While Saint Lucian cricketers like Qiana Joseph, Johnson Charles and Ackeem Auguste make headlines in the region with bat and ball, Yasmine St Ange is carving out her legacy from the dugout.
A former national captain and Windward Islands player, St Ange has swapped her kit for consecutive managerial roles.
The veteran of 16 regional matches as a player graduated from the University of the West Indies with an MSc in kinesiology (plus a minor in sport and exercise psychology) and a BSc in sports science. A practising sports psychologist, she is also a physical education and sports teacher at the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School.
This summer, though, St Ange is juggling three gigs. She is team manager for the Windward Islands Under-19 Women’s team, the West Indies Under-19 Women’s team, and the West Indies Academy Women’s team.
The Windwards team have just taken part in the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars tournament in Trinidad & Tobago. The West Indies team is engaged in a bilateral series against the US in Trinidad and Tobago until August 4, and the Academy will be proceeding on a tour of Chennai, India, August 11-31.
The Academy team will include three Saint Lucians – West Indies senior players Zaida James and Nerissa Crafton, and Under-19 player Selena Ross.
Of her Windwards campaign, St Ange keeps it real: “Entering the competition without the benefit of a regional U19 tournament or centralised training camp presented a notable disadvantage for a squad composed of youth cricketers representing four independent island nations.”
Reflecting on their journey, she explained that the management team had to be strategic and intentional in their approach to team development. She emphasised that building a strong foundational culture was key, focusing on team cohesion and mental skills training.
“The players’ performance trajectory showed a clear upward trend, culminating in successive victories in the final two fixtures,” St Ange said. “These achievements are a reflection of the team’s latent potential, adaptability and growing tactical maturity. The outcomes further underscore what can be accomplished when even limited preparation is guided by a focused, developmental framework.”
Case in point: Ross ended the competition with a six-wicket haul, and two Windward Islands players were selected to the West Indies team.
Speaking about her role with the West Indies team, St Ange viewed her appointment as “a unique and purposeful evolution in my professional journey”.
CWI wanted someone who could blend operational leadership with youth development, and her background sealed the deal.
“While the role of team manager was not one I had actively pursued in the past, the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the holistic development of young athletes, particularly through the lens of sports psychology, presented an avenue I could not ignore,” she said. “After much thought and careful consideration, I accepted the appointment, seeing it as a platform to make a lasting impact on the lives and careers of these emerging players.
“Thus far, the experience has been both fulfilling and professionally enriching. I remain committed to ensuring that our preparations are not only comprehensive but grounded in the values of discipline, mental resilience, and performance excellence.”
After this series, she’ll be off with the West Indies Women’s Academy team to Chennai.
“I look forward to continuing to contribute to the regional cricketing landscape in ways that support athlete development both on and off the field,” she said.
Off the field, she’s just as busy – running workshops for Saint Lucia’s Cricket High Performance Centre and prepping the nation’s Pan Am Junior Games team.
