Academy graduates praise programme
Academy Southland graduates Atipa Mabonga and Hannah Miller have gone on to successful college careers in the United States, but they are full of praise for the time they spent in the two-year performance programme.
Both athletes have studied and competed for Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, with Hannah about to graduate with degrees in journalism and political science, while Atipa is majoring in sports management and also studying advertising and graphic design.
Both have also had their lives thrown upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, hurriedly packing up and getting flights home from the United States, returning to their families in Southland before New Zealand closed its international borders.
The pair initially spent 14 days quarantined together in Te Anau and are now adapting to a kind of double life, training as best as they can and getting up at 3am to attend SMU lectures online.
Lessons learned through the Academy have been especially helpful during uncertain times.
“I can’t reiterate how important for my growth and learning the Academy was for me,” Hannah, a two-time World University Games 5000m and 10,000m representative, said.
“It was the first time in my life that I let myself believe that I was good enough to be a national and international athlete. I’m someone who is very much a perfectionist and hard on myself and I think the Academy made me realise that things were never going to be perfect, there are always external factors that you can’t change and it’s how you react to that situation.”
Atipa, a triple and long jumper, said the relationships she developed through the Academy, including with manager Jason McKenzie, coordinator Carly Anderson and nutritionist Aimee Hall, continued to have an impact on her.
“The Academy was such a steppingstone for me. I got so much growth from that. The resources are great, but it’s the people that you get,” Atipa said.
“Jason and Carly are so unique and so precious, and I value my time and the relationship I got with them. It’s something I’ve never seen anywhere else. Those conversations with Jason, Carly and Aimee – I still hold on to those so much…time management, nutrition, motivation – I definitely hold onto it all.”
Both athletes appreciate being part of a community of Southlanders who have been involved in the Academy.
“I’m inspired to see other Academy athletes and my teammates do amazing things on the world stage,” Hannah said.
“It just lifts you up and it’s a really cool community to be part of. Having seen all the resources that are available in the States at college, while it’s amazing and they have so much money to pump into it, the Academy doesn’t fall short. We are definitely provided in Southland with amazing resources that set up you to be as good as you can be.”
Having the right people around you was vital in sport and life, Atipa said.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from the Academy is how crucial a support crew can be and how much you lift each other up. Even though track is an individual sport, it takes a team to get to your performance,” she said.
“I was blessed to have Hannah with me at SMU, and all the Academy people that I graduated with, those who were a year younger and a year older, you still stay connected and you still support each other. That is what drives you through your sport and it’s the biggest thing I take away from the Academy, that unity and the support that lasts you so long.”
