BY SHERDON COWAN
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Khadra Brooks and Tramaine Brown, recipients of this year’s Sherwin Williams Women’s Premier League scholarship awards, welcomed the bursary which they say will assist with their educational pursuits.
Each player was awarded a $40,000 bursary at an award ceremony held at the Jamaica Football Federation headquarters on Monday, for maintaining a level of consistency throughout the season.
Inspite of their many differences, the talented players share a similar goal, which is to further their education, while aspiring to move on to the professional level.
For 21-year-old Brooks, the bursary is a reward for her hard work.
The fourth-year student of GC Foster College, who is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, said the scholarship means a lot to her.
“This award means a lot to me, not because of its value, but because it’s a gift to me for all my hard work. This is my first time receiving such an award and the feeling is amazing; my school fee is a lot of money and this will make a contribution towards it.
“It’s a small contribution, but nonetheless I am still grateful because my mother will appreciate the help in this harsh economic climate,” she told the Jamaica Observer.
Brooks, who hails from Barrett Town in St James, only featured in seven games for the St Catherine-based institution due to a late start to her season. However, the diminutive player who favours the right back position, expressed satisfaction with her performances.
“I started late in the season, but I was in the starting team for the most part. My performances were excellent, especially in the semi-final game against Arnett Gardens,” she noted.
Having made it to the final last season, GC Foster College failed to take home a title this year, as they were sent packing from the Colourscape Knockout competition in the first round.
They were subsequently trounced 4-1 by Barbican in the Mid-season final, and had to settle for fourth place in the league after they were edged 4-3 on aggregate by Arnett Gardens in the two-leg semi-finals.
“It was a terrible feeling for us, because we know we are capable of winning the cup. But it takes hard work and commitment which is what we were lacking,” said Brooks.
“From here it is just more work for me and if the opportunity arises for me to join the national team then I will grasp it with both hands. But for now I want to finish school and then I will see what happens from there,” she added.
Meanwhile, Brown, who is a lower sixth form student at Jonathan Grant High School in St Catherine, shared the same sentiments.
“I feel elated and grateful for the award. I worked really hard and was determined to make my mother proud. This is just my hard work and dedication paying off and it will help me a lot,” she said.
“My mother is a single parent and it’s really hard on her at times because CAPE books are really expensive. So this will help to ease the pressure off her. She is my motivation to keep going and so I want to use this talent that God has blessed me with to make her proud, both academically and in sports,” added Brown, who has acquired 10 subjects in the CSEC examination.
Having captained her high school team, Brown decided to exploit her talent at Barbican Football Club. The versatile player was a feature in her team’s dominant season, scoring five goals.
Two of her goals came in both semi-final legs in a 5-0 aggregate win over Los Perfectos Football Club, which assisted her team to an unprecedented triple-crown defence.
“It is a great feeling; I don’t think I could join a better team. The team is well disciplined and hard working…we are like a family, being a new player they always push me to lift my game.
“I think I could have given more, but I was shy because it’s my first year; but I eventually came out of my shell at the back end of the league. All in all I am proud of the team performance, we stuck to our plan and executed well,” said the midfielder.
Tramaine Brown (right) of Barbican FC accepts her scholarship award from Ian Forbes, managing director of title sponsors Sherwin Williams, at an award ceremony at the Jamaica Football Federation headquarters on Monday. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)
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Brooks, Brown score with $40,000 bursaries
