Roller Wheels For A Deal
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday June 30, 2005
HE represented Australia at the Athens Paralympics and once scored 55 points in a basketball game.
But nothing could have prepared Wollongong Roller Hawks captain Tristan Knowles for the marathon fundraising challenge he has mapped out for himself.At 11.30 this morning, Knowles will start wheeling himself up and down the Shellharbour City Basketball Stadium court and he doesn't plan to stop for 200 minutes."Unless nature calls, there's no way I'll take a break," Knowles said."I've done a lot of conditioning and part of my normal fitness routine involves going up and down a court flat sticks for half an hour."I've never gone for three hours and 20 minutes straight, but I'll be going a little slower than I normally would. I'm confident of finishing it without stopping. I'm pretty stubborn and my arm would have to fall off for me to stop. My goal is to do 1000 lengths of the court."With no naming rights sponsor, the Roller Hawks, the 2003 National Wheelchair Basketball League champions, rely heavily on cash donations from main supporter Albion Park RSL.Knowles is hoping his marathon mission draws attention to the club's poor financial state."We really need to get our name out there in the community and do whatever we can to create awareness and get more exposure for the Roller Hawks," the 22-year-old said."We're really short of cash and it's getting more and more difficult to come up with money for things like road trips and accommodation. We've got a Perth trip coming up and hopefully we'll have enough money to get there."Students at Edmund Rice College and Illawarra Sports High have helped drum up sponsorship for Knowles' 200-minute task.The club desperately needs support and a major sponsor from the region's corporate sector. Anyone wishing to offer financial help can contact Knowles on 0439 999097.
© 2005 Illawarra Mercury