A junior at Bonners Ferry High School, Victoria Rae says that being involved in athletics has taught her important life lessons that have already impacted her life in many ways.
“Patience is key,” said Victoria. “And if you want to succeed in anything, you have to put forth the effort. This is true in school, work and life in general.”
Victoria has played volleyball since the fourth grade and has been on the varsity team since her sophomore year playing the position of outside hitter. But it was when her mom, a coach for the Boundary County Middle School track team, encouraged her to try shotput and discus in the seventh grade that Victoria discovered her true passion. As a shotput and discus thrower, Victoria said she enjoys the individuality of the sport. “There is no offense or defense. It’s only you,” she said, adding that volleyball is a good balance as it also gives her a chance to play a team sport.
With a total of four varsity letters, Victoria is the reigning state champion for shotput and finished second in state last year in discus.
She is currently top-ranked in 3-A in the state and is sitting in the top five overall in the state of Idaho. Her personal bests are impressive—39’7” for shotput and 120’3” for discus, something she hopes to improve upon and break the school record. “The current record has been held for 13 years, and the person who holds it was amazing,” said Victoria.
She shares that the biggest challenge she has had in track is overcoming mental blocks. “You are the one who puts the block there. You can’t be critical of yourself because if you have any mental blocks, you feel stuck,” Victoria said.
There have been many accolades awarded to Victoria for her efforts in both volleyball and track.
As a freshman on the track team, Victoria was voted newcomer of the year and her sophomore year she reigned in the category of valuable points.
“In volleyball my sophomore year I was awarded most improved and my junior year I was voted Most Valuable Player and was named to the All-League team for the Intermountain League,” she said.
With over a 4.0 GPA, Victoria has already been contacted by various schools in and around the Pacific Northwest. She plans to participate in track in college and would like to eventually become a teacher. “I want to go somewhere closer to home,” said Victoria, adding she loves the town of Bonners Ferry and is close to her family.
All one has to do is meet Victoria once, and it is easy to see her enthusiasm for all she does. It’s contagious! Congratulations to Victoria—a bright, enthusiastic young woman who leaves no doubt that she will succeed at all she sets out to do.