More than just beauty

WHEATON College soccer star and this year's winning women's Easter Champs point-guard, Emily Hough put on a staggering display of basketball court skills and great ball-handling expertise at the Easter Basketball Championships at the Vodafone Arena. Hough, was both an inspiration and a motivator for her team. She practically left some of those on the opposing teams baffled by her speedy advances and quick take-offs. Her dodges were lethal in the face of slower players. As the point guard, Hough was required to do a lot of work as she basically had to set the play in motion with quick thinking and deceptive reflexes. The position calls for fast and agile players, and this is exactly what she is. Her fast movements, swift turns and deceptive plunges made her a volatile player and an asset for her team. Her movements left many dead with surprise in her wake. "I didn't expect to experience such tough competition here in Fiji. It really was a surprise for me. I think that there is a lot of room for improvement especially in the facilities. Basketball is not some game you can just go out and play, you need a hoop and a levelled out ground. From my experience during the Easter Championship, I saw that the women's team play with a lot more heart than the players back at home." Hough believes that there is a lot of raw talent in Fiji.

Hough is an exchange student at the University of the South Pacific. She is from the United States of America and hails from New England in the State of Vermont and is on a four-month experiential program. She is studying Social Change and Ethnic Identity which allows her to travel around our beautiful island, to living and learning from locals. She attends Wheaton College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she is studying for a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Education. "I hope to become an Elementary teacher but return to further my studies in psychology. I want to get a masters in psychology because I find that human behaviour is very fascinating and interesting. I really would love to study it more."

After she graduates with her degree, Hough will teach in elementary schools which is an equivalent to our primary schools. From here, she will return to get her masters and become a professor in psychology. Hough is what we would call an 'all-rounder', meaning that she excels in both sports and education. It could be said that she has a balanced life. Physically Hough is as fit as a cheetah, mentally she is as clever as an owl and psychologically, well, how do you measure your psych. All the same, there is one thing that Hough is certain of and that is her love and commitment toward sports. "I love sports especially the atmosphere that surrounds the activity. It is something I love about sports. The competitive atmosphere is a thrill because I love a challenge," said Hough. Hough has five brothers and two sisters. She is the fifth child. Her sisters are into track events and her brothers also play sports. "One of my brothers is a BMX biker," she said. Her family is a sporting one and I guess that is where this extraordinary girl gets the right genes. It is in her blood to be athletic. Hough uses these natural talent to become the person she is. Her talent has gained her a scholarship at Wheaton College.

"All I have to do is play for the university and they pay for my tuition and everything else. It is really great," she said. When she first arrived in Fiji her goal was to find herself a soccer team to train and play with, however her friend, Melissa Lee, introduced her to her basketball team, Wednesday Crew and she became part of the team in a snap. She played at the Easter Championship and helped her new-found team become the women's Easter champs. "I used to enjoy basketball all the way through high school but soccer gave me an opportunity to school for free," she said. In December of last year, junior Emily Hough was named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Stars, Hough received a second-squad honor. She is among four New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) players selected to 22 spots by the ECAC. The US soccer star recently celebrated her 21st birthday away from home. "I really miss our family moments, like I wasn't at home for my birthday and dad and one of brother's birthdays too just passed by. It really is the celebrations and activities that my family does that I miss the most," said Hough. Emily is hoping to create a CD on traditional Fijian music as a project before she returns to the States. From her two months in Fiji, Hough has changed her perspective of Fiji greatly. "I would always think of Fiji as a tourism spot but when I came here I saw that there is more to this country then just tourism. There are political conflicts and social upheaval, plus there is the beautiful culture and tradition that surrounds the nation. Even through the political and economical hardships, Fijians still hang on tight to their cultures and traditions and always have something to smile about, no matter what," said Hough.

End of story The Fiji Times Newspaper Online

Monday 19th April, 2010




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