–With Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Karen Pilgrim

BEING a veterinarian was the only thing that Dr. Karen Pilgrim ever wanted to be for as long as she could remember. A dedicated sports administrator was never really in the picture, but somehow, that’s just where she ended up.
Though more at home in the sport of swimming, Dr Pilgrim has also served in varying capacities in other sporting disciplines, as well as on umbrella bodies such as the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), where she still holds the position of Vice-President.
For all this, she was last month rewarded at the national level for her many years of voluntary service in the field.

This past Independence celebrations saw President David Granger conferring national awards on some 69 Guyanese in recognition of their sterling contribution to this dear nation of ours. Of that list, almost fifty per cent were “exceptional” women “who have contributed immeasurably to the development of Guyana in their respective areas of service”.
And on that list was well known sports administrator, Dr. Karen Pilgrim who has a sterling 16 years of voluntary service and involvement in sports in Guyana.
She recalls that she was just sitting at home going through her regular daily routine, when a call from the Ministry of the Presidency fairly blew her way with the news that she had been selected for a national award: The Golden Arrow of Achievement, the fourth highest award in the Order of Service of Guyana, granted to citizens who have performed “outstanding and specific act of service or achievement of an exceptional nature, or have given long and dedicated service of a consistently high standard in any area of public service.”
If there’s any woman in sport that embodies this award, many would agree that Dr Pilgrim is that woman.
Though she’d never envisioned being this involved in sports, her humble and easy- going nature, coupled with her willingness to never shy away from work just kept getting her deeper and deeper into it.
She moved from being the secretary of her swim club, to serving as the secretary of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA), to the GOA executive, to working on various other sports committees, including the Nomalisation Committee of the Guyana Football Federation.
“I never thought of running for something; I just kind of stumble into it,” Dr Karen explained.

IT ALL STARTED
Looking back, she said it all started in 2001 when her son, Damien, wanted to join a swim club and get competitively involved in swimming. She herself had dabbled a little in swimming, but had no real affinity for the sport. She couldn’t understand her son’s attraction either, but as mothers usually do, she obliged him.
He joined the Dorado Speed Swim Club, which sometime after held its elections. As she recalled, she was not particularly interested in the upcoming election, so it would come as quite a surprise when she received a call, just as shocking as the one from the MoP, informing her that she had been elected to be the club’s secretary.
Though the opportunity to decline was there, Dr Karen could not see herself not taking it, especially since her work life allowed her some amount of freedom.
“I got a call to say I was elected secretary, and I said, ‘Secretary of what?’ I had no thought about it whatsoever,” she recalls of her election as sports administrator.
“From there I started to represent the Club at the GASA level. Then in 2003… At that time, GASA was on a go-slow, and most of the executives had moved on or migrated. So they had an initial election in 2003, and I was elected secretary for about 10 years. And in 2008 I was elected in the GOA,” she said.
Juggling work life, motherhood, and sports administration was soon to become second nature.
By the time Damien had moved on from swimming to focus more on his academic pursuits, Dr Karen was already too wrapped up in sports administration to turn back; and it wasn’t just the work that kept her going, she had developed relationships with several of the young athletes she’d encountered and they had her hooked.
“I was so involved in the different things, and one of the things for me is that you meet youngsters that you would not have otherwise had any contact with,” she said, adding:
“I sometimes felt I gave birth to one but I have plenty.”

FOND MEMORIES
She speaks fondly of some of the young athletes and players who shared their stories and struggles with her, and in their own little way added joy to her life. But, of course, that’s not to say that the profession has not been without its demands.
“It was more work, but I wouldn’t say it was hard; it just took more investment of time,” she said somewhat modestly.
“Going into GASA, I really had to make an effort to learn. I spent a lot of time researching things for myself; learning the swimming rules, involving myself in competitions so I can learn the technical aspect, just to be on top of what was happening.
“In GOA, the challenges were different, but that’s because you’re thinking about all of the sports; not just one,” she added.
However, having formerly worked in an administrative position in the wildlife department gave Dr Karen an edge in the administrative field.
She’d been given the job after finishing a scholarship in veterinary science at the Tuskegee University in the USA. She worked with the Department until 1992, and has been working from home ever since.