By Tim Parsons-
Rap star Stormzy enthused young upcoming athletes from Be Fit Today Track Academy (BFTTA) training centre at Lee Valley Athletics Centre in Edmonton, by taking photos with them and providing them with words of encouragement.
The popular UK rapper tuned up at the athletics centre for a tough workout with his trainer, TJ Ossai where youngsters , many of whom are future Olympic hopefuls, had been going through their regular fitness grill.
A number of the children had just completed a research questionnaire about their feeding habits and academic work ethic at home, when they became excited at the sight of the British star on Thursday, who has collected no 1 singles at various points in his career.
The youngsters surrounding the British grime artist were full of questions for the well-known rapper whose tough training session attracted their attention at the Academy, who instead arranged for group pictures with the star.
The star later gave the youngsters some words of inspiration.
Stormzy addressed the children, telling them to stay focused and disciplined, advising them to follow their ambitions. He said: ” I am proud to see youngsters like you dedicating your time to fitness and training. Keep that up, you guys need to stay focused and you will achieve the rewards in the future.
While your mates are watching television at home or playing with play stations, you are here training hard. You are the pride of every good parent”.
. No great thing starts overnight , it takes vision, hard work, and discipline. You can be the champions of tomorrow, but you must stick with a disciplined routine today, and spend more time with disciplined company. I am proud of you”, he said.
Many of the children said they were thrilled and motivated by his words: One child, 14 year Teddy Wilson, ranked number 1 in the UK in the 100m for his age group, told The Eye Of Media.Com: “It was a great experience training so someone like Stormzy and had some great words of inspiration. He said that we could all be olympians. I’m a huge fan of his music. I couldn’t believe how big and tall he was.
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Another 14year old Dylan Williams said, ”amazing seeing Stormzy today, I feel ever so motivated to stick with the habit of training and be a future champion.
Children who train at the popular training centre are not allowed to have mobile phones while training at BFTTA.
They also co-operate with pre arranged plans with their parents not to spend too much time on their handsets.
Aged between 6yrs and 21yrs of age, the young athletes at the centre are drawn from around 10 different schools across London. Some have already made notable achievements in the UK Athletics rankings at their respective age groups and also at school. Many others there are still developing. They train 2 to 3 times a week, including running and general strength & conditioning. Emphasis is made on discipline and consistency, as well as living a healthy lifestyle, with many given a list of foods to avoid at home.
Stormzy poses for photos with athletic hopefuls and personal trainer
Grime artist Stormzy received wide praised for providing scholarships for black students at Cambridge in 2018, funding the tuition fees and living costs for two students each year. His scholarship led the institution to state that the “Stormzy effect” contributed to more black students being admitted.
The youngsters are also encouraged to spend at least an hour a day doing academic work, under co-ordinated arrangements with their parents in order to develop a positive habit of discipline.
Today’s appearance was a rarity for the kids, though the popular rapper is known to train regularly, keeping himself looking strong and healthy.
Stormzy’s “Shut Up”, which was initially released as a freestyle on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles ChartStormzy won Best Grime Act at the 2014 and 2015 MOBO Awards and was named as an artist to look out for in the BBC’s Sound of 2015 His debut album, Gang Signs & Prayer (2017), was the first grime album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart and won British Album of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards.