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Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
THE life story of Mthala Queens’ Pamela Muchena is that of sheer determination, perseverance and hard work.
Just four months ago, she was in a maternity hospital delivery room giving birth. Ordinarily, she should now be at home, still learning about motherhood while also fighting to shed the extra kilogrammes that come with pregnancy.
Yet the 23-year-old Rainbow Netball League (RANL) player and first-time mum is already back on the court and doing what she loves best.
She has also been spicing up her return to the court by bagging some accolades.
Last weekend, Muchena wrote her own piece of history, making a remarkable early return from maternity to be the only player to win three “Player of the Match” accolades in a single weekend in domestic netball. RANL games are played in bubble format. Each team plays three games on each matchday. And Muchena, who dons the Centre bib, was instrumental in her side’s victories over ZRP Masvingo, RioZim and Golden Valley in Bulawayo.
While she never anticipated such a powerful comeback, she said it is her hard work and dedication that are paying off.
“During pregnancy, I would do light workouts to stay fit and also increase my chances of a safe delivery. Post-natal, I instantly increased my home workouts, with my husband’s assistance, before later engaging a professional trainer and also training with men’s teams for increased fitness,” Muchena said.
After just over seven weeks, Muchena bounced back to the netball courts and resumed training with the team, although she was not yet ready for competitive games.
She would leave her baby at home in Mpopoma, Bulawayo, under the care of her mother and sister. She now recalls how challenging it was for her to be away from the baby for hours during her first days of training.
“Netball is my life, hence the quick return to the courts. On agreement with my husband, my mother would take care of the baby while I went for training,” she said.
“At first it was not easy; I felt lonely and uncomfortable. I would fill up the baby’s bottles with breast milk. It was painful but that was the only way. Balancing responsibilities and managing my time was a huge challenge at first, and I am glad to have a strong support system, which ensured that I could do it.”
In the week leading to her first competitive games, the agile Centre felt edgy. Muchena was not comfortable with leaving her baby behind for days, while she also wondered if she still had what it takes to make an impact on the court.
“I had to express more milk for the baby because I would be away for days. I had some deep-seated fear but as a mother and athlete, I have to make sacrifices. The games were not easy, especially the RioZim one; they gave us a good run, but I believe this is the game that really pushed me out of my shell and back to my old self. Mentally, it was also not easy. I had to quickly adjust, so, after bagging the accolade, I realised that it is, in fact, the returns of the hard work that I had invested in,” she said.
This, she said, has taught her to never give up.
“I urge other young girls and women to never give up on their dreams. As a girl, one may come across many challenges, others may give up their dreams because they have become mothers, but I believe, with passion and dedication, balancing is not a burden.”
“In some cases, others even bring their babies into camp; in fact, we are used to such situations, hence there is no situation that can force one to give up netball,” she said.
With such a motivation, the former Swallows and Lupane State University player is looking forward to leading her team to a podium finish in the league.
Online Reporter