Broadland: Sports Champion climbing to the top
A former Broadland Sports Champion from Sprowston is heading to America this summer to compete in a global climbing competition.
18-year-old Katie Fisher, who was awarded a Sports Grant by Broadland District Council in both 2018 and 2021, has been selected to compete in the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Junior Climbing Championships in both the Lead Climbing and Bouldering categories in Dallas, Texas, in August 2022.
Katie has been chosen to represent Great Britain in these two separate competition climbing disciplines at the high-profile annual event, which has been running for 30 years.
The young sports star, who spends up to 20 hours per week training and is coached by Steve McClure - one of the best climbers in the world - is currently in Switzerland, Austria and Germany competing across three International climbing competitions, including the European Junior Lead Climbing Championships in Augsburg.
Katie said:
''It's a dream come true to be representing my country after so much hard work over the last few years to get to this point. I'm incredibly excited about competing at all these events and seeing so much of the world over the next few months.''
Councillor Fran Whymark, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing, said:
“It’s fantastic to hear how much progress Katie has made over the last year to get to this position. Broadland District Council is proud to have awarded Katie two Sports Grants, to help fulfil her full potential. Everyone in Broadland will be rooting for Katie to achieve her goals, all around the world.”
Katie's father, Andy Fisher, said:
“Katie is trying to cover the cost of this trip to compete in the US herself as, despite climbing now being an Olympic sport and even though she is sponsored by Highball Climbing Centre in Norwich and Scarpa UK, there is still little money available to fund talented athletes like Katie. Her overall support costs just in the second half of 2022 are likely to exceed £10,000.”
Katie has set up a GoFundMe page to try to support her efforts and has already raised more than £1,000 from supporters. Applications for the Council's Sports Champion Grant 2022/23 are open to Broadland and South Norfolk residents.