St. Lucia Rugby Player Creates Change Through Coaching
Born in Castries, St.Lucia, Makeba Alcide is a professional dual-sport athlete who is passionate about giving back to her community in any way that she can. The former track and field athlete turned rugby player is busy coaching a new generation of St. Lucia athletes whose main focus is on giving back.
Alcide started her athletic journey at a very young age, falling in love with track & field in her early years.
“I fell in love with sports when I got the opportunity to race for the first time when I was 11 years old. It was the nerves, the thrill of not knowing what to expect, the hype of doing it for the first time and putting all that I had practiced into the race. The moment I got on the start line for my first ever race I fell in love and never turned back.”
During her time in track & field, Alcide competed as an indoor pentathlete and outdoor heptathlete. Among all of the events that she competed in, the high jump was her favorite. Before hanging up her spikes in 2018, Alcide had won both the South-Eastern Conference Indoor and Outdoor titles, broke the NCAA Indoor Penthalon record, and came second overall at the 2007 CARIFTA Games in St. Lucia.
Her time as a track & field athlete not only created history for St.Lucia and the Organization of Caribbean States (OECS), but it also introduced her to her very first coach who would change the trajectory of Alcide’s philanthropic journey.
Alcide credits her first coach as the reason she gives back to her community so heavily, noting that if her coach hadn’t volunteered his time to coach her, life would have been different than it is now. For Alcide, sports have transformed her life.
“Sports changed my life and I give back with the hope that I can continue to change lives. I think that athletes have a huge role to play in using their platform to not only advocate but to give back. I realized this fairly young because I am from a small island so not many of us get out, so to be able to create impact not only on the field but off the field is super important to me.”
In 2020 Alcide began a new athletic journey, this time with the sport of rugby. After being asked to check out some beach rugby workouts, Alcide found herself at the Renegades Rugby Club in St.Lucia where she participated in small local tournaments. Shortly after in 2022, Alcide was named to the St. Lucia National Team for the 2022 RAN Super 7s Tournament where she would have participated in her very first international competition had it not been postponed.
Today, Alcide continues to play rugby and has stepped into a new role as a volunteer coach to local track and field athletes in St. Lucia. As a coach, Alcide is able to work with young kids from at risk communities in St.Lucia, providing them with the tools they need to compete as athletes and the opportunity to give back through volunteer work.
“We don’t only do sports. The aim is to create holistic individuals by providing these young athletes with opportunities to give back to the community through volunteer work with the elderly or for example our yearly Christmas Hamper drive where we give to those less fortunate in the community where we train.”
A favorite community project of Alcide’s is the yearly Christmas Hamper Drive. Even though the drive is a newer community service project it brings together young athletes outside of their sport and gives them an opportunity to grow as a team, understand the value of civic duty and impact lives all at the same time.
For athletes who may be just starting their philanthropic journey or who need encouragement taking the first step, Alcide has this message to share:
“Just do it. It honestly doesnt have to be a huge, big, extravagant thing. No matter how small of an impact you can create do it. No act of kindness is too small for the person receiving it.”
