Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

Atkinson

Lucea, Hanover:

Rusea's High'S 17-year-old midfielder, André Atkinson, has stepped further into the limelight, becoming the latest footballer from his school to be summoned to trials for a national junior football team - Jamaica's Under-20s - after playing only one season in the daCosta Cup.

The fifth former who hails from Hopewell in Hanover was born on September 7, 1989 - the first of three children to Marcia Lawrence, a hotel worker, and Leroy Atkinson, a tour bus operator.

Atkinson is well known in football circles in Hanover for his ability to take accurate shots at goal while on the run, powerful volley kicks as well as his skill in tricking and evading advancing opponents.

First competitive step

A past student of the Blair Basic and Bethel Primary and Junior High schools in Hopewell, Atkinson made his first official step into competitive football as a striker at Bethel, before coach Emerson 'Diggy' Henry trans-planted him into midfield, where Atkinson says he is "more settled" and has become one of the most dependable linkmen for Rusea's.

Atkinson, who stands at 5 feet 9 inches and weighs in at 165 pounds, was the leading goalscorer for Rusea's in the last daCosta Cup season, netting six goals.

He was also the leading goal-scorer in his last year on the Rusea's Under-16 football team and scored his last goal for Rusea's two weeks ago in his school's 6-0 battering of Merlene Ottey High in the opening match of the Hanover High Schools Challenge Cup.

Atkinson, like most boys in Hanover, started playing scrimmage football in his community with his friends at age 10, but it his uncle Damion Lawrence that he credits with evoking his interest in football.

"He used to take me to the ball field. Normally no little boys could play but because he played football, the other boys had to allow me to play," he said.

SURPRISED

"I was very surprised when I learnt I was called for national trails. My mother first saw it in the newspaper. She was laughing and told me she was going to surprise me. I never knew that was what it was and when she showed me, I felt weak," Atkinson added, chuckling.

Atkinson told The Gleaner he has his sights set on becoming a professional footballer and sees himself playing on the national senior squad in the near future.

His favourite foods are rice, chicken, dumplings and yam and his favourite footballer is Brazil's Ronaldinho, while Ricardo Fuller is his favourite national.

"Ricardo Fuller is a tricky player, he can 'shift' and I love to shift. Ronaldinho is the same too and I like that," he says.

When not playing football, in his spare time Atkinson plays tennis, reads and listens to music

He will also be sitting four CXC subjects later this year - Mathemantics, English, Integrated Science and Spanish.

"I am enjoying myself here at school. I love Rusea's because most of my friends play on the team," he said.