RenzoTjon A Joe off to Arizona Grand Prix

Renzo Tjon A Joe , AlphaMax Academy Graduate and leading Suriname Swimmer is competing in the Mesa 2014 Grand Prix in Arizona.

Suriname's Sportsman of the Year

This is the fourth stop on the Arena Grand Prix Series .It takes place at the Skyline Aquatic Center. It is being held from April 24 to the 26.

Olympic gold medalists and world record holders Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md.) are expected to headline a star-studded field for the Arena Grand Prix at Mesa.

A record-setting 22-time Olympic Games medalist, Phelps is expected to swim competitively for the first time since winning six medals, four of them gold, at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

US Gold Medalist Michael Phelps

50 members of the USA Swimming National Team are among the more than 500 athletes expected to compete

The action begins Thursday, April 24 and continues through Saturday, April 26 with prelims at 9 a.m. MST followed by finals at 5 p.m. MST.

Universal Sports Network will televise live coverage from the Arena Grand Prix at Mesa on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26 at 8 p.m. EDT. Additionally, a live webcast of the entire meet will be streamed online Thursday through Saturday via usaswimming.org.

The Arena Grand Prix at Mesa is the fourth stop of USA Swimming’s 2013-14 Arena Grand Prix Series, which provides the nation’s best swimmers six opportunities to face top-flight competition on U.S. soil.

As part of USA Swimming’s partnership with Arena, the Arena Grand Prix Series will offer swimmers the opportunity to take home prize money for top finishes in all individual Olympic-distance event.

Bound for Arizona.

AlphaMax Graduate Renzo Tjon A Joe is Suriname's Sportsman of the Year.

TheSuriname Olympic Committee (SOC) held its tenth annual award gala at the Olympic House.

last December.

Both the sportsman and sportswoman of the year awards went to swimmers. 

Renzo Tjon A Joe 2013 Sportsman of the year

Renzo Tjon A Joe   AlphaMax Academy  Graduate and Oasis swimmer won the Sportsman of the Year award.  Renzo is the National champion in the 50m and 100m freestyle Long Course and Short Course. He holds the Surinamese national records in these events. 

Internationally Renzo won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle, a gold medal in the 50m freestyle at Carifta in record time, and 2 bronze medals in the 100m freestyle and 50m. Renzo represented Suriname in the FINA World Youth Championships in the 50 and 100m freestyle. 

Renzo has been a student at Alphamax Academy since grade 9. During his stay at the school he has won several  AlphaMax sports awards. 

The AlphaMax community is proud of  Remzo's International achievements. We were delighted that he recently reached the World Junior finals in the 50m. We are rooting for him to become a world record holder and world champion at this event.

Last Christmas Renzo showed his fellow students  that he had serious acting skills. His fellow students were amazed and delighted at the high level of his performance as Herod in the school's unique version of the Nativity Play. He received a standing ovation not only from the audience but from his fellow cast members.

Renzo has moved to the US and recently signalled his intent to join the Eagles-Auburn University's prestigious college swim team which has a team of coaches determined to maintain Auburn's superiority in the college swimming sprints.

AlphaMax Director of Studies, Sean Taylor is confident that Renzo will take the school's motto--" In Diligent Pursuit of Excellence" not only to  swimming  but to all areas of his life.

My Trip to Auburn University

On Saturday 22^nd October, 2011, I left Suriname together with my father, mother and brother to go to Auburn, Alabama in the United States. That morning we took the flight to Trinidad where we landed safely.However, we had to wait five hours for our flight to Miami. Next, we went to Atlanta, Georgia, where we slept for the night and the next day, we made our way to Alabama by car.

The main purpose of the trip was to visit Auburn University and to get firsthand experience of what it is like at the university. Auburn is on the top of my list of universities to attend so I decided to visit. My father’s colleague is a professor at Auburn University, Montgomery and we stayed by him. While I was there, I got the chance to get see the university, get a campus tour, tour the engineering department, meet with the swim coach and also have a meeting with Admission Advisors.

I visited the university’s website but being there was totally different. I was impressed with the University’s facilities and their reception of me as a potential foreign student. The trip was an amazing experience and one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life.

Written by: Gabriel Grauwde ((GAC 2012 Class)--AlphaMax Academy