Hi, I am Harrison, I am 16 years old and in year 12 at Hillcrest High School in Hamilton. I am the eldest of 4 children and am passionate about volleyball.

I have been selected by Beach Volleyball New Zealand to participate in the American Beach Development Tour which is taking place 5-20 July 2017.

I have competed in the NZ Beach volleyball tours around the North Island since 2015.  At the beginning of 2017 I attended a NZ Beach Volleyball Development camp which resulted in my recent selection for the American Tour.  This trip is an exciting opportunity for me to be able to compete on the international stage in a country that are world champions in beach volleyball.  It also provides exposure in the United States and the possibilities of sporting scholarships. From this squad of 10 boys, 2 are to be selected for the next Youth Olympics in 2018 which would be another amazing opportunity.

My parents have been very supportive of my sporting endeavours but this is a huge expense for us as I am the oldest 4 children whom my parents work very hard to support. Dad works as a Plasterer and Mum part time as a cook.  When time permits, I sometimes help Dad with his work and do odd jobs for family and friends.  We are also considering other avenues for fundraising such as cake stalls.  My family have already supported me to go to Vanuatu in 2015 and at such short notice, $6,000 is a huge task.
I started playing both indoor and beach volleyball in 2014 (year 9, age 13) for my school and the Waikato regional team which led to my first Waikato Championship win in indoor volleyball. I was also awarded the junior boys most outstanding volleyball player for my school that year.

At the beginning of 2015 (year 10, age 14), I was selected to join the New Zealand U17 beach volleyball squad which resulted in travelling to and competing in Vanuatu in December where my partner and I came 2nd out of about 14 teams. I was also selected for Hillcrest High School’s indoor volleyball premier/senior team and we won the Waikato Senior Championships 2 years in a row (2015/2016).

I would be immensely grateful for any financial support I am able to attract through my campaign.