By: Tamanna T., Staff Writer
Program: Master of Public Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences
Hometown: Ohope Beach, New Zealand
Fun Fact: Her dad was her coach growing up
Alison Andrews-Paul is The Peak’s player of the month after being ranked number one in NCAA Division II competition. She had a winning time of 02.08.61 in the 800m during her first meet of the season. In an interview for The Peak, Andrews-Paul discussed her passion for track and field, her interests, and her journey from Baylor University in Texas to SFU.
As a competitive child, running was Andrews-Paul’s favourite way to release stress. And once she started, she never stopped.
“I have been training competitively since high school, but I have always run, so it’s kind of been a part of being me for as long as I can remember.”
The junior runner mentioned her father, a former track and field athlete, has been a guiding force in her journey in addition to early competition success. Her mom, a track and field fan, has also been incredibly supportive and proud. Andrews-Paul shared a laugh remembering a time when her mom showed a client back home in New Zealand a video of one of her races.
When making the switch from Baylor University to SFU, Andrews-Paul was quickly motivated by SFU’s academics and track and field rankings. She also was impressed by head coach Britt Towsend’s personal accolades, who remained popular among the alumni of the program.
“To me, it said this is a place where people want to stay and keep running.”
The middle-distance runner began her career in indoor track at SFU in 2019. She was sidelined after dealing with some health issues the year prior and trying to get familiarized with a new school. Despite the track season being cancelled due to COVID-19, Andrews-Paul kept a positive outlook on the situation and took advantage of the opportunity to train through the different circumstances.
“If you’re enjoying the everyday, just don’t worry about the rest, it’ll happen or it won’t, and that has to be okay either way.”
When speaking on her early success this year, Andrews-Paul explained it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Nagging health issues and injuries in addition to challenging moments forced her to question whether competing was worth it. She asked herself, “Do I still love this? Because it is really hard.”
Ultimately, her passion for the sport outweighed the decision. “I still love going out the door for a run and going to practice with my teammates. No matter the outcome of success or failure, I want to do this because it is a really enjoyable part of my day.”
To keep busy before a game, Andrews-Paul makes a point of keeping track of her bag as a stress mechanism to keep her mind on something she can control rather than worrying about the race in front of her.
“I am ready, I trust myself to do well — there is no point in stressing about it now.”
Andrews-Paul is excited to get back on the track after missing out on two seasons and is looking forward to seeing how her other teammates will do. This year, she has made it her priority to focus less on the numbers and more on the daily experience.
“I want to run faster, [but] a big thing I wanted to do this year was be the best teammate I could — and I am sticking to that. Just focusing on the everyday enjoyment has worked for me.”
SFU will be on the road for two meets against Washington State University on February 4 and 5.
