My Thai Athlete of the Year: Seline Schinke

This year, My Thai and KMIR teamed up to honor a local high school athlete every week for their achievements. Last week four of our top athletes were nominated for our My Thai Athlete of the Year and we left it up to you to vote. With 3,217 of the 5,545 votes, Palm Desert track and field standout Seline Schinke is our My Thai Athlete of the Year.

"I’m honored, truly honored,” Schinke explained. “Just from all of the support from everybody around the valley and my family especially, promoting it, and everybody backing me up, it’s just been an honor and I’m truly humbled."

Schinke is donating the check to the track and field team.

"We believe in the kids,” David Henderson of My Thai Restaurant in La Quinta explained. “We want the kids to grow. We’re proud to work with KMIR and My Thai has donated to the schools over $10,000 and we look forward to doing that again."

From being a starter on the DVL champion volleyball team, earning first team all CIF Division 4 honors in basketball, to qualifying for 7 CIF track and field events and breaking the schools long jump record with a huge 18-2 jump, it’s hard to wonder why Schinke was nominated. 

"I just love being active,” Schinke explained. “Volleyball, basketball and track, I fell in love with those sports, especially at Palm Desert High School. It was a good transfer.”

"A lot of people don’t know that she was bullied actually for her athleticism from the fourth grade to the ninth grade,” Schinke’s mother Debbie Schinke explained. “So we made the transfer over here to play with the big girls and see if she could hang. She did a really good job. I think she’s contributed significantly to all the different sports she played and we’re very, very proud of her. It’s been an exciting time."

"I just think about all the people surrounding me,” Schinke said. “Especially my coaches working with me and believing in me mostly."

"Seline is just a tremendous athlete.” Track and field coach Adam Emmer said. “She pretty much is successful at everything she tries."

"She always came ready to work and ready to go,” Track and field jump coach David Sterling explained. “She gave me one hundred and ten percent every single day.

Which earned her a scholarship to UC-Riverside to continue her career as a heptathlete and looks forward to having support nearby.