Following one’s Olympic dreams comes with a price. All too often, it’s a price too steep for prospective Olympians to pay.

That’s where Interlake and UW grad Martin Bingisser’s new non-profit venture, Evergreen Athletics, comes into play.

Bingisser, a hammer thrower, is currently training in Kamloops, British Columbia, in hopes to make either the American or Swiss national teams for the 2012 summer Olympics.

But training comes with a price for Bingisser, a 2002 Interlake alum who graduated with honors from UW in 2008 with a law degree.

For Bingisser, training means no full-time work. Training means working 1-2 weeks a month as an international tax analyst. Training means dedicating life to sport.

“If you’re one of the top track and field starts, it’s easy to make a living after college,” Bingisser said, on break from a training session in Canada. “But there’s a big void in between for everyone else, and that’s when most people give up the sport. They don’t want to make that struggle.”

Bingisser cites Evergreen Athletics athletes Will Conwell and Aretha Thurmond as examples of the struggles. Conwell, a Kent native and nephew of former UW and NFL tight end Ernie Conwell, currently works several odd jobs in order to survive while training for the 2012 Olympics. Thurmond, a Renton native and three-time Olympian, has a child to care for while she trains to reach her goal of medaling.

Evergreen Athletics, Bingisser said, will attempt to aid these athletes through donations to help avoid the financial struggles associated with post-graduate Olympic training.

“We want to help ease the burden on the athletes financially, so they don’t have to worry about the monetary aspects of training,” Bingisser said.

Bingisser points to the New York Athletic Club as an example to what he hopes to accomplish through Evergreen Athletics, only with a Northwest twist. The NYAC has an Athlete’s Fund that assists athletes during training, before being selected as members of the U.S. Olympic team.

“One of my teammates up here, he’s been getting some help from them,” Bingisser said. “He wouldn’t be able to be up here without that. That’s what I’m trying to create for athletes in this area.”

Evergreen Athletics will also promote the sport of throwing in the Northwest, an area rich with talent. During the NCAA Championships of Bingisser’s final year at UW, four of the top eight throwers were from Washington.

“We’ve been trying to get more people interested in throwing and that’s one of the things that falls under the auspices of this organization,” Bingisser said.

“It’s a long-term project,” Bingisser went on to say. “I hope it grows quickly but its something that I envision being even bigger with support five years down the road. But it’s going to take a bit to grow.”

For now Evergreen Athletics will continue to put together a comprehensive plan, but Bingisser says the organization isn’t just waiting for money to fall into its lap. The organization is currently approaching donors who support athletics as well as approaching local companies for in-kind gifts.