While in primary school in the year 2006, Scovia Kabanyana loved doing sport and she found herself spending more time in it. She was much into athletics and this was where she found happiness. For instance, she would mostly participate in 800m and 1500m during the inter-school competitions and her dream was a well-known athlete. “I had chosen this as my career because I enjoyed doing it, unfortunately, my dream was cut short when I went to secondary school as there was nothing like athletics in that particular school nor even a coach to help me achieve my goals,” she recalls. Scovia Kabanyana played athletics at a young age before switching to netball in secondary school. This, however, did not stop Kabanyana from loving sports; she instead switched to netball. In 2008, she joined the school’s netball team at GS Gahini, and luckily, the team was strong enough to help her participate in different competitions, which gave her a much-needed exposure and networks with other players. At the time, Gahini was the most dominant netball side in the country, and often represented the country in regional championships of the Federation of East Africa Secondary School Sports Association – FEASSSA. “This is where I started honing my skills in the sport, realising that I can do well in any sport I put my mind into. From there, I have never looked back,” says Kabanyana. Her passion in sports Because of her love for sports, Kabanyana didn’t want to study anything else apart from what she loves. That is how, in 2013, she opted for a degree course in Physical Education and Sports at the University of Rwanda’s College of Education. She also earned a B License in fitness conditioning from Leipzig University of Sports in Germany. While at the University of Rwanda, she also played APR netball team and featured for the club in regional military competitions – the EAC Military Games. She played as a wing defender, up until the year 2016. Today, Kabanyana is a sports educationist and fitness coach at New Explorers Girls Academy. At the school, she says, she enjoys her job because apart from doing what she loves, she is also helping to instill the culture of sports in young girls. She notes that her joy is seeing young women move out of their comfort zone to engage in different sporting disciplines, and some go on to make a career out of it. “When you inspire others with your experience, I believe you also find a new purpose to live, and this is what keeps me going,” she says. Meanwhile, Kabanyana says her biggest motivator is her family and her former coach Ephrem Gatete, whom she louds as “the person behind my success”. In 2018 and 2019, she and her team (New Explorers Girls Academy) managed a third place in the Under-15 netball championship at national level. Her long-term goal? To continue going upward in her fitness coaching career, and help many young women explore their talents in sports and compete on international stages.
