I've partnered with Melody Fairchild and The Boulder Mountain Warriors youth run club (http://melodyfairchild.com/boulder-mountain-warriors/) with the goal of sponsoring a child in need.  While Boulder is known as an affluent town, there are many kids who are priced out of club opportunities that I was fortunate enough to have growing up. The access to my clubs resources allowed me to excel at my sport.

My name is Parker Stinson and I live and train in Boulder, Colorado.  I am a professional runner for Saucony. Growing up in San Diego, California I ran with a youth team where I was surrounded by like minded friends and coaches whose passion for running was contagious. Without them I never would have had the opportunity to demonstrate all of the hard work I had put into my sport. I placed 2nd and 3rd at the USATF Youth National Championships and a team made up of my best friends and I won a national team title in Cross Country.

This early success ignited my love of running which propelled me to earn an athletic and academic scholarship at the University of Oregon.  As a Duck, I was able to help the team to three NCAA team titles, four Pac12 titles, and place top 3 twice individually in the 5,000m at the NCAA championships. This success led to me signing an endorsement deal to run professionally for Saucony. 

Unfortunately, this does not seem like the story for most youth athletes.  Without a good foundation of training, most of them seem to struggle to continue to improve while still in high school and eventually lose their passion for running altogether.  I believe that running and racing provide great lessons around hard work, patience and perseverance that benefit almost anyone who enrolls in a track program. These lessons and the health benefits of running extend long past the competitive years for most athletes.

I have been to the Boulder Mountain Warrior's practice and spent time talking with the founder Melody Fairchild and believe this is a special program.  This program isn't about achieving a time, a place, or a result.  It is about igniting the passion of running into these kids and encouraging it to become a lifelong endeavor no matter what your talent level may be.

My goal is to raise enough money to sponsor one of the Mountain Warriors for a full year. 

The thought of one of these kids not being able to go to nationals with their friends or wear a proper pair of training shoes breaks my heart. But I cannot afford to fully sponsor one child on my own.  I need your help in giving back to our sport, kids, and community.  The total amount needed to help one child in need for the full year is $2,420.  To show how important this is to me I am willing to put in up to 50% ($1,210) of the funds if needed but I will need your help if we are going to be able to make this child's dream come true. The special part about this sponsorship is it doesn't stop at sending in a check- I will attend practices and races to support them, and we can all follow their journey during that year. The cost to support 1 ambitious Warrior, competing to qualify for the USATF Junior Olympic National XC Championship, during the Fall XC season, breaks down as follows:

• Club Membership (XC only): $450.00
• USATF Membership: $20.00
• Uniform: $135.00
• Training Shoes: $80.00
• Racing Shoes: $50.00
• Airline ticket to Regional Champs: $250.00
• Airline Ticket to National Champs: $250.00
• Race Entry Fees for Reg. and Natls.: $35.00
• Hotel Rooms for Reg. and Natl.: $350.00
• Food for Away trips: $100.00
• The total cost per athlete, for the Fall XC Season is $1,720.00.
• Additional annual costs include: Winter ($250), Spring ($150) and Summer ($300) Boulder Mountain Warrior programs, totalling $700.00.

That amounts to a TOTAL ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP COST of $2,420.00