Female TT players defy odds to qualify for CAC Games
Jamaica’s female table tennis team defied the odds to qualify for the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.
The team of seven-time national champion, Yvonne Foster, current national women’s champion Dadrian Lewis and Shenique Clare are now buoyant about their qualification which at one point seemed improbable due to a lack of sponsorship.
The players, along with a lone female sponsor, had to foot the expenses to get to the qualifying tournament, which was held in El Salvador recently.
“It is a mission accomplished,” Clare told the Jamaica Observer in an interview yesterday.
“We earned our spot to the CAC despite uncertainties, and knowing that we backed ourselves to achieve this goal, makes it even more rewarding for us as a team,” she added.
The 25-year-old and her teammates secured their spot in Mexico despite their semi-final round elimination.
She declared that the team members are in high spirits as they intend to be formidable opponents.
“The team has been performing exceptionally well against our regional and international opponents and we have been improving at every tournament.
“Our presence in Mexico will see us continuing this trend and we will be playing at the highest level possible to showcase our skills,” said the Glenmuir old girl.
Clare, along with 13-year-old Lewis, will be making their first appearance at the games, while Foster, who travelled with a junior team back in 2010, will be competing at the games for the first time as a senior player.
Foster explained that she will now relish this opportunity as a mature player.
“When I was younger I didn’t pay much attention to certain details of my game…I usually left that up to my coach. But now that I am older, I have started to give more attention to my game and make suggestions in training and work in tandem with my coach as to what I want to achieve.
“My teammates expect a lot from me and I am more confident now, so we are going to work towards what we want as a team,” she said.
The 21-year-old also expressed disappointment about the lack of support, stating that enough is not being done to fund the female team in particular.
“It is something that has happened time and time again and had someone not stepped in to help us, we would have missed out on a wonderful opportunity, so I am very grateful for what she did,” said Foster.
The male team of Michael Hyatt, Kane Watson and Simon Tomlinson also progressed to the games scheduled for November 15-30.