Over the next few weeks I will put 10000 more miles in my Chevy Silverado.
While that is a lot of driving, at 16 years old I have a newfound love of the road and am more than willing to discover the roads of this country as I drive from one venue to the next in my 2013 Chevy Silverado, donated by my supporters from Serpentini Chevrolet in Strongsville, Ohio. 
Think about this for a minute, 10,000 more miles in my Chevy Silverado in a few weeks…That is more miles than most people drive in an entire year…And I am driving this in a short timeframe as I train and compete this summer all across the USA in my quest to become an Olympian for 2016. All of this driving so that I can train and compete in some of the most challenging venues and conditions in the country this summer.
My travel starts from my Winter home in Miami. I am heading up to my home in Rocky River, Ohio to pick up my new Chevrolet Silverado and see friends that I haven’t seen all winter long. From there I am heading up to Newport, RI to sail my F16 in the Brooke Gonzalez clinic at Sail Newport. From there it is a short jaunt up to Bristol, RI for a week long practice with the BYC Sailing Director and Multihull coach, Richard Feeny and then to sail in their Multihull regatta.
After the Bristol regatta, I am headed back to Cleveland for some practice on my NACRA17 in the often difficult conditions of Lake Erie before loading up my Viper F16 and driving down to Clearwater, Florida for some light air practice with Robbie Daniel and Red Gear Racing. This is an important part of my summer training as I am getting ready for the US Sailing Youth Championships in Corpus Christi this August and sailing with Robbie is key to my success as his guidance and coaching has formed the core of my catamaran sailing skills and obviously to be the top sailor in the country, I need to make sure that my basics are solid and that I make as few mistakes in Texas as possible to put me on the podium.
David works hard as he drives 10000 more miles in my Chevy Silverado
After Clearwater, I am packing up and heading back to Cleveland for a couple days of rest and a few more days on the N17 as I train for the N17 North Ameircan Champs at OakCliff Sailing Center on Long Island immediately following my regatta in Texas. While in Cleveland, I am also speaking to a group of local sailors about the experience of my campaign and how it has provided direction and motivation through my teenage years.
This is a lot of driving already, but I am not up to my 10000 miles in my Chevy Silverado yet. After Cleveland, I am driving up to Racine, WI to train for a few days with my crew, Max Hudson before we compete in the F16 National Championships on Lake Michigan.
Immediately following the regatta in Racine, I am driving the 23 hour drive down to Corpus Christi, TX where I will compete in the US Sailing Youth Championships. This is the elite youth regatta of the year. Only the top sailors were selected to compete in this event and my goal is to come out on top of the fleet, to be the #1 youth team in the country. All of my travel and training are leading up to this event.
Texas is not the end of the road for me though. It is really just the beginning. The day the regatta ends, I will be packing up and heading directly to Long Island to sail at Oakcliff Sailing Center in the NACRA 17 North American Championships. After this regatta I am again heading back to Cleveland to pack up all my stuff and get ready for another long school year of daily sailing down in Miami. When I get to Cleveland, I will have driven over 10000 more miles in my Chevy Silverado and adding more on my trip back to Miami!
Obviously the second largest expense of my summer (and year round) training is fuel (just behind coaching fees). 10000 more miles in my Chevy Silverado this summer will cost me more than $4,000 in gas alone. I am actively trying to get my foot in the door of an oil company to have them sponsor the fuel of my campaign for Rio. Don’t you agree that a company would benefit from the exposure they would receive as they help a young athlete train to become the country’s next Olympian?
If you know someone at an oil or gas retail company, please tell them they should consider supporting my campaign. My phone is always on and having a sponsor of this type would make a huge impact on my overall success in this sport! Thanks in advance for your recommendation!