2 months ago
10
JUST DAYS after Ashoka Road, where she grew up, was renamed in her honour, Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the dreams of Jamaican student-athletes through her Pocket Rocket Foundation.
“This seminar is about you. It is all about you. It was created for you,” Fraser-Pryce told a room of student-athletes yesterday at the inaugural Pocket Rocket Foundation Student-Athlete Development Seminar.
“We want to make sure that, when you walk out of this room this evening, you are equipped, you feel rejuvenated, you feel supported, and you feel that you can do this.”
The seminar, the first of its kind for the foundation, was held at the AC Marriott where several students from various schools were in attendance.
The students were treated to a day filled with action where Fraser-Pryce, among other speakers, engaged them regarding the various opportunities and potential pitfalls in the life of an athlete.
Fraser-Pryce explained the idea behind the seminar is to provide a platform to support and encourage students to strive for their dreams.
“We are not just here for champion athletes, so I don’t want you to just think about winning. It is more than just winning. We are talking about developing strong individuals who can function in any arena,” the sprint icon said.
“At the Pocket Rocket Foundation, we don’t just care about the results that you guys are getting in your respective sports - we love that and we applaud that. But we want to know how you are functioning and we want to be there for you.”
The Pocket Rocket Foundation has seen tremendous growth throughout its years of charitable initiatives.
Beginning with just five scholarship recipients over a decade ago, the foundation has since grown to offering 93 student-athletes with scholarship opportunities — 48 girls and 45 boys.
The foundation has also hosted 27 Christmas and back-to-school treats, as well as nine years of the SFP Six-A-Side Football competition.
“When we started the Pocket Rocket Foundation, I think we had five student-athletes. Just to think about where we are today, I don’t think you guys understand how important it is when we talk about the 93 students.
Nesta Carter, who was also in attendance at the seminar, praised the initiative, calling it a solid platform to support Jamaica’s next generation.
“The foundation offers a whole variety of giving back to students and helping students to become better versions of themselves,” he explained.
Carter recalls his years as a student-athlete representing Manchester High and the difficulties he and his peers faced during their junior careers.
He applauded the efforts of Fraser-Pryce.
“I have come through this system and I have had the first-hand experience of going to the various track meets with inadequate supplies and just the small basic things to help you through the day.
“I went to Manchester High, so my experience wasn’t as bad as some other schools that some of my colleagues had gone through. What Mrs Fraser-Pryce is doing is opening as wide an umbrella for everyone to have a smooth transition throughout school, because it can be really hard on the athletes and their parents.”
Fraser-Pryce further pledged her support for student-athletes, stating her desire to give back some of the support she had received.
“For me, the idea and the desire to start the foundation was born out of giving back. I am who I am because someone, more then someone - a lot of people - decided whether it was tangible or whether it was just advice or commitment. It was somebody deciding ‘I am going to invest in Shelly-Ann’.”
English (US) ·