Lord's Taverners Northern NSW branch has helped many young and disadvantaged sporting stars and groups to achieve their dreams. People like cricketers Sammy-Jo Johnson and Georgia Redmayne and Tait Jenkins who won gold in the Australian Wheelchair Boccia Championships.

Nicki Learoyd is the latest resident who has benefited from this incredible organisation.

Nicki Learoyd began CrossFit training as a 15-year-old, and even though CrossFit workouts are not known for being easy, she quickly embraced its repetition of exercise, goal-driven achievements, and community-oriented mind set. 

Nicki began chipping away at personal weight-lifting goals, high-intensity training, nutritional requirements, and harnessing her own ordinary physical strength to achieve extraordinary physical things.

After 18 months, the natural next step for Nicki was to pass her love of this sport onto others, so gaining a coaching qualification was her next goal. Her progression into a coaching role, however, found her facing a unique challenge not faced by her metropolitan peers.

Living in a regional area of NSW meant that Nicki did not have easy access to a facility that offered the expert instruction required on the CrossFit methodology. This is done through classroom instruction, small-group training sessions, and coach-led workout workshops.

Nicki realised that she needed to make a 1200km round trip to complete her accreditation. A gruelling commitment, and an expensive one.

Lord's Taverners Females in Sport program was instrumental in aiding Nicki to meet this hardship.

Lord's Taverners helped support Nicki financially in pursuing and participating in her accreditation goal. In doing so, they gave her, as a rural girl, the opportunity to focus solely on her skills and theory study, while they effectively took care of the geographic disadvantage.

In short, without Lord's Taverners assistance, this opportunity may well have never come about.

The Level 1 Coaching Accreditation, whilst only introductory, is by no means easy, and Nicki found the theory more than a little punishing. Notwithstanding this, she was able to attend and complete the course and, very importantly, pass her final exam. 

Consequently, Nicki is now a fully accredited Level 1 CrossFit coach at just 17 years old.

Nicki told the Lismore App "The Lord's Taverners funding allowed me to commit myself to a pursuit that I believe will benefit me in my life as an athlete. It provided me with the opportunity to encourage others and share the lifelong benefits of this healthy lifestyle."

"My immediate goal is to gather experience & inspire others. I've recently been employed by CrossFit Woolgoolga as one of their coaches working with several groups including kids & teens."

"My long term plan is to advance my knowledge of CrossFit methodologies & continue with my professional development. I also plan on participating in competitions as they come up to maintain my personal level of strength, condition, and endurance."

Lord's Taverners gave Nicki a sporting chance – perhaps a chance she would never have had otherwise.