Belizean woman awarded volleyball scholarship
The raw prowess of Belizean skill in the athletic arena, both at home and abroad, has never been disputed. But to a large extent, our ability to dominate has been limited by a lack of resources to improve sporting programmes and facilities. Within that context then, it is indeed inspirational when a Belizean athlete overcomes those odds to land international recognition. That’s just what twenty-two year old Taeko Inoue has done. Inoue has been awarded a two year scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Taeko Inoue
“I was overjoyed, I actually went home and cried to my mom, because this is something I’ve always wanted, this is something I’ve always dreamed about and it’s finally coming true.”
Janelle Chanona
“How long have you been playing volleyball?”
Taeko Inoue
“It’s been eight years. I started when I was twelve and right now I’m twenty.”
Janelle Chanona
“And you’ve always played at the national level?”
Taeko Inoue
“I started playing at the national level when I was thirteen with the Youth National Team. And then when I was fourteen, I switched over to the Senior National Team and I’ve been playing on that one up until now.”
“I’m really excited about going…that is without a doubt. On top of that, I would like to tell everyone out there that they should stick with what they love and something good may come from it.”
Skippy Brown, Volleyball Coach, Univ. of Texas Brownsville
“First off, I was looking for tall people because in my area people are not very tall and she was tall. And she’s also multi-talented, she can be a setter, middle blocker, she can be an outside hitter, she can play back row great, she can do everything. We don’t even know what spot she’s gonna play, I just don’t think anybody can beat her out on the team, even though my team is very, very strong…there’s only one player that can out jump her on the whole team. The thing about it is I love getting players from here because they’re so suited to my particular school, because we’re round the border with Mexico, so we speak both languages there, so it’s just very great.”
Inoue leaves the country at the end of July. While at the University of Texas at Brownsville, she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Inoue is only the second Belizean woman to receive a scholarship to play volleyball in the United States; the first was Shelmadine Cacho, who was the recipient of a scholarship to play with the University of Minnesota.