All donations are tax deductible, benefiting the Israel Bobsled/Skeleton Federation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Short version: I am entirely self-funded. My season's cost over $40,000. I am looking for your help to afford my training, coaching, transportation, accomodation, and equipment.
Please watch the video above: What Defines a Champion. If it doesn't play correctly it can be found as follows:
AJ Edelman--Israel National Skeleton Athlete
Hi,
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My name is AJ Edelman. I am Israel's national skeleton athlete, competing on behalf of Bobsled/Skeleton Israel (national federation, contact info below). Skeleton is an Olympic winter sliding sport, in which athletes race headfirst on a skeleton sled. It is run on the same tracks as luge and bobsleigh.
Before representing Israel in Skeleton I played goalie for the MIT Ice Hockey team and competed as an amateur natural bodybuilder.
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I hope that by proudly representing Israel on the international sporting stage I can both inspire other young Jews to achieve athletic success, as well as project a positive image of the land and nation of Israel.
In the 2014/15 season I had the honor of representing Israel in 4 international races. This season I will compete in 12 more. Skeleton is an expensive sport, costing over $40,000 per season, and it has become difficult to continue to shoulder all of the costs of my training, coaching, equipment and fees.
Please join me in my journey to represent Israel on the
world stage as I strive to proudly represent Israel in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Why Skeleton? Why Represent Israel?
Many people ask me: 'Why skeleton? Why Israel?'
The answer is easy: I was blessed to have been one of the few from my community to have reached a high level of sport. Too few Jews, religious Jews in particular, are encouraged or inspired to reach athletic excellence. Growing up and playing on travel teams in hockey, I was always the only team member that identified as Jewish, and in many cases was the first identifying Jew that my teammates had met. Towards the end of my collegiate hockey career I looked for another outlet to pursue athletic excellence, and after trying skeleton I was hooked. It is the most challenging and fun experience I have had the pleasure of participating in.
Jewish and Israeli athletes act as ambassadors of their community, people and homeland, and there are far too few.
I felt that I was given a gift and that I could use that gift to serve as an example that inspires other young Jewish and Israeli athletes to compete at a high level of sport, reach for their athletic dreams, and act as role models and ambassadors of their communities, people, and homeland. I would not compete in this sport if I couldn't represent Israel.
The Impact of a successful campaign
The impacts of a successful campaign and of raising the profile of Israeli winter sports will go far beyond relieving the financial pressures of my season. The success of an Israeli Skeleton athlete will stimulate more investment in, and generate more attention for similar endeavors. This will further inspire other Israeli and Jewish youth to pursue athletic excellence.
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Of course your support will help defray the significant costs as well; Skeleton is expensive. Travel, equipment, hospitality, food, training, coaching--everything costs money. From choosing flights to scheduling training, the expenses of my season have been a limiting factor and going forward will present a challenge to what I would like to achieve. Every bit of support, every dollar, helps relieve that pressure.
What I Need & The Perks (Because who doesn't love swag?)
- The costs of my upcoming season will surpass $40,000, covering my training, travel, fees, new equipment and more. All of the costs are shouldered by myself, the athlete. All donations will be used to cover the cost of this season, and if I am blessed to receive donations in excess of my season's costs then they will be used to cover the upcoming seasons as well.
- Be the first to proudly wear Israel Bobsled and Skeleton attire. T-Shirts are available and are stylish, comfortable, and unique. They make a cool gift as well.
- Poems: G-d gifted me (for better or worse) a penchant for rhyming. Donate to receive a personalized poem, signed by myself. Best thing about the poem--if I make the Olympics the value will go through the roof--by donating you're essentially investing in a very rare commodity.
- Signed pictures: choose between a skeleton, bodybuilding, or modeling photo (see a sample in the "gallery" section) and i'll personally sign it for you.
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- Experiences: From personal training to a bobsled/skeleton experience to accompanying me to the 2016 World Championships or potentially the 2018 Olympics .
Risks & Challenges
There are under 3 years until the 2018 games. Qualifying as an Israeli athlete is a goal that I am absolutely committed to. I firmly believe that not only is the goal achievable, but along the way every time I don the White and Blue I am helping project a positive image of both the land and nation of Israel.
Other Ways You Can Get Involved
Support comes in many different forms--here are some other ways you can be a part of the journey:
1. Spread the word--let others know about what the Israel Bobsled and Skeleton and I are trying to achieve. Share this campaign, my website (IsraelSkeleton.com), or the facebook page (fb.com/IsraelSkeletonAJ)
2. Follow the journey and learn more about skeleton at IsraelSkeleton.com
3. just send some encouragement--being a small-nations athlete (from a desert nation for a winter sport) can be a trying experience. Letters of encouragement are always welcome. Write to me on my site: israelskeleton.com/contact
