Jayathri Looking to go places

Anuradha ABEYSEKERA

Perseverance has become Jayathri's motto since her childhood which helped to mould this 18-year old netball player strong both in physic and mind. Jayathri Upendra Abeysinghe is a 2014 A/L Art stream student of Ananda Balika Vidyalaya, Maradana who has been selected to represent Sri Lanka team at the Waverley International school's inter-school International Netball Championship which is to be held from July 3 to 10 at the Waverley Netball Center in Melbourne, Australia.

Jayathri completed her primary education at Sangamiththa Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo and later entered the Anada Balika. She was introduced to netball at the Ananda Balika in 2007 by the school's physical education teacher and her present coach M. E. Jayalath when Jayathri was an year seven student. Since then she represented school team and helped to grab many national level victories including 2011 Milo Trophy under-18 'B' division runner up shield.

Jayathri was among the best 25 players of the Sri Lanka Junior Netball Pool in 2010 and 2011. Netball has became her passion of life and with greatest difficulties she continues the sport while maintaining a balance with studies.

She is the only player from Ananda Balika who has been selected to the 12-member national squad for the Waverley International tournament. Jayathri is five feet and eleven inches tall and plays at the Goal Attacker position. Her participation in the tour is still an uncertainty due to her family's financial inconveniences. Every participant has to spend Rs 200, 000 for the tour and Jayathri finds impossible to collect this sum. Raised up in a single parent family Jayathri is being looked after by her mother and eldest brother who is the bread winner of the troubled family.

After Jayathri's mother was diagnosed with a cancer six months ago, the family's hardships piled up with extra expenses for her medications. The mother is undergoing continues treatments from the Maharagama Cancer hospital.

Her brother continues a great struggle to maintain the family from the earnings of his tea leaves business while helping Jayathri to build up her education and sporting career. He is in no position to offer her the needed money in this situation.

"Jayathri is an exemplary student with excellent character and a great talent. We are proud to have her in our school and will make every possible effort to find her a sponsorship as this tour will be of great impotence for her career," said Jayathri's school coach. The coach further emphasized that Jayathri will surely be a national asset in future if she is given the financial and materialistic support to develop her career.

"This tour is a big opportunity for me and if some one help me with a sponsorship I'll do my best to make my country proud. I must thank all who support me specially my mother, brother Jayaru Abeysinghe, Coaches M. E. Jayalath, Thilini Perera and school principal Malani Herath.

They were with me all the time and brought me this far. My dream is to play for the national netball team and I will work hard to make my dream come true," said Jayathri with a humble smile.