00, and that's only if you bowled 3 perfect games in a row! Make sure your flyer announces that sponsors will receive a Thank You Ticket for a chance to win a free trip for 2 to Australia and Hawaii. Leave room on the flyer for the sponsor's contact information.
Next, make 1,000 copies of your flyer and give 100 to every member of your fundraising committee. The goal is to have each of them find 100 people to sponsor you. After you have bowled 3 games, get a print out of your score sheet and make a copy for each committee member to show as proof of your score. Have your fundraising committee collect the money and give each sponsor a Thank You Ticket to mail in to Down Under Sports.
When you register with Down Under Sports you will receive a customized sponsorship letter announcing that you are officially registered to participate in the Down Under Sports Tournaments and that you and your team are looking for sponsors. You will also receive a sheet of 6 Thank You Tickets to use in conjunction with any fundraiser that you choose to do. As a way of helping our athletes with their fundraising, Down Under Sports is giving away a free trip for two to Australia and Hawaii as well as a 5 day Carribean Cruise for 2. Anyone who donates money towards you and your team should receive a Thank You Ticket for their contribution which can then be mailed to our office and entered into both drawings.
Sponsorship letters are a great way of presenting yourself to as many potential sponsors as possible. Send 20 copies of the letter to each member of your Fundraising Committee. Each member should then deliver those copies to 20 people in their community (i.e. family members, neighbors, friends, local businesses, doctors' offices, churches). With a Fundraising Committee of 10 people, you will get 200 sponsorship letters being distributed throughout various communities in the country. Feel free to add in copies of your newspaper article, photos of yourself, or anything else to help personalize the letter. It's a great idea for you or your committee to hand deliver as many of the letters as you can.
Use the thank you tickets in conjuction with all fundraisers you do as a way of expressing your gratitude. You can also give copies to your fundraising committee members so they can incorporate them in their efforts as well.
IMPORTANT: The thank you tickets are not a raffle. It is illegal to sell these tickets as a chance of winning a free trip, rather they are to be used as a means of thanking someone for contributing to your fundraising efforts.
When you register with Down Under Sports you will receive a sheet of 6 Thank You Tickets. This sheet is to be kept as a "master" that you can photocopy and then cut into individual tickets to have ready to give out to anyone who donates money towards your trip. There is no cash value to these tickets.
The person receiving the Thank You Tickets is responsible for mailing them to Down Under Sports before the deadline. The winner of the two drawings will then be contacted by our office. The winners of the Australia trip will generally travel with the athletes on the Australia Tournament Package and Hawaiian Retreat Option.
We were so excited to have won the trip. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We were blessed to have been able to experience this trip with our grandson, Robert Fisk (Kansas/Missouri track and field athlete) and our daughter, Susan. We had never been anywhere outside of the Midwest before and imagine our excitement to get to fly for the first time and to travel to two of the most amazing places in the world.
We were able to experience watching the Pacific Ocean from the 20th floor of our hotel in Brisbane and to hike a trail at Tamborine Mountain to a beautiful natural waterfall. We were able to see kangaroos and koalas in their natural home and our tour guide tried to teach us to throw a boomerang-- we never did quite get it. We had the best Down Under guide in Australia with Eliot Krause. He was fun and really could get the kids to join in and have great experiences. We wanted to stay forever.
Hawaii was great fun. We were humbled by our visit to Pearl Harbor and it made us appreciate even more the sacrifice that our military men and women make every day for us. On the other side of this was the fun time we had at Germaine’s Luau. Watching the kids on the stage attempting to do a hula dance was hilarious.
We made many new friends, both in the United States and Australia. And we have created memories that will last a lifetime. We give our appreciation to Mr. O’Scanlon for having the vision to create this competition, giving young people the opportunity to travel, to compete and to experience all this. Keep up the good vision. We hope you continue for many, many more years.
Frank and Sam Fisk, Grandparent Supporters
Kansas/Missouri Track and Field
