Help Junior Olympians From Bergen County Go For Gold

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — After qualifying for Junior Olympic Games competitions, two extraordinary athletes and a track and field team representing Bergen County have organized fundraising pages, hoping their communities will help support them as they pursue their dreams.

Athletes Julian Cruz and Faith "Londyn" Martin, and the Bergen County Xpress Track and Field Team, now have GoFundMe fundraisers to help cover travel and hotel costs, as they prepare to enter the elite-level competitions.

Cruz, of Hackensack, is getting ready to throw javelin at the 2022 U.S. Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento, California, starting on July 25.

"Julian has worked very hard over the years to learn the technique of throwing Javelin," Cruz' mother Maitey, who organized the fundraiser, wrote. "He now has an opportunity to compete one last time before going into (high school). He has come in first place in all his meets and just needs your help and support to get him to the Junior Olympics."

Martin, of Englewood, is lacing up her sneakers to run track also at the Junior Olympics, and, in the fundraiser she launched, she wrote about the bittersweet moment she and others won their qualifying races.

"I watched as some kids were happy, but soon after disappointed because they found out that last race was the end of the road," Martin said, referring to the impact of the coronavirus on sports two years ago. "Please help us regain our motivation to be great and make it to Nationals."

Lastly, the Bergen County Press Track and Field Team, of Teaneck, is running and performing at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro, North Carolina, starting July 26.

"We have been training four days a week for the last four months as well as competing and qualifying during weekly track and field meets," team administrator and coach Michele Hogan, who organized the GoFundMe, wrote. "We are very excited about this opportunity, and we are asking for your support. Please contribute to our fund."