Finding her rhythm as a Calypso Girl (national women’s netball player), Destiny Williams is one of the nation’s young aspiring Netball stars. Moving her way swiftly up the ranks representing Trinidad and Tobago in the Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21 categories, Williams specializes in the goalkeeping and goal defense positions. Detailing some of the highlights and experiences gained thus far in her career, Williams took some time to discuss the importance of persevering, even on the days it may be most difficult.
Williams interest in netball first sparked while attending her aunt’s training sessions and games. She recalls always being in and around netball facilities when she was a child and even venturing on the courts after training sessions. It was during one of these moments when the coaches decided to rope her onto the court.
She detailed, “My aunt, Indra Anderson, also played for the same club, so by going to her training and sometimes doing some training routines I caught her coach’s (Althea Mc Collin) eye as she used to watch me and saw my potential. At the age of 10, she told me it was time to come and start training officially and from that I started and still continue until now.”
Adjusting to the Soul TT Club was one of the easier transitions for Williams because of her interest in the previous sessions and having an awareness of the game itself. She said, “At first it was not that difficult because I always observed how the game is played so it was a bit easier for me than a beginner who did not know anything about the sport.”
Reminiscing on the first time she was called up to the national team, Williams recalled being encouraged by her coaches to go the screening and to continue showing interest towards the national team. She stated, “I was really scared at first because I did not know what to expect but at the same time my coaches Indra, Heather and Khalifa Mc Collin along with the support of my aunt and my parents, gave me a lot of confidence and I was able to put my best foot forward on the court. “
Williams continued, “So, I went, I tried out, but I must admit not all my days were the best… I had really bad days because I was still nervous. Eventually as time went by and I continued training with the national team and my club, I was able to adapt, and sooner than later I made the team. I remember being really excited when they told me!”
However, when the national coaches started describing and explaining some of the past experiences they had with previous Under-16 teams, especially in terms of their upcoming opponents, Williams was once again nervous. Searching for matches online and video clips of their opponents did not help the situation any better as she saw the intensity of the other teams.
Nevertheless, Williams is strong minded when it comes towards her intuition and passion for netball. She stated, “My opinion is that I fit in very well in the sport of netball and I trained very hard which gave me opportunities with the national team to travel to places such as St. Lucia and Antigua.”
St. Lucia was a tough outing for the Under-16 netballers due to the regional tournament being a first for most girls on the team. Williams described that trip as a battle and she even got injured during the event. However, she never let that hold her down. She declared, “At times (like this) it was really tough because you have to keep pushing even on days you were not feeling 100%. Even on your bad days, you have to put your best foot forward.”
After a fourth-place finish in St. Lucia, the girls bounced back at the 2019 Caribbean Netball Association Jean Pierre Under-16 Championships. Trinidad and Tobago finished as runner-up at the event held in Antigua, where a loss in the final to the eventual champion Barbados, was the only dampening take away from the competition.
Williams and her counterpart, Ashley Greig, locked down their regional opponents in the defensive circle which helped T&T to five victories on their way to the sparkling silver medals and trophy. T&T was honored with the “Best Spirited Team” and the “Most Accurate Shooting Team” awards and saw four players making the “Top 16” performers at the tournament including Williams, Kelelicia George, Jilisa Briggs and Shanique Griffith.
Williams won the “Most Valuable Player” Award while George, captain of the team at the tournament, also secured the “Most Accurate Shooter” and “Shooter with Highest Number of Goals” accolades. It was an impressive feat for the young netballers as the T&T squad never won the tournament, despite also ending runner up in the first two years (1998 and 1999), behind regional giants Jamaica.
After her performances in the Under-16 age group, Williams then shifted to a much more challenging task of playing in the Under-21 team. She detailed, “It was really a nice and exciting experience for me. But at the same time, you had to remain really focused because now you had to fight for your spot against older and more experienced netballers on the Under-21 team.”
This means her training schedules, intensity and specialized training increased. For Williams, her goalkeeping position focuses on defending the shooter and preventing them from shooting or even passing while her defending position seeks to avoid the ball heading towards, into and around the circle. Williams trains hard in defensive drills such as learning to position herself as the goalkeeper to approach the shooter, block the shot or make interceptions without stumbling over. She also works on jumping drills to practice timing her leaps to get the ball at the highest point or before it reaches the net.
Her training and fitness were, like most, impacted by COVID-19 as she expressed, “It was really tough since we had to completely stop training, but we still continued doing routines at home. Also, where I live do not have much netball facilities, so this made it a little more difficult for me to find somewhere to get some on court training done. It was really frustrating and depressing at times, I even started putting on weight which started to frustrate me more also.”
Then when covid restrictions eased up a bit, her training resumed once a week. It was not another easy transition as Williams stated, “It was really hard when we initially went back out because you know you put on size and got completely unfit, so it was really hard to push myself and get back into a proper training routine to reach a better state, much more for the fitness levels prior covid. But as time goes by, I am progressing in my fitness, I am getting back to where I left off and I hope things get better in terms of the pandemic so we can start back competing again.”
Originally from Cocorite, now living in Maracas St. Joseph, Williams lives with her mom, siblings, and stepdad. She left some encouraging words for aspiring athletes by stating, “It is and will always be a fight, but it is not always bad, but more so, fighting the good fight. It just takes a lot of work. Just remember to reduce the negativity around your creative space. Anything you put your mind to, you could do it. It doh matter what it is…. yes people might say differently or even discourage you on your journey but whatever you put your mind to, just focus yourself on achieving it.”
She continued, “So never give up, always keep pushing and always surround yourself with people who will support you and your goal because this gives you a special confidence to continue to persevere in whatever target you set out to accomplish.”
All national Under-21 competitions is canceled for the rest of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Williams is still legible to compete in the Under-18 category. She is currently training for an Under-18 regional tournament tentatively carded for December 2021, though the location is still to be determined by the organizing committee with possible hosts being Jamaica, St. Martin, Barbados or Trinidad and Tobago.
We wish Destiny the best of luck throughout her professional netball career and do hope she inspires the rest of the Calypso Girls to bring the golden trophy home to our shores.
