Local Olympian Farrah Hall, who will be windsurfing in the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympics, fought to fund her dream every step of the way.

Hall, a Cape St. Claire native and 1999 graduate of Broadneck High, was recently profiled by The Washington Post about her Olympic voyage, and how she raised funds herself to make it to London.

She is one of several fully self-funded athletes, who made it to London this year thanks to a series of local fundraisers. In the past year, Hall raised $100,000, of which about 60 percent will go to her coach.

Fundraising became her full-time job, along with training, she told The Post.

John White, the CEO of Compass Marketing in Eastport, is among those who sponsored Hall's Olympic voyage. His company's logo will fly on her sail in the upcoming games.

"I think her feats speak for themselves, against all odds and many years just making it to the Olympics is a big, big deal," White said. "She's a phenomenal competitor—a great person. We're very proud of her and we just feel lucky that we ran into her."

Hall began fundraising locally. In 2010, Hall hosted a fundraising campaign in Broadneck to get her on track for the Olympic games. 

Since Hall landed her Olympic dream earlier this year, word spread around town quickly. Friends and acquaintances who have known her for years have reached out and given her support.

White said he sees that enthusiasm every day.

"It's exciting and refreshing to see the community coming together and rallying around her," he said.

Scott Steele, of Annapolis, earned a silver medal in windsurfing in the 1984 summer Olympics. He coached Hall in the past, and had encouraging words for her own Olympic journey.

"She really worked hard to get that spot. She almost was there four years ago," he said. "Now she has four more years of training and experience under her belt... Her skill level has continuously gone up."

Steele said he believed Hall would finish in the middle of the pack, but said surprises can always happen.

"I wasn't one of the favorites to win a medal," he said. "There's always time for a surprise."

Hall is one of two Broadneck Olympians competing in the upcoming summer games. Matt Centrowitz, a star runner and graduate of Broadneck High, will be competing in the 1500-meter run.

Annapolis Patch editor Anna Staver contributed to this article.