IT IS always a parent’s dream that their child, or even children, can aspire to great heights, in whatever field they partake in, and some parents may even take greater delight if their child/children follow in their footsteps.
And this may well be the case with Ivan Sampson, a former national youth team striker, who had the privilege of watching his daughter Jasmine participate for Trinidad and Tobago at September’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which were staged on these shores.
“I must say this was one of my most incredible experiences,” said Ivan Sampson, during a recent interview. “I’ve played so many years, coached so many years but nothing is like this experience.
“Watching her get all that representation, watching her blossom, I can’t even find words right now. I downplay it a lot but I’m so proud of her. She took it on her own. I didn’t force her.
“I’m really proud of her. I know she has a lot in her future and I hope she takes it and runs with it.”
A student at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Maryland, the 17-year-old Jasmine only featured for the Even Pellerud-coached squad during the latter stages of Trinidad and Tobago’s final Group “A” game against North Korea at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
But she was obviously delighted for the general World Cup experience. “It was a great accomplishment and experience and I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.”
She was one of eight North American-born players on the Trinidad and Tobago 20-member World Cup team, having had tryouts with the team with tours of Panama, El Salvador, South Korea, Brazil and the United States before the bi-annual competition began.
When asked about his daughter’s selection to the training squad, Ivan Sampson replied, “I found out from a friend of mine (and) I didn’t realise that she could play for the country as a junior and one parent is that country’s native.
“I found that out and right away, she was supposed to come on a vacation last June but I decided that we’re going to take advantage of it so it was a vacation plus tryout. And it started from there, June 23 (2009).”
This was not Jasmine’s first trip to her father’s homeland, as she spent a short period of her childhood in the twin-island republic.
“Funny enough, she came here, when she was five, and I was playing with (Point Fortin) Civic Centre in ’98,” he noted. “She came with me and she went to kindergarten in Chaguanas.
“So she spent like two months here, in the school system and everything. I was playing and her mom came and took her (back to the US),” he continued. “So she had the experience in ’98, living and being part of it, and the next time around was for this.”
With regards to his playing career, Ivan Sampson reflected, “I played for St Benedict’s and I played for all the junior national teams up until ’89. I was trying out with the ‘senior’ team but I had a scholarship and I went to James Madison (University) in ’89.
“Dwight Yorke and I were always on the same team but he went so and I went so. At that point it was not a lot of pro teams so it was more scholarships (as incentives). That’s where I put my efforts in and I ended up at James Madison University.”
He pursued Office Systems Management and still played football competitively, but his career was curtailed due to injury.
“I was still trying to play pro but due to this injury, it was slowing me down,” he confessed. “I was like ‘I got to try to do something, try the coaching and it just picked up from there’. And it’s been 10 years since.”
Now the president and owner of Sampson Soccer Incorporated, he coaches children in the Maryland region and also serves as Director of Player Development for the Ashburn Soccer Club and a technical adviser to several teams in the American state.
Will he be keen on helping the development of women’s football in his native Trinidad and Tobago?
“I think they’ll need more people to help,” Ivan Sampson responded. “I’m willing to help and I think there is room for the growth now. I think this is a good path.
“People here identify with role models a lot and if you’re not really someone that they know, they’re not going to gravitate towards you a lot, they don’t trust and wouldn’t really believe (in the person),” he added. “So you need people who are quality, qualified and could really express themselves and know the culture, to really pull these kids (from the rural areas). I think there is a lot of opportunity for girls right now.”
Jasmine admitted that she started, just like her father, as a striker, but reverted to the midfielder role.
“She had a good presence on the field, good strength but she loves to stay and wait for balls to fall,” said her father. “But teams realised she needed to stop to help (the opposition) from running through so she ended up getting that role of clogging up the hole and taking it forward after she got it.”
Concerning her immediate future, Jasmine pointed out, “I’m going to focus on school and club soccer and high school soccer. And then go from there, see if I get any scholarships.”
In her final year before entering college, she will like to pursue business management but, as far as any prospect of representing Trinidad and Tobago at the Under-20 or ‘senior’ level, she affirmed, “I’ll think about it. It depends on what’s going on with the rest of my life, so we would see.”
And her father added, “right now, my plan is to promote her for colleges, to get a scholarship for 2011.
“From now, it will be a hard promotion, pushing her name out there, giving her an opportunity to get a scholarship that she really wants,” he ended.