Daraine Luton, Freelance Writer
JAMAICANS ARE party-loving people but if you think the national female volleyball team will be 'skinning teeth' when they journey to Santo Domingo for the second round of the World Volleyball Championship qualifier, think again.
National coach Ortnel Findlay says the Riddim Girls are going there "for one purpose and for one purpose only to qualify for Japan next year."
The reggae train, laden with a bunch of enthusiastic Riddim Girls steams out of the island this morning for Curacao where they will spend one day before rolling into the Dominican Republic for the big assignment.
The girls are in with a glorious chance of becoming the first national volleyball team to qualify for the World Volleyball Championships. If they are to get there though, they will have to place at least third in the five-team group. The group includes Cuba, the hosts, Costa Rica and Guatemala. National technical director Phillip Greenland said Jamaica will be aiming to get the third spot behind the hosts and Cuba. In order to do this however, Jamaica will have to win at least two games.
"We only have to beat Costa Rica and Guatemala in order to reach the World Championships and I am confident that we can achieve that," Greenland said.
Jamaica open their account against Guatemala on Wednesday. The Riddim Girls enter this game with limited knowledge about their opponents but Findlay believes his girls will be able to take care of their opponents.
"The girls are very confident about doing well. They learnt a lot at the Pan Am Cup and right now they are in top shape and are all looking towards Japan," he said.
FIGHTING EFFORT
"It will be tough but we won't be going there to play dead. We won't lay down and allow anyone to roll over us. We will be going out there fighting as we know that we can get that third spot."
He added that the team has looked at tape with Costa Rica and have realised their weaknesses. As such, he is confident that Jamaica will beat them too when they meet on Saturday and register that historic feat.
"Cuba and the Dominican Republic will be strong but with the preparation that we have put in and the players we have, I think we will give a good account of ourselves," said Findlay.
Jamaica have called on the experience of Simone Forbes and Georgette Crawford-Crooks to help them get through to Japan. Crawford-Crooks, who donned the national colours in the 1990s, is a recruiting co-ordinator at North Carolina State University where she also serves as assistant coach.
Forbes meanwhile, is no stranger to the national colours having represented Jamaica at four other sports football, netball, softball and basketball. She is known to many Jamaicans as a devastating attacker whenever she plays for either the Sunshine Girls or her local club Waulgrovians, Forbes is a student at Mercy College in New York. She got there by way of a volleyball scholarship.
Greenland said that the experience of having Crawford-Crooks and Forbes at the qualifiers should serve Jamaica well.
The Jamaican team is completed by Tracyann Price (captain), Paula Ann Porter Jones, Claudia Miller, Shanique Green, Cheryl Daley, Kamille Dwyer, Kai Wright, Cherine Richards, Avaniki Campbell and Kimberly Carraha.
