Journey to Representing My Country at 2020 Olympic!
WELCOME!
My name is Ena Shibahara and I am from Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Ever since I started playing tennis my goal was to play at an Olympic stadium representing my country. When I heard the 2020 Olympic was going to be played at Japan, I was ecstatic and knew Japan would be my first Olympic that I would be playing in.
6 months have passed since I have decided to turn into a Professional Tennis player and I am currently ranked 578 in singles and 202 in doubles. I am confident in the amount of work I put in daily to prepare myself for this upcoming WTA season. I am ready to work hard, but at the same time, I know that the road to success will be costly.
Bloomberg news reports “The U.S. Tennis Association estimated in 2010 that the annual average cost to be a “highly competitive” professional tennis player was $143,000—including $70,000 for coaching and $60,000 for travel—and that only the 164 highest-ranked players on the men's tour would have broken even with such costs.”
Currently I am training hard with my coach, Yoshi Shibahara. I am fortunate enough to be able to train with my father every day and not having to pay additional expenses on coaching. Still I will need to travel both domestically and internationally to play in tournaments to rapidly raise my ranking to qualify to become an Olympic Athlete.
All the money donated will go into my traveling fund where it will help pay for my airfare, lodging, and tournament fees.
By supporting me today, you are investing into something bigger than just a fundraiser. You're changing my life. Thank you for your support and I am excited to start my journey with you all!
