Let me start by saying I'm very sorry for the nearly 2 month delay in sending out any type of update. I guess the last many of you heard was when I injured my ankle during warm-ups of the vault in Woerden, Netherlands. To quickly touch on the condition of my ankle....... it's doing significantly better. I feel comfortable saying it's about 92% right now and Lord willing, will not be a problem this year. I spent virtually every waking moment of my 4 1/2 week off-season working at The Home Depot (and in the training room) to try and make up some of the hours I missed throughout the season. I guess I shocked many of the department heads and managers being around so much I was selected as the Sales Associate of the Month!!!! ;)
We are just about to finish week 7 of training. It's been going very well thus far. The dynamic of our training group with Chris Helwick (U of Tennessee grad) recently moving here, along with Lela V. is a lot of fun. This is going to be a great year!
I don't have an exact date when the indoor season will begin this year, or when I'll first compete, but the indoor season will be taken pretty lightly this year as we focus on peaking for the Trials in late June.
I feel like there have been areas of my training that I have avoided in the past for numerous reasons (although mainly financial). Some of these include regular massage and starting on a supplement program (which I have recently done). If I'm going to fully commit to this and really see where I can go, why would I ignore these important areas. It just doesn't seem logical to sacrifice so much and not FULLY COMMIT!
I don't want to get into all of the details now, but some of you know that as of recent, I can no longer receive tax-deductable donations. It's somewhat complicated so I'll spare the details for now.
I can in now way begin to thank everyone enough for their support whether it be through prayer, finances, or a simple email of encouragement. From a financial standpoint, it's never been easy for me to ask for support, yet it's something that I've had to do in order for me to continue my pursuit. It's been so neat to see this newsletter list continue to grow throughout the past couple of years to a number that now exceeds 400!! I am truly humbled and blessed.
As this year comes to an end and 2008 is fast approaching, I am making an effort to raise somewhere around $12,500. This may seem like a large amount to some of you. There are a few things that led me to this figure. First off, last year I had $12,000 in track-related expenses. This includes paying for Scott when he traveled with me. Everything from airplane tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, meet entry fees, meals while on the road, equipment and the list goes on an on. This year, we probably won't travel quite as much prior to the US Championships (Olympic Trials) as in previous years, so we can put 100% focus into bringing our "A" game to the trials. I do, however, want to be able to receive consistent massage as well as stay on my supplement plan. For 2 years now, Scott has probably spent well over 1,000 hours either writing my workouts, watching my workouts, or thinking about my writing my workouts. He's done all of this virtually for free and out of his love for the event, only getting a portion of my prize money (which we all know isn't a whole lot). I want to be able to pay him a stipend. Something is better than nothing here as I am forever indebted to him for his commitment to me. I would also like to be able to fully cover hotel expenses myself (so Chris Helwick doesn't have to pay). Here's my rationale. There are a few people whom without their help, I wouldn't be where I am now. One of those people is Paul Terek (for those of you who are new, I lived/trained/worked with Paul for nearly 3 years). He took me under his wing and helped me out more times than I can even recall I'm sure. It's part of the multi-event family. He was in a situation where he was able to do that for me. I want to be able to do the same for Chris and help him "get his feet wet" in the life of a post-collegiate decathlete.
I hope this all makes sense. Ideally, I'd like to have 25-30% raised by New Years. I will post weekly updates on my main page with regards to the status of reaching my goal to give you an idea of progress. For those of you who are computer savvy, or Ebay savvy, you can send donations via PayPal to boylinator@aol.com. For those who prefer our US Postal Service, you can mail donations to:

Chris Boyles
3011 Loch Dr.
Winston-Salem, NC 27106

I feel like it's also important for me to say that a $5 donation is received just as well as a $50, or $500 one. In fact, if everyone gave $5, it would put me very close to my New Years goal.

Again, it is with great humility and sincerity that I say "Thank You and God Bless"

Chris

I feel like at the end of this journey, I may write a short book on my experiences.

Best of luck to Coach Brandt and my Messiah Falcon's Men's Soccer team as they continue their exciting journey through the NCAA tournament this weekend on Saturday and Sunday at Shoemaker Field. For more information, check out their website HERE!!!