SUNSHINE Girl Malysha Kelly concedes it’s a challenge to balance netball with her books.

“The thing about netball (is that) it’s not just about netball. It also helps you to manage time so you bring it over in your school work… once you apply the same treatment to netball that you apply to your schoolwork it’s not a problem,” said 21-year-old Kelly, who is a second year student of the University of the West Indies.

“It is very, very difficult,” Kelly said. “First year you can see the great difference moving from high school to university. I saw it in my grades, but it’s just something you have to get better at. It showed in second year that I learnt better how to manage my time.”

Kelly is one of two students on the national team to this summer’s World Netball Championships (WNC) in Singapore from July 3-10.

The former Dinthill Technical student’s serene countenance was matched by her grace as she shared her hopes heading into the senior world tournament.

Kelly has played on junior teams before in competitions at the Under-16 Championships in St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 and 2006.

“I’m very, very excited. It’s my first senior World Championships and I know that my game has improved,” Kelly said.

“I just can’t wait to go out there and just show them what I got. I’m not saying I won’t be nervous for the first game or games to come, but right now I’m just excited and very anxious to go there.”

Kelly introduced her teammate and fellow Dinthill Tech alum, Kimone Tulloch, to the national programme. Together with 21-year-old Jhaniele Fowler they make up part of the youngest trio on the national squad.

Kelly, who also plays for UWI Revolution in the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) local league competitions, got her first taste of senior team action in 2008 when she travelled to St Vincent and the Grenadines for the victorious AFNA campaign in the Caribbean island.

She said she started playing the sport for the simple fun of it.

“I used to play netball for my community, my sister and I. That’s how I started,” Kelly said. “When I got to high school it got more competitive and that’s how I got into the programme. I went to trials and I got to Under-16 and I just moved up to Under-21 and senior squads.”

The goalkeeper/goal defence admits that making the transition from youth to senior player was initially difficult, but said that with time, things improved.

“At first it was not that difficult because we played only Caribbean teams, but the first time playing against the top three teams it was very difficult and as we progress along it gets better,” she said.

That first taste of action against number three-ranked England came in 2009 and before long she was taking on top guns Australia and New Zealand in home test series.

“The game itself is more intense. Throughout the whole game you don’t get time to stop and rest and you have to be focused. If you’re not fit then your focus level will fall and that causes difficulty especially if you don’t know your team members,” she explained.

She added that it makes a huge difference having six players with much more experience to lean on.

“The senior players bring to the game… confidence and experience especially when you’re young. Going up with the senior players, they (give) encouragement… everybody gets along and everybody shows respect.”