BY GIANNI UBRIACO
After becoming a four-time provincial Olympic-style boxing champion, and earning the title of Canadian female boxing champion in both 2007 and 2008, 35-year-old Amber Konikow is ready to start settling down.
She wants to concentrate on raising a family and work towards her Level 3 national coaching certification in boxing.
She said she’s also looking forward to continuing her work with a national goal-setting program called Esteem Team.
The program is made up of dozens of selected Olympic, Paralympic, and national-calibre athletes from across the country, who deliver interactive, motivational presentations on goal-setting to students in Grades 4 and up.
Konikow indicated that the program’s goals are to inspire youth to pursue what they want in life, to educate them in the processes that lead to success, and to activate them for life.
“What we do is we talk about our experience in our sport,” she said. “We talk about our goals, how we set those goals, and how we work towards them. We also talk about keeping active and staying fit.”
One of the team’s slogans is to be smart about setting goals, which Konikow explained means ensuring that they’re specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
“Even though our goal was sport, we try to encourage the kids that they can use it towards anything, like to get a better mark in school, to pass a class, or to learn something new,“ she said. “If they work towards their goal, they can achieve almost anything they want.”
In addition to motivational speaking, the athletes try to get the kids physically involved, too. In Konikow’s case, she shows them how to throw a straight punch, hit the pads, skip rope, and exercise in general.
“They’re actually participating physically and verbally as we get them hyped up,” she said. “I really like doing that. It’s a positive way of letting people know that regardless of what their goals are, no matter how big or small it is, it is achievable.
“It’s never impossible. There are always ways around any obstacles.”
Looking back, Konikow, a long-time Lively resident, recalled big road blocks on her way to achieving her most prized possession — a bronze medal at the World Championship in Ningbo City, China, in November 2008. Prior to competing, the boxer, whose birthday is in November, was told she was over the age limit of 34. But after researching the regulations, Konikow realized she was technically at the allowable age. It would be her first and last World Championship, which at the time, was the highest level available for women to compete at. Women’s Olympic-style boxing has been officially approved as an Olympic sport since, but Konikow said it was the pinnacle of her professional career.
It’s never impossible. There are always ways around any obstacles.
Amber Konikow,
boxer
“Just getting to the championships made me feel like a winner, and to actually win a bronze model was an absolutely amazing experience,” she said.
Since joining the Esteem Team, Konikow has talked to countless local kids. She said she’s looking to travel more to northern rural communities.
“I really believe that we need someone, like myself — with the experience and the positivity — for others to hear my story and how I was able to achieve my goals, so they can do the same.”
Anybody interested in having Konikow speak at their school is asked to log on to www.esteemteam.com.
While she said she plans to continue to train and keep in shape, after nine years of competitive boxing, her goals are changing.
“The goal for competing — all that dedication and desire — is not as great for me right now because of the age limit,” she said. “Plus, I want to give back to what everybody’s done for me. I feel like I’ve learned so much and had so much of an experience that I can contribute back by being a coach.”
