Though she did not make the final list for the Olympic qualifiers last year, Orange Leonas youngster Rachael Ngari maintains that training with the national team was beneficial to her ambitions of doning the Kenyan colours.
The 21-year-old was put on the waiting list for the trip to Stellenbosch, South Africa but holds no grudges as she feels her time will surely come.
The civil engineering student at Multimedia University is among the top crop talent at club level and has been tipped to make a breakthrough to the national team anytime soon.
The midfielder, whose brilliance began at Mt. Laverna Girls High School, said she has no hard feelings for being left out but, instead, promised to work hard to qualify for another call-up.
“It was a privilege to train with the national team. There were a lot of things I didn’t know but now I am better off. My vision, basics, slapshots and agility were not the best but now I can do them. There were people who deserved a spot and that is why I was not disheartened,” said Ngari.
“Being called up to the national team makes me feel good. I feel like I have got a lot of potential and I want to do more. I have people I look up to in hockey and I would like to inspire other young players the way I have been inspired.”
However, Ngari is finding it tough to balance between the sport and her academics.
“For now, I want to concentrate on my studies first though I am comfortable turning up for my club. I am yet to strike a balance between hockey and studies and it becomes overwhelming at times, especially mid-semester where cats, assignments and notes become too much,” she observed.
