The disappointment of being one of the last three players to be eliminated from a T&T national under-21 training squad is one of the biggest motivating events in the life of Ayanna Mc Clean. It is all she needs to remind her that failure is not an option in her life. She makes decisions on her future based on the careful determination of the objective and the easy path is never the first hurdle. Now, when the disappointments come, she brushes them aside and resolves to work harder to achieve her goals.
Ayanna is well on her way to becoming the first female (International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) World Cup/Olympic List Umpire in the Caribbean. When, not if, according to her, she succeeds, she will be only the second umpire in the Caribbean to have achieved that status. T&T’s Roger St Rose, now retired, was the first.
“Consider it done!!!.. Just kidding,” joked Ayanna. “It is a very competitive field, and there is definitely an additional pressure of not being from one of the powerhouse field hockey countries. But the goal of being the first female representing not only Trinidad and Tobago but also the Caribbean in field hockey at the World Cup or Olympics is a goal that I plan on achieving.”
The six-feet-in-socks young woman could have chosen the field of athletics or basketball as her favourite sport, even football. But it was towards field hockey that she was drawn. Naturally, because her mother was an avid hockey enthusiast so the little one had very little choice but to let the hockey field become her playpen.
A member of Ventures Hockey Club, the women of the oldest all women club in T&T became her babysitters in her early years and her mentors later in life, women like Terry Young Sing, Florrie Kelshall, Ellen Kuei Tung and Jennifer Lander. Ever heard of parent/child rivalry? The former national player has eclipsed her mother Cherill Mc Clean by becoming only the second FIH Grade 1 female umpire in T&T. Cherill was the first.
Ayanna has been very active over the past few years, not only at international competition but in the USA and has several appointments this year. She was one of six umpires to carry the whistle at the NCAA Championships in 2014, held at the University of Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. She spent six years in the NCAA system, after starting in grad school to make extra money.
“Last year I was appointed to the Final Four Championship tournament. I did the semifinal with Amy Hassick, the USA’s only current FIH World Panel umpire. This came after a long season from August (Labour Day weekend) to November (Thanksgiving),” she said. “I umpired three to four matches a week, 30 minutes to 12 hours driving away. Did matches in the top conferences (ACC conference, Big Ten) and umpired the top teams UCONN, UNC, Maryland, Syracuse, Duke, etc. A fun and exhausting season, but I’m looking forward to another great one in 2015.”
She has been equally busy on the international scene over the past few years. She was appointed to umpire at the Junior Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011, Junior World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, in 2013, as well as Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.
“I have been the neutral umpire at the South American Championships in Santiago, Chile, in 2013 and 2014, the FIH World League here at home (T&T) in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013.” Ayanna is a member of the FIH Development Panel of approximately 35 High Potential Umpires. This is a group of female umpires from all over the world from which the FIH will identify and develop a minimum of 17 World Panel Qualified Umpires for the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and beyond.
“This year I am off to the World League semifinal as the video umpire in Valencia, Spain, in June, the Pan American Games as a neutral umpire in Toronto, Canada, in July, and World League Final in Rosario, Argentina, in December.”
But the field of hockey is not her only major achievement. Having graduated from Hofstra University with a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a minor in Economics, followed by a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), with a marketing concentration, the former South-East Port-of-Spain Secondary School student now holds the position of Business Development District Sales Manager with Coca Cola Refreshments in Manhattan, New York.
Her responsibilities include leading the team responsible for acquiring all the new business and marketing opportunities in the city of Manhattan.
How does she find the time to do it all? “Well there is 24 hours in the day, why not use them all.” On the hockey field she is a professional. In her office she is a professional but there is yet another side to the Ventures Hockey Club member. She loves a good party and lime. She has a “Trini to the bone” attitude towards the two.
Long Island, New York, is now her home but she always takes the opportunity to return to T&T and her old stomping ground, Belmont. Her last visit was for Carnival 2015 where she and two Hofstra schoolmates Brit Blankmeyer of the US and Zimbabwean Amy Lee Levy had a blast in the band Tribe. She plans to return with several more schoolmates and friends next year.
The less than a week whirlwind visit for the two included a trip to Maracas, a couple of fetes, bake and shark, doubles, roti, the Avenue, J’Ouvert and, of course, the two days on the road for Carnival. It was the very first visit to T&T for Blankmeyer and Levy and they have vowed that it is not their last.
As to the future for Ayanna, juggling hockey and her job takes up most of her time. Partying and meeting new friends the rest. She does plan to have a family and soon but right now, time does not permit. That FIH World Panel Umpire goal is her main focus.
Source: Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
