Shirley Genga
When I first meet Caren Melanie Ouma, 38, at her lovely home in Nairobi’s upmarket Kileleshwa Estate, it was nearly dusk and she had just arrived from an intense five-days, outdoor, first-aid training at the White Water Camp in Sagana, central Kenya. But interestingly, she still exuded a lot of energy during the interview.
Caren Ouma in Ghana when she received her award. |
A bubbly but soft-spoken and almost shy woman, I find it hard to link her with the superiority she commands in the hockey field. It, however, takes only a few minutes to see her fortitude in a sport a lot of women would not give a second thought to. So passionate is she about hockey that it literally seeps out of nearly every word she speaks. Little wonder that whatever she touches on the pitch turns to gold.
"But how did you do it?" I ask.
"From a tender age, my father encouraged my siblings and I to participate in sports and eventually we all became passionate about sports. The environment at Nairobi Primary School where we went helped a lot. The headmaster then, a Mr Agak, believed in sports and ensured the school had the requisite facilities. So I played practically every sport, from football, to netball, hockey, to swimming, all the way to track events. I first played hockey when I was nine, but didn’t give much thought to it," says Caren.
Settling for hockey
While at Alliance Girls High School (between 1984 to 1989) Caren continued to participate in any sport she could, but still found time to join drama, Ranger Guide Society and the Christian Union Choir.
So how did she settle for hockey? "Once, the hockey team was participating in a tournament and one referee admonished us on our poor performance, asking us to choose between academics and sports because we could never be good at everything. My teammates and I vowed to prove him wrong. We worked harder and eventually became the provincial championship and second runners up at the national level," says Caren.
On completing A-levels, Caren wanted to study design at the university. With a year’s break before joining campus in 1990, she tried her hand at teaching at the Muslim Girls School for one term while coaching the Alliance Girls hockey team on the side. The team emerged as the provincial champions and runner’s-up at the national level.
Even though she discovered that she not only enjoyed teaching but was also good at it, she did not want to become a teacher. Later that year, she was invited to the Intercapitale Hockey Club, the best and most prestigious hockey club at the time and selected to play for the Kenya National Hockey Team. They won bronze medals at the All African Games held in Zimbabwe.
Sliders club is birthed
Shortly after, Caren, a sister and a few girls from Intercapitale Club and the national team joined forces and formed their own team, which they christened Sliders Club. But as they would soon discover, it was bold move. "We had to rely on well wishers to keep the club alive. We, for instance held several fundraising meetings to purchase basics such as uniforms and luckily, people offered to train us. Eventually, we rose to become among the top three clubs in the country," says Caren.
Caren joined university in October, 1990 but the following year, a nation wide strike led to the closure of all public campus for 11 months. Never one to entertain idleness, she heard about an opening at the International School of Kenya for the position of part-time French teacher and successfully pursued it. Meanwhile, an opportunity beckoned when the school’s coach left for America and Caren took up the position.
"As a teacher, I realised teaching came with ease but I refused to acknowledge it as a possible future profession. I only taught to make ends meet," says Caren.
Juggling between jobs
With husband Dr Heywood Ouma and son Jeff |
After completing her undergraduate degree in design, Karen got married in 1995 and in the same year started a design firm. In 1998, her husband got an opportunity to pursue a doctorate in Japan. Caren closed down her business and stopped playing for both the national team and Sliders, so she could accompany him.
There, she got the opportunity to teach Art at an American school while her husband studied for the next three years.
"I would have joined a hockey club but there was none. When we returned to Kenya, I reopened my business, continued to teach plus coach part time at International School of Kenya and also played for both the Sliders Club and the national team. I knew I loved sports and coaching as well as playing hockey was my avenue to indulge; I also knew I loved design and teaching was a great experience yet I refused to pin myself down to specialising in one field".
Father’s death eye-opener
But the death of her father in 2001 would cause her to reinvent herself. "It was a tough phase but it helped me realise it was time to say goodbye to design and to finally commit to teaching. My father and mother were teachers and I wanted to carry on that legacy. So I enrolled for a master’s degree in South Africa and for three years I travelled to South Africa during summer holidays to pursue my studies. Two years later, I had the certification to teach PE (Physical Education) and Art. On the side, I still played hockey professionally," says Caren.
After completing her masters and becoming a permanent teacher at the International School of Kenya, Caren decided that it was time she grew in hockey and finally acquire the qualifications for an umpire (hockey referee).
"I got my Level One national qualifications as a referee in 2005 and although I was not ready to give up on playing, I was forced to, because it would be difficult doing both. There was only one national women’s league and I had to choose between playing and umpiring. It was not an easy decision but I realised that it was time to move on," Says Caren.
Demanding job
She adds: "People think that being an umpire is easy work but it is a very demanding job. Unlike football where there is a referee and linesmen, in hockey there are only two umpires and you are expected to constantly be on the move and must be on your guard. Basically, you move with the game; it’s a hands-on thing. However, to be an umpire is a great honour, because you literally manage the game so that players can do their thing well. I have been a player all my life and so I know the important role umpires play," says Caren.
Constant evaluation
Caren says being an umpire constantly puts you on the spotlight. "We are regularly evaluated on performance hence the reason umpires are very rare. In order to move from a national to an international level, you must participate in as many tournaments as possible and be ready for grading on performance".
So what are her achievements so far?
"I have umpired all over Africa and it has been a wonderful experience. In 2007, I finally got my International Hockey qualifications (FIH — which has its roots in France) and continued to referee every opportunity I got".
Caren fondly remembers 2008 as a very adventurous and enjoyable year.
"I travelled all over Africa. I also umpired the Olympic qualifiers in January, club championship in Abuja in March, junior world qualifier in Egypt in July, club championship in Abuja Nigeria in November and clubs championship in Egypt in December. This year, I umpired the Cup of Nations in Ghana and that was where I received my award for: Best female umpire in 2009. It was a wonderful experience to be acknowledged; as a hockey player I have won many awards but this was very special," says Caren.
Apart from umpiring, Caren is a full time PE teacher at International School of Kenya. When asked if she misses design her answer is short and simple, "once an artist always an artist, I can still apply my design knowledge to my work and home."
Her parting shot: "I love my life; finding an opportunity to impart to children what my parents imparted to me is great. Sports is a wonderful way to not only keep healthy but also instil confidence and discipline in a child. I also hope that my award will inspire other girls to try their hand at umpiring. I’m grateful to God for the opportunities he has given me and to my family for their support".
