Sewell... "I drink a lot of porridge and this helps to keep my legs strong. The porridge gives me the strength to kick the ball powerfully."
- Contributed
WESTERN BUREAU:
HANOVER'S TOP striker, Olivia 'Bubbu' Sewell, 22, began playing football at age five with his cousins and neighbours in a large open lot in the community of Prosper in Lucea, where he still resides.
Sewell, who represented Central Strikers and later champions Pedro FC in the parish's Division One competition this season, scored 16 goals to emerge the leading goalscorer.
A graduate of Rusea's High School, Sewell said although at age 13 the school's football coach Emerson Henry expressed an interest in drafting him into their daCosta Cup squad, he did not play on the team due to his mother's insistence that he 'study his book' and pass his CXCs before dedicating his time to schoolboy football.
DEBUT
Sewell made his debut at age 12 in the Hanover Division One competition in 1994 for Waterworks Football Club and scored his first goal a year later.
He later became the leading goalscorer for Waterworks FC in the 2002 Western Confederation Super League up to the time of that team's withdrawal shortly before mid-season because of financial problems.
"From I was a little boy I liked scoring goals," Sewell told The Gleaner. "I was always a forward but I played midfield on a few occasions for the Rusea's Under-14 team."
"I started playing in the Hanover Division One competition at age 12. I used to get my little run back then. I scored my first goal in the competition at age 13 against Grand Lido Football Club," he added, laughing. "Waterworks won 1-0 that day, so I was the spectators' hero and the talk of the town because they saw me as the little boy who scored against these big men."
Adding that from birth he was surrounded by footballers, Sewell said more than five of his family members were on champion teams at different levels.
"My father was a forward at the Negus premier league team in the 1970s," he said. "My brother Ornaldo 'Percy' Sewell and my cousins Stanley Sewell and Steve 'Tickarus' Edwards were top Rusea's defenders, and they, along with Leo Sewell, represented Waterworks at Division One and Super League and Legend FC in the National Premier League.
"Edwards was also drafted to the all-daCosta and Jamaica's Under-23 teams," he added.
Sewell is a fan of Onandi Lowe because of what he says is the player's superb strength, and Brazilian superstar Ronaldo because of his technique.
He also said that footballers in Hanover suffer from lack of exposure.
"It is every footballer's dream to play internationally," Sewell contended. "The issue, however, is that we footballers in Hanover tend not to get any exposure. I believe that if I was in Kingston or other eastern parishes a lot would have happened for me where football is concerned."
A vegetarian for the past nine years, Sewell is sturdily built at 162 lbs, 5 ft. 8ins. He notes that he maintains a balanced diet with plenty protein-rich foods.
DIET
"As a very active sportsman and a vegetarian I have to pay special attention to my diet. So I eat lots of fish, iron-rich vegetables, fruits and nuts and a lot of proteins which I would get from eating meat. I always have a balanced diet," he stressed. "I drink a lot of porridge and this helps to keep my legs strong. The porridge gives me the strength to kick the ball powerfully. I drink all kinds of porridge banana, cornmeal, oats, even carrot porridge."
Sewell, who is also a fire-fighter at the Lucea fire department, told The Gleaner that he is able to balance his time between work and football as his supervisors are flexible and very supportive. He noted, however, that he had disappointing performances while representing the fire brigade team.
"My worst performance as a 'baller has been in the Fire Brigade competition," he said. "I was 'in form' but maybe I did not take the competition seriously as most people did not train and when you are playing football you must train."