Meadow Lake paralympic hopeful receives grant for shot at games

“It kind of helps them get their foot in the door and take advantage of opportunities that are kind of necessary. For example, strength training and physiotherapy which is what I will be using my grant for this year,” she said.

Ens definitely fits into that up and coming athletes category.

At the 2019 Canadian Swimming Team trials in Toronto, Ens set Canadian records in both the 50-m freestyle S3 and 150-m individual medley SM3 while also posting personal bests in the 100-m freestyle and 50-m breaststroke.

She finished the meet with three medals including a gold in the 50-m breaststroke, silver in the 150-m individual medley and bronze in the 50-m backstroke. The results earned her a spot on Team Canada at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London.

Nikita Ens’ collection of medals from 2019 Canadian Swimming Team Trials (supplied photo/Nikita Ens)

Ens said her time in London competing with Team Canada is the highlight of her athletic career so far.

“It was amazing. It was a good glimpse of international competition. Now my hopes and my goals for 2020 are to potentially make the Paralympics. It was nice just to see the vibe and the atmosphere and all the other international competitors,” she said.

Nikita Ens proudly represents Canada at international events (supplied photo/Nikita Ens)

The grant money will be shared with her coach Erik Kramer, who has worked with Ens for the past two and a half years. Ens attributes a lot of her success to him.

“He took me aside for private practices before some meets and spent the time learning how my new body works and how I can use it to be the best swimmer possible,” she said.

“Without Erik I would not be where I am today. He is just so knowledgeable and great at coaching. He can sense your needs and what you need to work on, he has just been awesome,” she added.

Nikita Ens and her coach Erik Kramer (supplied photo/Nikita Ens)

Ens said she is very thankful for the support of her parents, who instilled a love of sport in her at a young age and continue to support her as she pursues her dreams as a swimmer.

“My dad and I biked from Calgary to Vancouver at age 12. My mom competed nationally in baseball, slo-pitch. They have just been so supportive and sacrificial through high school and university. They are so supportive and inspiring,” she said. “My mom was the first person to take me to the pool after my accident.”

Every person, in one way or another, is a product of their environment. Ens has been lucky enough to have the great community of Meadow Lake rally around her and provide her with tremendous support the last few years.

“Meadow Lake, after my car accident, threw an amazing fundraiser and helped me build an accessible house, which has just made life so much easier,” she said.

Ens said she is thankful for the support she has received from everyone and has found a new motivator to strive for success in the FACE grant.

“I am just so thankful that people believe in me and are supporting me. It is motivating me to pursue excellence. My swimming started off as just being recreational and I had almost written myself off after my accident but, praise the lord, there is still a direction in my life,” she said.

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Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @meadowlakenow

by Keaton Brown

Meadow Lake paralympic hopeful receives grant for shot at games

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