Masen - you did it!

Masen Shlaepfer kicked the ball 1,716 times. It went over the goal posts 1,539 times in the six hours of his Kick for Kids Marathon.

That’s a better average than our amazing Dan Carter who kicked 1,598 over in a 24-hour period. This remarkable young man, only just turned 12, set out to raise money for kids who needed counselling by doing something he believed he was good at and that was Rugby. Indeed, Masen is, and the resilience, strength and accuracy of his kicking is beyond his years.

There was such great support from the local community with all aspects. Some senior players, including Cody Muir, from Thames Valley Rugby, came to present Masen with a Thames Valley 100 year jersey. His Mum, Mel said, “He will never forget this day. I know his kicking foot is very sore and raw. He wanted to take his boot off; but we knew if he did, the boot would never fit back on, so he pushed through it and didn’t slow his kicking pace either.

“Masen will remember the encouragement of people. He would say Mum, ‘Do you think anyone will turn up? ‘ At the end of the day, this was for no other reason then to help young people get counselling. He expected nothing in return. He wanted to do something good for kids. I am so proud of who he is, his inner strength, his heart, what inspired him to do this.”

But a lot has been achieved by young Masen. The Give A Little page has raised $5,200 so far. The raffles, almost $1,000 and Masen will be at the Night Markets this Thursday night selling raffle tickets. Congratulate Mason when you see him. (See Issue 15 Nov 2022)