WEEK #21: DEVISHA BINNS

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I played soccer and currently play basketball. I love to read, listen to music, draw, dance, and hang out with friends outside. My favourite author is Maya Angelou. I have found myself the underdog in a lot of situations and have embraced it. I went to Stephen Leacock in high school and was a part of the first basketball and soccer team to go to OFSAA (back then it was a big deal) for my school. People looked forward to watching us and valued our success. It was a great feeling to be a part of culture change and history for my high school.

What sparked your passion for sport? How can it be shared with others? 

My passion for sport came about through my desire to be outside. I would ask my dad every day to take me outside to the park until grade 3, in which he granted me the freedom to go outside by myself in the neighborhood. At recess I loved to play outside, I bounced from the soccer pitch to the sandpits and welcomed any challenge. I had mostly played outside on the street with friends for fun. One Saturday afternoon my dad gathered my things and called me downstairs, he ushered me to the car and the next thing I knew I was at a house league game. Upon my puzzlement, my dad told me that he had read my journal and saw that I wrote about playing and the joys it brought me. I will never thank anyone for violating my privacy more than I did in that moment. I played my first house league game and was scouted for rep the same day. That was the day my journey began.

What skills did sport teach you to overcome challenges?   

I do not know what skills sport has taught me, but I do know what values it has taught me. A lot of people talk about and emphasize hard work, but at the same time may not actually know what that looks and feels like. Yes, hard work is fundamental to success, but we must know what hard work is in order for it to be applied.  Hard work is having a role and performing that to our best abilities. How that can be accomplished is through the time and effort we put into it. Have we given ourselves the time to think it through and apply what we know to the task? The things we know will always be important because we have been shaped by unique experiences that must be shared for everyone’s benefit. Understanding your strengths and what you are good at is crucial to working hard. When we are doing the

things that we are good at everyone wins. We are able to focus and be fulfilled in that focus because it is of our nature to do the things we excel at. Everyone has a strength and we must pay attention to it. Hard work is not ever just about the individual, there is an intrinsic drive that motivates us because we are a piece of whole and to complete that whole for the benefit of everyone else, we have no choice but to do our best. To work hard we must understand and care about the goal and about the role we play in completing that goal. This ensures that hard work is not just temporary, but that it is sustained and consistent. We all need one another, working together on a team brings realization to this. Every single person counts and should be valued for what they bring. On a team, it is not about competition, it is about performing our role and learning from one another so that everyone can be better. When we work hard, we are striving for success and are hungry for betterment.

What advice do you have for parents, coaches or sport administrators to improve inclusion in sport?

When you take the time to understand the value in sport then trying to include as many people as possible will be clear and obvious. As young women we must have a sense of self and be valued for things outside of the home. We are human beings and our worth should never be tied to another person. We are much more than objects and should never settle to only see ourselves through someone else’s eyes.

The 5 words that best describe me are:

CREATIVE | ENGAGED | OPTIMISTIC | PERCEPTIVE | ENCOURAGING

Instagram: @devisha.bein