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<p>She’s Jamaica’s swim superstar, with a bubbly
soul that welcomes all. Our very own ‘aquatic ambassador’, and Alia Atkinson
feels she still has much more to contribute to the sport.</p>
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<p>Atkinson, in a tell-all interview with <strong>BUZZ</strong>, said that she’ll continue to swim
and fly the colours of Jamaica for as long as she can.</p>
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<p>The swimmer paused briefly when asked, ‘Just
who is Alia, outside the pool?’, but her answers, like an impassioned song, hit
all the right chords.</p>
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<h2>Alia: The determined warrior</h2>
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<p>“I’m a person who has continued in the
sport that she loves, and just fighting to continue for as long as possible”
Atkinson explained.</p>
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<p>Atkinson further described herself as somebody
who never gives up; a woman who likes to have a fair playing field and be as accommodating
to people of colour in a sport dominated by wealthy nations with intense
programmes.</p>
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<p>“I’m a daughter of God, I love children and
anything really fluffy,” she giggled.</p>
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<p>After a brief, pensive pause, Alia added, “I
believe that there is more to be done; I have more to give and I’m just waiting
for it to reveal itself.”</p>
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<p>“Whether I stay in the sport long enough [for
it] to reveal itself, I’m not sure, but I think I’m a stubborn athlete. Over
the years I’ve gotten wiser, in terms of how I train or how I can help the sport
for Jamaica, and for the Caribbean, and for people of colour. Individually, I
guess I’m trying to be [competitive] where I am and see if my body can give it
one more go,” the 30-year-old powerhouse told <strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<h2>'There's more in the tank', Atkinson declares</h2>
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<p>As Jamaica’s swimming darling, Atkinson
contended that she doesn’t think there might not be enough left ‘in the tank’,
but rather, a certain mindset as one’s body ages and the mind starts to wander to
the what-ifs.</p>
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<p>“As you get older, yes, your body does break
down but there are different tactics where you can build it back up,” Atkinson said.</p>
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<p>“How you manipulate the body when you’re
younger, it’s a bit different when you’re older. What takes place, if you’re
injury-free, is more of the mental aspects,” she added.</p>
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<p>“As you get older there are different conversations that you need to have. Unless you’re heavily funded, you can’t really focus on the sport too much, so mentally you start thinking about, ‘What else and the next chapter?’,” the proud Jamaican told <strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<p>“And that’s when the mental fatigue starts
to set in; when you’re not giving it 100% anymore,” she added.</p>
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<p>Atkinson noted that she’s always considered
her next steps outside of the pool, having asked herself many times what else
she has found a passion to transitioning into. Still the calm and collected athlete,
she noted that Alia is so much more than the sport of swimming.</p>
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<p>“I’ve always thought about ‘What else?’, but it’s more like, ‘When swimming finishes, where do I see myself?’. To be honest, I never thought I’d be in the sport for this long, so, as I’ve gotten older, it was more academic-based; I realised there were so many more occupations that open up to me,” Alia told <strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<p>One such occupation was as post-race interviewer at the Carifta Games in 2018, as well as being guest speaker at swim clinics around the world.</p>
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<p>Atkinson remarked, “I really did love that
and I didn’t think it was something I could be able to do, much less enjoy it.”</p>
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<h2>"Family the only reason why I've stayed the course for so long..."</h2>
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<p>The Caribbean’s poster-girl for the sport, who will be celebrating her 31st birthday this December, calls Sundays her designated downtime after a rigorous six-day training regimen.</p>
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<p>“I train every day except for Sunday. I usually
sleep in, attend church, come back home, catch up on anything I need to have
done in the week and relax with the family,” Atkinson told <strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<p>For the swimmer, her biggest motivators are
also Alia’s strongest support base, and she cherishes every waking moment spent
with the people who’ve kept her going… Family, friends and her training team.</p>
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<p>“They are the only reason why… There have been so many ups and downs in my career, and if I had tackled them alone, I don’t think I would have made it this far or been this pleasant or optimistic,” the St. Andrew native asserted.</p>
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<p>“At least every year, there’s a time where
somebody in my support staff: either my family, coach, trainer or anyone who’s
on Team Alia and has seen my progression through the years – they’re the light
and I don’t think I would have made it,” Atkinson further explained.</p>
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<p>“All the doubts in my head, [my support team]
surrounds and shows that there is no truth behind it. You can keep on going.
You can do the goals that you set in place; you’re not still too far,” she told
<strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<h2>Jamaica's future in swimming runs deep</h2>
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<p>There is much hope for swimming and its
future in Jamaica, Atkinson beamed, but cautioned all stakeholders to have tunnel-vision
in the best interest of the athletes and the wider sport.</p>
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<p>“I am very happy where Jamaica’s swimming [programme]
is, we’ve had a team go to Junior Worlds, the Goodwill Games; we’re having more
teams represent and it’s not the same individuals,” Atkinson began.</p>
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<p>“It’s showing that Jamaica’s is getting bigger,
we’re getting more powerful and we have the depth, which is great,” she mused.</p>
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<p>“Where we need to go is find a path and
have it clear for everybody: coaches, parents, the [Jamaica Swimming]
association and the swimmers where that goes…I think if it’s more visual, we’ll
be able to see them have the small victories and have more people continuing after
the age of 18,” Alia told <strong>BUZZ</strong>.</p>
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<p>It’s a similar situation across the different
disciplines across the Caribbean as more countries join and make their presence
in swimming known, but the risks are all too the same for Atkinson.</p>
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<p>“It’s a big thing to tackle, but I’m hoping
they stay in the sport long enough to be a representation to the younger ones
can see them, aspire to be them and where they are, and to beat them,” she
explained.</p>
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<p>The Jamaican had a successful campaign at
the FINA World Cup in Tokyo, Japan this August, where she mined gold in the
50-metre breaststroke.</p>
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<p>Next for Alia, the cup will follow circuit
competitions in Budapest (October 4-6); Berlin (October 11-13); as well as
Kazan, Russia (November 1-3).</p>
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