The Brac trio of Gabriela Ritch, Mara Hernandez-McLean and Amanda Ferguson may only each be 12 years old, but these youngsters are inspiring change among their peers.
They are excelling in sports and academics and are steadily becoming role models within the Cayman Brac community, noted Department of Sports Women’s Coordinator Merta Day.
“Although they are young, I think it is important to highlight their accomplishments,” she said. “It is important to celebrate strong women who defy and define the world, regardless of age. We have to teach our daughters that they too can be heroes.”
Their sporting journey began at the Creek and Spot Bay Primary School and the nurturing continues with coach Mitchum Sanford.
They have represented the Cayman Islands at various international sporting events, including Bay Area Youth Track and Field in Florida and have won several medals.
Hernandez-McLean said she enjoys running because she loves to win. It’s also about improving and she has been bettering her times throughout the year.
“I enjoy working hard to reach a goal and the results show this, which means my hard work has paid off,” she said.
She represented the Cayman Islands at BayTaf in 2010 and 2013 in various track and field events. She placed third in high and long jump and first in javelin.
Hernandez-McLean revealed that her hero is Cydonie Mothersill and she dreams of competing at the Olympics and winning a medal.
Ritch, who wants to be a zoologist when she grows up, enjoys sports because it gives her something to do.
“Sports help me to balance my life and school work and give me enough confidence to be myself,” she said. “Winning makes be proud and with sports I feel like a celebrity, which makes me see myself as a role model.”
Her track events are the 100 meters, 200 meters, mini-javelin and long jump. She has earned multiple medals at BayTaf meets. In 2010, Ritch was first in high jump and third in mini javelin, in 2012, she was second in long jump, and in 2013, she earned a second in mini-javelin.
Ferguson’s father Ashton encouraged her to get involved in sports and, from the time she competed at her school’s sports day, she discovered she had a talent for running. In fact, she collected a couple of medals at BayTaf; a silver in high jump and a bronze in shot put.
Ferguson also has the Champion Girl title (2013) for her division after winning four gold medals and a silver at Cayman Brac High School Sports Day.
“Being profiled for the newspaper and honored during this month motivates me to continue to do the good things that I have done so far,” Ferguson said. “Through sports, I have learnt to have confidence in myself and never to give up. If you doubt yourself, you won’t get anywhere.
“I like competition. I always try to better my times or distances at each competition. My coaches and I set a standard and I work to achieve it.”
Ferguson does a bit of sprinting and also competes in high jump and discus and her track role model is Jamaican superstar Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is the current 100m Olympic champion who won the World Indoor 60m in Sopot, Poland over the weekend.
The girls thanked coach Sanford for helping them to improve their times and distances and noted that without his help, they would not have achieved as much as they have.
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