A lakeshore native is heading to the other side of the world to compete against some of the best athletes in her sport.
18-year-old Zakia Kalista of Manitowoc has had a multitude of dreams become reality thanks to unwavering dedication and hard work.
She just recently won her fourth junior inline skating national championship in Florida this summer, earning her a spot on the USA national team to compete in the world games next month in China.
As you can imagine, it’s costly to head nearly around the world and the public is invited to the Rollaire Skating Center in Manitowoc Saturday night to come and “Skate with Zakia.”
Her coach is Carly Valdez-Romdenne, a 2004 national in-line skating champion, and explained on WOMT Sports Talk, “We’re doing a raffle to race Zakia, probably a three-lap race. We’re going to put on our helmets with one or perhaps two winners to race Zakia. It’ll be a whole lot of fun. We are planning to pack the house out and even if you don’t skate, come out for a good cause, listen to some music, and show your support.”
Previous fundraisers to date have enabled Zakia and Carly to be able to pay for both their airfares, visas, and hotel rooms to the competition to be held just outside of Beijing.
Zakia says it’s quite humbling to know that multiple people are in her corner.
“I’m so grateful to have so many people behind me, willing to come out to fundraisers and donate to help me,” she said. “It really means the world to me. It’s beyond words to really explain how I truly feel.”
Saturday’s event at the Rollaire will be from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. with a $10 admission cost.
All proceeds will go towards sending Zakia to China.
For more information, email rollairespeed@gmail.com.
