Rebound for Greatness- Kera Christie

Being another of the UWI scholarship recipient Christie tells her tale of her rise to this achievement the journey and the major challenges throughout the journey.

Christie was born March 21, 1989, to parents Jacqueline Black and Everton Christie. She  was born in the community of Linstead, St. Catherine after which her family relocated to the parish of Kingston. Upon her relocation she was admitted to the Dunrobin Primary School and there the love and appreciation for the sport of Netball began. Christie began to engage herself in the sport and she was chosen for the team in grade 4 at the age of nine. This experience for Christie was important in her development as a netballer. Christie move on to seventh grade at the St. Hugh’s High School for girls. There was no halt for her as she went straight into playing the sport. She tried out for the team and was successful.

Christie continued to play and in grade nine had trials for the national under 16 netball squad and was successful. She went to that team and did herself proud in the sport. This was not the end for the young Christie. She went on to the National 21 team at the age of 18. This was demonstrative of the abilities of Christie. While she made stride in netball she was making strides in her academic attainment. She graduated from St. Hughes with six CXC’s. From this point she moved on to sixth form where she pursued six CAPE courses of which she was successful at them all. Also in the year 2007 at this same point Christie played for the Skibo Netball Club and was at this stage the Most Valuable Player. This was not the limit for young Christie, she pushed herself even more and she was awarded with the title of Top Goal Shooter in the school league while she was at St. Hugh’s High School.

 Christie gave birth to a lovely baby girl in 2008 at the age of 19 and this was a pause in her netball career for a little longer that she would have liked. For a period little over a year she was out of the sport of Netball. This was just a break in her life though as the strong one kept her love for netball in mind and continued to persevere. Now not being able to compete at the High school or under 21 level, Christie tried out for the Molynes United Netball team and was successful. This would have been one of the best opportunities for her. Due to her involvement in the sport her abilities and her skills were being made known to sport investors. One night while at a game being played for the Molynes team, Christie was spotted by a UWI sport representative. As such her skill in the sport was demonstrated.  Christie was encouraged to come to the Sports Scholarship trials for netball. She did not fail to impress the body of people gathered to witness her skills. The jewel that existed in Christie was one to be invested in and nurtured. She was, on that occasion, encouraged to apply for the University of the West Indies. Supported by the fact that she had already attained her CXC subjects and CAPE Courses was a bonus for Christie. She applied and was successful to read for her degree in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Bsc. in Management Studies and Accounting.

Christie has been playing goal attack for the UWI team. She describes the training programme as a good one. She trains Mondays, Tuesdays and twice on Thursdays (in the morning and the evening). The latter she admits is a difficult task but she is able to cope.

Christie aims at striking a balance between her training and her studies and claims that so far it has been manageable. The goal attack aims at becoming a chartered accountant and sees nothing standing in the way of that dream. There is no doubting her love for the sport of netball and as such she will continue in her pursuit of excellence, with hope also making the National team, the Sunshine Girls. Christie’s daughter is now two years old and is being made to understand the significant contribution being made by her mother.

Christie has been active in all sporting events on the hall on which she now resides, Mary Seacole. She has been excelling in basketball at the hall level so much so that the UWI basketball team has been requesting her skills by means of invitation. She has declined the many other offers but is now considering the possibilities. She admits that though the two sports are similar in many ways (as sibling sports) they require independent knowledge of their own. This is a challenge which she finds exciting and even the more curious to explore.

Through her experience one can acknowledge that it is the will that exists in the inner man that makes one able to obstacles and setbacks in life rebound and make further strides to achieve what it is that one wants to achieve. Much is expected from Christie as she moves into honing her own in the sport of netball and to even extend her resume and level of participation in other sporting activities.

Olivia Carter

Sports Writer