SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Erin Mikalsen never imagined representing Jamaica’s Under-17 Reggae Girlz.

In fact, she never imagined playing football until she got tired of gymnastics.

Mikalsen said she gave up gymnastics and wanted to try another sport, and as fate would have it she chose football at age nine.

“I started kind of late for my age I guess for soccer, because I know a lot of people started really young. I started at the beginner level and then I just worked my way up to club and now the Jamaica national team.

“I am really flexible. I was small enough to be a gymnast, but the time and money was way too much so I chose soccer, and its working out better for me…. I turned out pretty good so far,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The 16-year-old junior student at Oviedo High School in Florida had thoughts of transitioning to the United States team. But she quickly aborted that thought after taking part in the Olympic Development Programme (ODP) which provides high-level competition and training for participating players.

And being under the guidance of Jamaica’s technical advisor of the female programme, Hue Menzies, at Florida Kraze Krush (FKK), she was given an invitation to represent the black, green and gold.

“Hue contacted me and he was telling me about it, and he said that it would be a really good opportunity to explore and experience other soccer and cultural stuff, and it would be a good way to get out.

“Before he said anything, I never really would have thought about it (representing Jamaica); I wanted to join the US national team, but I know of all the processes and it would have been hard. I have been in ODP and I have seen like how the system is so it would have been difficult,” she pointed out.

Mikalsen, who is of Jamaican parentage, earned her first cap for the country against Puerto Rico in a 2-2 result on Friday evening and was pleased with the outcome, and is committed to working hard as she aspires to make the transition.

“I want to play in college, preferably Colorado University, and then continue playing on this (Jamaica) team and see if I can go on to play with the older girls and try and go further with them. But to do that I am going to make sure I play here (Under-17) as well as I do in the club tournaments with everybody else and continue to work hard,” she noted.

The left back, who has an aggressive style of play, has now developed an undying love for football and is willing to go beyond the call of duty on the field to ensure that her team has a successful tournament.

But off the field Mikalsen, who is of Chinese descent, faces an even stiffer task of fitting in with the local-based players.

“It’s different; I knew it was going to be like this because I am coming in as an American-based player and I don’t speak patois and I don’t understand what they are saying some times. But I am getting there and I am still trying to learn names,” she said with a bright smile.