York College student Chevelle Clarke helps Jamaica to historic Pan American Games win

Chevelle was part of the Lady Crocs side that defeated the host nation 39-5 during the prestigious tournament that saw more than 4,000 athletes from 41 different countries compete in 28 sports over a two-week period.

She started all five of Jamaica’s games at the competition, which also saw the team narrowly defeated 10-5 by Mexico following group stages losses to other long-established Rugby Sevens sides Colombia (46-0), Canada (53-0) and Argentina (62-0).

It was an amazing experience for York Valkyrie Under-19s Rugby League player Chevelle, who also met the Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and took part in an Opening Ceremony that attracted an estimated 40,000-plus crowd.

She said: “I’m not very experienced in Rugby Sevens, so it was great for them to trust me to go out there and perform. I played as First Receiver and I think I did well. 

“We were ranked as the lowest team, because we’d never competed in a Sevens tournament before, but we beat Paraguay to finish seventh overall, which was an improvement that we were proud of. It was a really nice experience.

“We swapped pin badges with other countries and met the President of Paraguay. I got my picture taken with him and he also played rugby, so we talked about that. 

“We got to watch a lot of the other sports, too, and I really enjoyed the volleyball, as well as supporting our Jamaica men’s Sevens team. Carrying the flag at the Opening Ceremony was special, as well.

“We walked around and then went on the stage while a light show and drone performances were going on. There were so many athletes and the whole arena was sold out.

“Our kit was sponsored by Puma, too, and we got to keep it all, even the luggage!”

Chevelle’s performances for the Under-20s team have already seen her earmarked for a senior debut against Trinidad & Tobago at the end of November.

Their ambition is to become the first Rugby Sevens team from Jamaica to qualify for the Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles in three years’ time.

Sevens is a small-sided version of Rugby Union and, with Valkyrie’s season drawing to a close, Chevelle is now preparing to cross codes again, having been one of 30 players selected for Leicester Tigers Ladies Under-23s’ squad from a pool of more than 100 trialists. 

She is undecided which format of rugby she will eventually focus on, having also represented the full Jamaican national team in rugby league and, for now, is simply enjoying competing in both on domestic and international stages.

“Rugby League is a bit more strength-based and rougher than Rugby Union and I think Sevens is even more technical,” Chevelle reasoned. “There’s more space to cover and, if you miss a one-on-one tackle, then it basically leads to a try.”

Chevelle was on Pan American Games duty for Level 3 Results Day and discovered by email during the early hours of the morning in South America that she had gained Distinction*/Distinction*/Distinction grades for her Sports Coaching & Development qualification.

Unlike her classmates, who had to wait until 8am to learn their results, she could access them at 4am in Paraguayan time and she enthused: “They were my predicted grades, so it felt great to get them for real. It was very early in the morning but, seeing them, meant that everything I had worked hard for during my time at College had paid off.”

Chevelle will now start a Sports Coaching degree course at Leeds Beckett University with the aim of progressing on to a Master’s in Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

She has aspirations of becoming a professional rugby player and a sports psychologist and admits that her college course has spiked her interest in the latter and even improved her on-field performances.

“I’ve had a much better season and I feel that’s down to my Sports Coaching course, because I’ve taken everything I’ve learned on the Sports Psychology unit into the way I play now,” Chevelle pointed out. “It’s really helped with my performance levels, because I now focus on the things I can control on and off the field.

“I’ve learnt not to worry about anything I can’t control, and I wouldn’t have had such a successful season without that mentality. I’ve scored eight tries and also got two assists, which is way more than last season, so I’m really grateful to the college and my course tutors for that.” 

To learn more about York College’s Level 3 Sports Coaching & Development course, please click here

If you would like to meet the college’s expert team of tutors, discuss the full offering of courses and view the on-campus facilities, then why not register for their next Open Event on Tuesday 7th October (5.30pm-8pm) by visiting here