When most people think about sand, they think about lazing around on a sunny beach. For 30-year-old Mississauga native Kara Zakrzewski, however, sand is no place for slacking off. It’s the stuff Olympic dreams are built on.
Zakrzewski first started playing beach volleyball in 1997, as a way to stay in shape for indoor volleyball. She quickly fell in love with playing on the sand, however; particularly, she recalls, with the “athleticism demanded from being involved in every play.” The fact that diving for the ball was a little less painful also made the decision easier.
In 2006, Zakrzewski won the Canadian Beach Volleyball National Championship, one of her biggest professional accomplishments. Since then, she has been working hard towards qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.
Chasing dreams is important to Zakrzewski. As an eight-year motivational speaker with the Esteem Team, she spends a lot of time inspiring youth to follow her Dream Bigg philosophy: “Believe; Inspire yourself; Goal set; and Go for it!” Zakrzewski believes that when you follow these basic fundamentals, “you can succeed at anything in life!”
Unfortunately, finances present a huge barrier to achieving dreams – whether in sports, music, or school – for many of these youth. Zakrzewksi knows this firsthand. There are significant costs associated with being a competitive athlete, such as coaching, training, competing, and travelling. Thus in order to support her 2012 Olympic dreams, Zakrzewski attempted to raise $12 000 in 12 days last December. With the support of friends, family, community, and corporate sponsors, Zakrzewski raised an incredible $10 000.
Although Zakrzewski regrets that raising money takes time away from training, she loves spending time inspiring youth. “If I can talk to the kid who becomes the next prime minister, that’s far bigger than going to the Olympics,” she explains. When every athlete’s dream is to compete at the Olympics, that says a lot about the difference Zakrzewski is making in Canada.
To learn more about Kara Zakrzewski and the Dream Bigg program, visit Kara’s website.
Know a Canadian with a big dream? Nominate him or her for our next Canadian Dreamer profile by contacting Ranita at rmanocha (at) alumni (dot) uwo (dot) ca.
Posted by Ranita Manocha
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