A young woman in a white t-shirt with an Olympic logo stands holding a Ukrainian flag, with a blurred blue and white background.

The Skiff Sailing Foundation
933 Polk St. Albany, CA 94706

Alina Shapovalova was 18 when I met her in San Pedro. She had just crossed the finish line from a very different journey &mdash; from a yacht club destroyed by war in Ukraine to a silver medal at the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in San Pedro.&nbsp; Like many other children, Alina was a happy kid in her hometown of Odesa on the Black Sea, where she became an Optimist prodigy with a bright future. Then, the war came. The russians destroyed her yacht club and threw her and her family into a merciless refugee life somewhere in Europe. Alina was fortunate to escape and be alive, but she lost her home, her training system and everything her sailing career had been built around.As a refugee, Alina started over from zero. Three years later, she was a world silver medalist in California. It was mainly her family who helped her, although they are not wealthy. These were also her talent and resilience. Getting from her missile-destroyed yacht club in Ukraine to her silver World&rsquo;s medal in San Pedro feels like an impossible mission. But she did it! &nbsp;Alina was 1st at 2023 World Championship U17, 1st at 2024 European Championship U19, 2nd at 2025 World Championship U19, and other international podiums.Now Alina is trying to do something just as difficult: earn her place on the road to the LA 2028 Olympics.&nbsp;Alina has the talent. She has the results. She has the Olympic plan. She was recognized: Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club gave her an honorary membership, Ukraine National Olympic Committee designated her as 2028 Olympic candidate, and Charles Barclay, US ILCA coach, confirmed her Olympic potential for LA 2028 and volunteered to coach her for free in 2026.What she does not have is the financial support for a full Olympic campaign. To stay on the road to LA28, she needs a boat, coaching, training and international regattas. That is the part we can change. The Skiff Sailing Foundation is raising funds to help Alina meet those challenges. Donations to this campaign support our work with Alina, helping provide approved coaching, training, equipment, and competition expenses for September 2026- January 2027 (of the total $ 247,000 to cover 2026,2027, 2028 and the Olympics).Please make a donation and become part of the community behind Alina&rsquo;s road to LA28.Sharing this campaign with friends, fellow sailors, and others who may connect with Alina&#39;s story is another meaningful way to help.

Thank you for believing in Alina.Your gift to The Skiff Sailing Foundation helps support the coaching, equipment, and racing opportunities Alina needs to represent Ukraine at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution Sincerely,Chad FreitasDirector, The Skiff Saliing Foundation

Alina Shapovalova was 18 when I met her in San Pedro. She had just crossed the finish line from a very different journey — from a yacht club destroyed by war in Ukraine to a silver medal at the 2025 ILCA 6 Youth World Championship in San Pedro.  Like many other children, Alina was a happy kid in her hometown of Odesa on the Black Sea, where she became an Optimist prodigy with a bright future. Then, the war came. The russians destroyed her yacht club and threw her and her family into a merciless refugee life somewhere in Europe. Alina was fortunate to escape and be alive, but she lost her home, her training system and everything her sailing career had been built around.As a refugee, Alina started over from zero. Three years later, she was a world silver medalist in California. It was mainly her family who helped her, although they are not wealthy. These were also her talent and resilience. Getting from her missile-destroyed yacht club in Ukraine to her silver World’s medal in San Pedro feels like an impossible mission. But she did it!  Alina was 1st at 2023 World Championship U17, 1st at 2024 European Championship U19, 2nd at 2025 World Championship U19, and other international podiums.Now Alina is trying to do something just as difficult: earn her place on the road to the LA 2028 Olympics. Alina has the talent. She has the results. She has the Olympic plan. She was recognized: Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club gave her an honorary membership, Ukraine National Olympic Committee designated her as 2028 Olympic candidate, and Charles Barclay, US ILCA coach, confirmed her Olympic potential for LA 2028 and volunteered to coach her for free in 2026.What she does not have is the financial support for a full Olympic campaign. To stay on the road to LA28, she needs a boat, coaching, training and international regattas. That is the part we can change. The Skiff Sailing Foundation is raising funds to help Alina meet those challenges. Donations to this campaign support our work with Alina, helping provide approved coaching, training, equipment, and competition expenses for September 2026- January 2027 (of the total $ 247,000 to cover 2026,2027, 2028 and the Olympics).Please make a donation and become part of the community behind Alina’s road to LA28.Sharing this campaign with friends, fellow sailors, and others who may connect with Alina's story is another meaningful way to help.

Skiff Sailing Foundation

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