They juggled full-time work, fundraising, early-morning training runs and family responsibilities to support his sporting journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only know the true meaning of the word sacrifice through the way my parents lived their day-to-day lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made it very clear that they would support me in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Fonotia, Elijah\u2019s father, said he estimated they had spent about $100,000 on his son\u2019s basketball during his teenage years.<\/p>\n
Elijah Fonotia graduated from the Boys\u2019 Latin School of Maryland last year after moving to the US in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s currently not in his teens, and we are still having to support him financially.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said funding his son\u2019s basketball meant sacrificing spending on cars, home improvements, holidays and nights out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to ensure we had money set aside for just-in-case expenses, especially when you have a child overseas as you\u2019re dealing with the unknowns.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said one of the most valuable things parents could do was build connections with families facing similar challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can get as much advice as possible, it is such a huge help until you learn how things work; then you can pass your experiences on to those that reach out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Tauranga rower Kelly Brown earned a rowing scholarship to Syracuse University in the US before moving last year to the University of Oxford in England.<\/a><\/p>\n She is preparing for the second year of her Master of Philosophy in International Relations, and working 40 hours a week at a local pub to cover costs.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstandably, it\u2019s Oxford, so there is a lot of money around, but none of my 50 teammates also have to work a job alongside studying and rowing.\u201d<\/p>\n The 23-year-old said that was \u201cannoying\u201d because she could not afford to row without the job, but working was \u201cnegatively impacting\u201d her athletic performance.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been many conversations with my parents and myself as to whether or not the financial sacrifice is worth it in the long run for me to continue rowing at this high level.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the biggest expense was equipment.<\/p>\n A new, top-of-the-line eight (boat) could cost about $60,000 and a new single could be $15,000.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s just the cost to buy the boat; that doesn\u2019t include oars, spare parts, or the inevitable maintenance costs.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown said she understood from the outset that competing in rowing would come at a high cost.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that my parents were willing to make the financial sacrifice meant that I had to give my everything to the sport.\u201d<\/p>\nKelly Brown rowed for Tauranga and now attends Oxford University. Photo \/ Steve McArthur<\/p>\n