By Michelle Barrett, Freelance Writer
Hall tends to her orchids in the office that were presented to her as gifts.
- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
FOR YEARS we have seen her stalking courtside at every match involving Jamaica's senior netball team, shouting instructions in the heat of battle, offering encouragement during the breaks. Her hard-driving coaching techniques resulted in the senior team stepping up one place in the recently concluded World Netball Championships to be ranked as the No. 3 in the world behind New Zealand and Australia.
Just as the apostle Paul declared he had fought a good fight, Maureen Hall, former coach of Jamaica's senior netball team, can declare that she has indeed played a good game.
Shortly after the 11th staging of the Cable & Wireless World Netball Championship, hosted by Jamaica, came the announcement of Hall's retirement from the game.
Flair caught up with the former coach and netball player recently, seeking to learn more about her life off the court.
CHANGING HER FOCUS
"I am not retiring from netball per se; I am only retiring from my position as coach of the national team, as I have other commitments and I see it as good a time as any to leave now. I just felt it was important for me to step away from netball for a while and concentrate on other aspects of my life," said Hall, from behind the mahogany desk at her Allied Insurance Brokers office on Belmont Road in St. Andrew.
The commitments of which she speaks are completing an MBA in Business, which she is currently pursuing at the University of Manchester, England, and paying more attention to her demanding job as general manager of Allied Insurance Brokers.
The whistle has given way to her Apple ibook, a laptop computer on which does her work and types her thesis. This is now her constant companion. That, along with her handbag, are the things she will immediately grab in the event of a fire.
EARLY INTEREST IN NETBALL
It was while attending Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha) in second form that this Kingstonian developed a passion for netball. However, her skills were later honed at The Queen's School off Constant Spring Road in St. Andrew. She dedicated most of her time after classes to playing the game and she was soon drafted to join the school's netball team. After leaving high school she went on to the University of Sussex in England on a Government Scholarship in 1976, where she pursued a Bachelor's degree in Education - and represented the university in track and field and netball. On her return home in 1980 she was chosen to play for Jamaica an offer that she could not resist, given her love for the game. In the game she played the positions of Goal Keeper, Goal Defence and Wing Defence. Nine years later, she exchanged positions and started coaching the team.
"Of all the roles given to me in netball, I love coaching the best. I guess it's because I'm a trained teacher at heart and I just love it. I am often accused by the girls on the team of getting carried away with time. Sometimes, I would go to practice saying that I would spend 'X' amount of time and often end up spending way past the time that I had set," Hall noted, while fixing the lapel on her red skirt suit.
JOYS OF COACHING
Coaching, she further outlined, is a role in which one gets so involved with the team members that soon you become like a mother figure to them. "It's like having your own children; you teach them certain things and then you send them out to do their best after teaching them. To me, the worst part of coaching is sitting on the bench and watching the team play, for there is nothing you can do at that time but pray and hope that they'll make the right moves," said Hall.
Hall noted that netball is not an easy game and what spectators see on the court is the finished product after endless hours of practice. There are days, she admits when netball teams do not perform to the best of their ability and sometimes this is owing to a lot of pressure placed on them. "My belief is that each player/team has its own moment in time to give its best performance. Sometimes you hope that that moment is your championship moment," she declared.
JUGGLING EVERYTHING
Well-known for her hard-driving coaching approach, Hall admits that she demands the best performance at all times from her team members, as she believes that's the only way to succeed. She also applies this philosophy to her personal life, which has helped her to overcome whatever challenges she had to face. One of these was learning how to juggle her time between working, going to school and playing netball.
"There was a time in my life where I was teaching, working at The Gleaner as a sub-editor, studying at UWI and going to netball practice. It was difficult, but I managed to pull through. In order to survive in this world as a working woman you have to chart your course, constantly improve on yourself and make use of the opportunities that are presented to you," Hall advised.
She also pursued the Diploma in Mass Communication at the University of the West Indies, Mona, and later studied for an Associated Charter of Insurance (ACI) certificate. This led her to enter the general insurance industry after doing a short stint with Kingston Terminal Operators Limited. She worked at General Accident Insurance Company for 12 years from 1989 to 2000 and then went on to Allied Insurance Brokers Company on Belmont Road, where she has worked for the past three years.
HELPING OUT HER SON
In addition to the many roles she had assumed in her 40-odd years, Hall is also the mother of 16-year-old Anthony Dunbar, who attends Wolmer's High School for Boys. He recently sat the CXC examinations and is awaiting his results which, his mother hopes will be favourable. She mentioned that while preparing the senior team for the World Championships she made an extra effort to be there for her son, who needed the moral support during the crucial exam time. She further added that for a child to be successful the parents have to be supervising their offspring closely - always checking up on their educational progress.
"I remember during the summer when he was about to enter fourth form, I bought all his English Literature books and read all of them just so we could talk about the books and show him that I am interested in his lessons," said Hall.
When she is not on the court, researching for her thesis or poring over the computer at work, one can find Hall reading non-fiction books or curled up in front of her television set at home watching some form of sporting activity.
"I like most sports, except ice hockey, as I can't see the puck! I love golf and find it absolutely fascinating. Don't be fooled, though; it's not easy and takes a lot of skill. I found that out recently when I tried my hands on the golf course. I also like reading the biography of athletes such as Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France the other day. I mean, despite his adversities he managed to complete the tour, which I find to be remarkable. Just reading about him and other athletes like himself has helped to motivate me," she said.
Captions
Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Hall tends to her orchids in the office that were presented to her as gifts.
Maureen Hall speaks of her life on and off the netball court.
Hall in a pensive mood.
LOVES TO ROVE
COACH HALL also admits that she is somewhat of a party animal and loves going to the countryside, especially Portland, particularly during the middle of the week when everyone else is at work. She also loves to travel and stated that she been to all of the continents, except South America which she hopes to visit soon.
"Ah tell you, man, if I win the lotto I would definitely spend some more time travelling. There are places which I'd love to know, such as South America, South Africa and Canada; I mean I would have myself a ball," she smiled.
Does she have a significant other? "Yes, I do, but I don't think he would want me to discuss him."
With her new-found freedom away from the netball court, this Cancerian is developing a love for the arts, especially painting done by local artists which is supported by her immediate supervisor, Sandra Donaldson, managing director of Allied Insurance.
