Hilma Nalupe
Born and raised in Windhoek, 17-year-old U/21 national women’s hockey player Jasmine Cartwright has been playing hockey since she was seven.
She lived in Namibia until two months ago, when she moved to a boarding school called Repton in the north of England, where she is doing her A-levels and competes against different hockey teams.
She started playing hockey in Grade 1 at St Paul’s College, where the sport was compulsory. She enjoyed it from then on, and when her coach asked her, when she was a little older, if she wanted to try goalkeeping, she agreed. Cartwright believes it to be one of her best decisions yet.
Cartwright credits her hockey beginnings to St Paul’s College. She played for the high school’s first team for four years and even won the league championship this year against Windhoek Gymnasium.
“St Paul’s has really helped me become the player I am, by having access to amazing coaches and having a team that would always encourage each other no matter what. I now go to Repton in England, which is a school that is known for its amazing hockey,” Cartwright said.
Cartwright has always envisioned being part of the national hockey team, and now that she is in the U/21 national team, she believes she can achieve anything.
Her first major tournament was the Mini World Cup, a tournament designed for players younger than 13 to have a fun, non-competitive environment to develop their hockey skills.
“I remember having so much fun with my team and going into the finals. I was terrified, because it was my first time doing showdowns as a goalkeeper. Somehow, I saved all of the shots and we won,” she recalls excitedly.
The young goalie first realised how much she enjoyed the sport when she trialled for a PSI team as a goalkeeper and made Hawks. That was when she realised that she wanted to go as far as she could in hockey.
Cartwright was awarded Goalkeeper of the Tournament for the U/21 Junior Africa World Cup qualifiers earlier this year, a moment she will always be proud of.
She recalls her toughest moment to be when the U/21 team played against South Africa in the Junior World Cup qualifiers and got many good shots on her. “The qualifier match against South Africa was very tough, but it was also my favourite game. The intensity from both sides was amazing,” said Cartwright.
Her favourite playing position is goalkeeper. From the goalpost, she always tries to be loud by banging her leg pads and encouraging her team from the back.
The constant support from her parents is evident in the long drives to her training and in them always sitting on the sidelines to cheer her on.
Cartwright says hockey has taught her much about how to play with a team, how to communicate with different personalities, and how to work under pressure, but it has also taught her about staying committed to what you love.