Fresh off her state competition at Mt. Hood Meadows, Hood River Valley High School sophomore Elexis McAllister will be heading to Copper Springs, Colo., to compete in the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Nationals April 1-10, but needs the community’s help in getting there.
Born and raised in Hood River, McAllister says snowboarding “has always been my passion,” and started riding when she was just 4 years old. Last year on the HRV snowboarding team as a freshman, McAllister qualified for all event categories for the Oregon Interscholastic Snowboarding Association (OISA) championships at Mt. Bachelor and brought home a medal. This year, McAllister started entering USASA boardercross and banked slalom competitions and is currently ranked first in the region for the Mt. Hood Series and 28th out of 68 riders in the nation.
The trip to nationals, however, will cost McAllister $6,000 and the HRV sophomore is looking for sponsorship from community members.
“When I joined the team, I wasn’t sure I would receive an invitation, not knowing what my competition would be or look like being my first year on a national level,” she explains. “With receiving an invite on such short notice, this is a huge expense and I am hoping our amazing, supportive, tight-knit community will come together to help me make this happen.”
To-date, McAllister has a little over $1,000 that has been contributed thanks to personal donors. She is seeking sponsors from local businesses, who can get their logos displayed on her banner, Facebook, Instagram, and other options. Logos can be emailed to Kari Croke (karicroke82@gmail.com) and Croke can be contacted for questions at 541-399-0916.
“I am excited to go to Colorado and compete for a higher rank,” McAllister says. “I appreciate the opportunity to snowboard and compete against other young women my age in this nation.”
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