Praise Aniamaka named BC School Sports Athlete of the Week

On Wednesday, the Thunderbird’s Praise Aniamaka was named BC School Sport’s Subway Athlete of the Week for the South Fraser Valley. The honour recognizes high school student-athletes who exemplify hard work, commitment, and outstanding performance in the classroom, on the track, and in the field. A member of the Thunderbirds North Surrey training group under the guidance of Coach Iuliana Kroeger, the grade 11 student at Pacific Academy is the holder of the national U18 Indoor Triple Jump record and a multiple time medalist at the BC School Sports Championships.

The Thunderbirds caught up with Praise to discuss his accomplishment and how he’s been handling training and academics during this period of uncertainty. Said Aniamaka regarding the honour, “it’s always nice to be recognized for the years of work you’ve put in… on top of that, seeing track athletes recognized for their accomplishments after missing out on our season serves as a great motivator to keep training.” With a GPA of 4.0 in the classroom, Praise is no stranger to the demands of balancing high-performance athletic training with the rigors of his education. When asked how he’s balanced the two amidst stay-at-home advisories, he said he’s taking things one day at a time, “I love training and staying active… my love for the sport is a big factor in keeping me going, as well as the hope that there will be opportunities to compete come August or September.” For schooling, he seeks to use his time wisely, ensuring he has 1-2 hours set aside each day for productive work, even if he doesn’t necessarily have to use them.

Asked what he misses most about his regular training environment, Praise was quick to reference the community that makes daily sessions so worth-while. “I definitely miss the people, my friends, my coach, and my training partners. Half the sport is the people you’re doing it with, you start to miss the conversations and laughs that keep you smiling all practice.” While the prospect of competition and being reunited with training partners remains uncertain for the time being, Aniamaka’s says that now “is a great opportunity to explore, [trying] new workouts that you never would’ve considered during regular training.” His advice for staying motivated through this time is to simply keep having fun with training, trusting that he’ll be right back on top and ready once the opportunity for him and his teammates to return to competition presents itself.