05-21-2024, 08:13 PM -
https://www.panthers.com/news/french-bor...de-frapper
When Junior Aho was 15 years old and first introduced to the sport, the Nice, France native was training in martial arts. Friends who were already fans of the American sport though saw enough physicality and dexterity in Aho to think he could play the game. He went to one practice, then another, then another, falling in love with the only sport he felt fully pushed him as an athlete.
"If you're fast, you need to be strong," Aho said Tuesday, after his first day of practice with the Panthers. "If you're strong, you need to be faster. If you got everything physically, you need to have a better technique. If you got a good technique and everything physically, you need to have a better understanding about the games.
"I think it's the ultimate sport. Not a lot of sports ask you for so many things. Got to jump high or run fast, push for a lot of weight, have conditioning and be smart. That's the challenge."
When Junior Aho was 15 years old and first introduced to the sport, the Nice, France native was training in martial arts. Friends who were already fans of the American sport though saw enough physicality and dexterity in Aho to think he could play the game. He went to one practice, then another, then another, falling in love with the only sport he felt fully pushed him as an athlete.
"If you're fast, you need to be strong," Aho said Tuesday, after his first day of practice with the Panthers. "If you're strong, you need to be faster. If you got everything physically, you need to have a better technique. If you got a good technique and everything physically, you need to have a better understanding about the games.
"I think it's the ultimate sport. Not a lot of sports ask you for so many things. Got to jump high or run fast, push for a lot of weight, have conditioning and be smart. That's the challenge."