Hannah Tracey knows she has opportunities her mom didn’t have, and she has vowed to take advantage of them.
Tracey, who is representing the Kootenays (Zone 1) in volleyball at the BC Summer Games, was born in Jamaica, where, she notes in her BC Games bio, “many sports aren’t played and or recognized,” so when the family moved to Elkford in September 2014, she seized on the new chances she was presented with.
“I made a promise to my mother that I would do more than she did, that I would be more than she was,” Tracey wrote in her bio. “And that I have been doing for the past three going on four years now.”
The transition to Canada wasn’t easy at first.
“I hated it because we came in winter,” Tracey laughed, adding that she has adapted to the climate since then.
Tracey quickly became a two-sport star. In addition to being a zone representative in volleyball, she also received the MVP award for her bantam basketball team last season.
“I started basketball because by brothers liked it,” she explained. “And volleyball because I liked it and my mom likes it.”
Tracey lists her mom as her biggest role model.
“She has believed in me even when I couldn’t believe in myself,” she stated in her bio. “When I thought I wasn’t good enough, she has always reminded how it all started with an 11-year-old girl dreaming of someday being amazing, of someday being a pro.”
It’s clear to Tracey that her mom is proud of her.
“She’s always saying she’s my No. 1 cheerleader, that she’s always with me, her heart’s with me, and to always do my best; not to worry about it,” Tracey said.
Unfortunately, Tracey’s dad couldn’t get off work for the Games, so her family was unable to join her on Vancouver Island. Regardless, she has loved the BC Summer Games experience, having lots of fun and making many new friends.
“It’s been pretty good,” Tracey grins. “There are a lot of good-looking people.”
Follow along with Black Press Media’s full coverage of the B.C. Summer Games here.
