Beterverwagting continues to produce strong athletes
Ms. Alisha Fortune displaying some of her gold medals
Ms. Alisha Fortune displaying some of her gold medals

ALISHA Fortune, 43, is a proud member of the village of Beterverwagting. She is a mother of three children; a sports enthusiast – an exceptional athlete, who is involved in such sports as track and field, bodybuilding, football, rugby and also a bit of cricket. However, she said that she has selected athletics and body-building as the two main sports that she is involved in.

On the red carpet for the first award ceremony of the Running Brace club

Fortune is also a massage therapist, who has been making every effort to advance and shine in this field of endeavour with equal robustness as she does with sports. She describes the therapy as a ‘labour of love’ in which her greatest desire is to ensure that athletes like her get the attention they deserve, which would guarantee the best results for their given situations. She also went with a CARIFTA team as the massage therapist in 2016.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that life and its challenges are continuous and therefore her whole approach is to constantly adjust with the times.

“I have learnt to make changes where necessary – and in an effort to make life comfortable and enjoyable I sit and plan about most, if not everything that must be done…after all I am a mother and I do not take this task lightly. Then I am an athlete who values what I have to do because I take all that I have to do seriously. In addition to all this, I am a massage therapist who intends to give of my best to the athletes and others who seek my assistance from time to time,” she assured.

Superb achievements

Ms. Andrea Foster, daughter of Ms. Alisha Fortune

Fortune said that she can consider herself very fortunate, in that she has had and continue to have tremendous achievements in Guyana, as well as overseas.

“I was made Sports Woman of the year in – 2007; runner-up Sports Woman of the year for 2014; then Sports Woman of the year again in 2015. I was also a triple gold medalist at the World Masters in France in 2015; I also reigned as number one in the 100 and in the 200, and also number two in the 400. That was my ranking in 2015 for track and field.

“In 2014 I did the World Masters in Costa Rica and also had a triple gold medal in the one, two and four; I am still the South American record holder in the 100 meter for the Masters,” she declared.

Knee surgery and beyond
She said that as a result of a knee surgery that she had to undergo she took a break from serious athletic sessions for a while. However, in 2018 she went to the World Masters once again, winning gold in the 200; silver in the 400 and also silver in another 200.

Ms. Andrea Foster stands aside Mr. Michael Doughtie, Essex County College Athletics Director, as she proudly displays some of her awards

Fortune stated that for bodybuilding she has been reigning from 2007 until now; that she was the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC) bronze medalist – this was in the Dominican Republic. Also for body-building, she has won numerous senior competitions.

And she is still at it, she says; noting that she is still considering whether she would go to the CAC this year because of the many athletic commitments that she now has coming up, being involved in different groups, most of which are related to helping many sportsmen and women to be of their best.

An inheritance
It is my desire to make my villagers feel proud and by extension the entire Guyana. “I am happy to say that my daughter, Andrea Foster has also been excelling and making me and the rest of my family; her villagers and the whole of Guyana proud to call her ‘daughter’. There are also other villagers who have been excelling, doing very well in sports and culture.

Andrea Foster, 22, got numerous awards, while at the Essex County College (ECC), where she got a two-year scholarship in September 2016 to pursue an Associate Degree in General Science. She is now attending the Clemson University at South Carolina in the USA, where she gained a Track Scholarship from that university.

Mr. Jason Yaw, one of Guyana’s talented athletes

Among her many awards was the Allison Gibson prestigious award. In addition, she was awarded the ‘Most Valuable Runner Women’s Cross Country’ 2017-2018; Most Valuable Runner (MVR) Women’s Outdoor Track and Field 2017-2018; Selected as a First Team – 800m Member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women’s Outdoor Track and Field 1 All-America Team for the year 2017-18 and was also selected to the NJCAA Region X1X “All-Region First Team” Women’s Cross Country.

Other villagers
Jason Yaw, the 6 foot 2 inches tall BV athlete is still the holder of the South American junior record in the 400 meters. He started his career at an early age, did very well for a period of time, but had some challenges in life that hopefully, he can rebound from, Fortune said.

The National Schools Championships record holder; a South American Youth Games double bronze medalist, and also an Inter Guiana Games gold medalist. Yaw received many bronze medals at the CARIFTA Games; he is also a South American Youth Championships record holder, as well as a two-time Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year.

Fortune spoke of athletes such as Troy Bobb, who is a karate expert and has had numerous medals from the USA. In addition, there is Yesenia Andrews, who is another outstanding athlete, who has migrated to the USA. There are a few more that came from the village of BV, she said.

Committee member
The Guyana Committee of Service (GCS) of which Fortune is one of the executives was formed primarily to be able to end services to athletes where there is a need. Athletes who are travelling to participate in games and may be in need of financial or other assistance; those who may be travelling to seek medical assistance and may be in need of other support are given help by the service.

There is the Running Brave club that started in 2006. Fortune, an active member says that while the club operates from out of Georgetown, she continues to keep her eyes out for rising talents within her own community.

She said that once the talent is spotted in any up and coming athlete the first move is to go to the parents of the youth and let them know what is recognized. At the same time, such potential is nurtured and encouraged, with the hope that much can come out of it.

“Knowledge is something you don’t keep, it is something that you always share and so I just don’t keep it to myself, I give it to the village and even worldwide…I really believe in professionalism and so I am constantly striving for the best approach, which I know can help out athletes” she offered.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.