From today's hun
Quote:
Loudy Wiggins went along to a cocktail party on Saturday to raise money for the Carlton Football Club and came arawy $40,000 richer without even buying a raffle ticket.
Wiggins, nee Tourky, is the national diving champion who is making a comeback after taking last year off.
She is married to Carlton player Simon, hence was at the party at the Templestowe home of Carlton supporter Scott Didier. Guests had paid $1350 a head to attend.
As people drank champagne by the pool and listened to Ross Wilson, Brian Cadd and Russell Morris, Wiggins performed some dives off the half-metre board.
Then Brenad Fevola and Nick Stevens grabbed the microphone and made an impassioned plea.
They said Wiggins was struggling to find sponsors after a year out of the sport and that her campaign to dive at the Beijing Olympics was in doubt, despite her winning national 10 platform title last month.
After describing her as "a member of the Carlton family", everybody dug deep and raised $20,000, and president Dick Pratt did what so often does and matched it.
"I was speechless after it happened, and actually felt a bit funny," Wiggins said.
"But I'm so thankful to everybody there and to Richard Pratt.
"The money means I'll be able to train full-time and not work. I'd been doing some coaching, but it was taking up so much time, I quit a while ago.
"The timing for this couldn't have been better."
Wiggins, nee Tourky, is the national diving champion who is making a comeback after taking last year off.
She is married to Carlton player Simon, hence was at the party at the Templestowe home of Carlton supporter Scott Didier. Guests had paid $1350 a head to attend.
As people drank champagne by the pool and listened to Ross Wilson, Brian Cadd and Russell Morris, Wiggins performed some dives off the half-metre board.
Then Brenad Fevola and Nick Stevens grabbed the microphone and made an impassioned plea.
They said Wiggins was struggling to find sponsors after a year out of the sport and that her campaign to dive at the Beijing Olympics was in doubt, despite her winning national 10 platform title last month.
After describing her as "a member of the Carlton family", everybody dug deep and raised $20,000, and president Dick Pratt did what so often does and matched it.
"I was speechless after it happened, and actually felt a bit funny," Wiggins said.
"But I'm so thankful to everybody there and to Richard Pratt.
"The money means I'll be able to train full-time and not work. I'd been doing some coaching, but it was taking up so much time, I quit a while ago.
"The timing for this couldn't have been better."
Good to see us looking after one of our own. Let's hope she comes back from Beijing with the goods.
(But does anyone else find the idea a bit weird of having a girl dive into a pool to 'entertain' people at a cocktail party?
)
