Konya Plummer is fast and athletic with a warrior’s competitive spirit. But, at age 21, she’s still learning the game of soccer. So when Jamaica asked her to lead its national team to the nation’s first ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup last month in France, it seemed a heavy load. Yet Plummer, who has targeted graduation from a Florida college next year, has embraced her role. At the biggest tournament of her life, Jamaica’s captain told Caribbean Today’s Gordon Williams it’s all been good.
“Plummer, Konya” Photograph by Gordon WilliamsQUESTION: How much pride does it give you to lead Jamaica into the World Cup, with the first match being against Brazil?
ANSWER: I’m grateful. I’m honored and just excited also to just be in this position and that I’m a part of something great. To lead the team requires a lot of responsibility and I’m looking forward to the job; just to go out there and make Jamaica proud.
Q: How proud of you of your team, your coaching staff and the journey that you have come through in terms of the adversities and setbacks … I know that is something that is with you?
A: I’m very proud of my team and everything that we bring to the table, from qualifying for the World Cup and leading on here. It’s been a hard road and we dealt with it well and I feel like the unity, love and everything we share in the camp has helped us to be stronger and look past all the things that we’ve faced, because it’s the one that makes us stronger.
Q: When did it set in that you are at the World Cup and how did that make you and your team feel?
A: Honestly, the moment reality hit me is like probably (the day before Jamaica played Brazil in Grenoble). I am thinking about Brazil full 100 … It’s nerve wracking, as well as exciting.
Q: You’re based in Florida, go to school in Orlando. You are exposed to the diaspora. The expectations are great. Do you feel it, and as the captain it must be greater, the (weight)?
A: Oh yes! I attend the University of Central Florida and I know my teammates and the coaching staff is very excited … and proud of me. Also, to lead the team is a great opportunity and a hard job. So I need all the support.
Q: The Caribbean diaspora, do you hear from them in Florida? What are they saying to you?
A: Moving on from Jamaica with our sendoff (to the World Cup), it was with great pride. Great turnout. And then into Fort Lauderdale, when we get to spend time with our Jamaican people, not just Jamaicans, but the whole Caribbean.
Q: You felt the love?
A: The love was there. Trust me, it was there.
Q: Expectations (on the field) aside, talk about the experience here, when you leave here, when you have children, a family, what will you tell them about this whole experience, the journey?
A: What I would tell my kids couple years from now is that whatever journey you go on, make sure you love it, you enjoy it and make the most of it … Nothing is limited.
