One of Saint Lucia’s most-decorated athletes, Makeba Alcide has made a smooth transition to the ranks of coaching and administration. Alcide holds four current national records – Under-20 100m hurdles, junior and senior pentathlon, and senior heptathlon. As a combined events athlete, she represented Saint Lucia at the Commonwealth Games, the IAAF World Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Championships.
Since hanging up her spikes about seven years ago, Alcide has continued to represent Fair Helen in sport, returning to netball and taking up rugby. She has also explored cricket, cycling and even swimming. That sort of breadth of application gives her a unique perspective in her role as chairperson of the National Athletes’ Commission.
“Being an athlete representative has been such a rewarding experience,” she told St Lucia Times.
“Getting the chance to sit in international and regional forums has shown me that sport is so much bigger than just competing. It’s about making sure athletes are supported, protected, and truly heard.
“Representing Saint Lucia in those spaces means a lot to me, but it also comes with the responsibility of making sure our athletes are part of the global conversation. Every time I speak up, I’m thinking about home and how I can help create better opportunities for the upcoming athletes.”
Over the summer, Alcide was part of the athletes’ forum at the Pan Am Junior Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. On her return home, she hosted a coach development workshop and a national athletes’ forum. Now, she is in Tokyo, Japan, leading Team Saint Lucia at the World Athletics Championships. It’s almost certainly the first time that a former global competitor is in charge of the national team at that level.
It’s a full-circle moment for Alcide, who is also being celebrated by her alma mater, the University of Arkansas, where she attended the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. After winning the silver medal in pentathlon at the 2009 CARIFTA Games in Saint Lucia, Alcide went on to a stellar career as a Razorback, setting the collegiate record for pentathlon at one point. Now, she has been inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Honour.
“When I first heard that I was going to be inducted into the Arkansas Hall, I was overwhelmed with emotion,” she revealed.
“I got a call from the athletic director with the news – it didn’t really hit me until after I hung up. It felt surreal to know that my journey and sacrifices were being recognised in such a meaningful way. Pride was mixed with deep gratitude for my family, coaches, teammates and everyone who supported me along the way. I couldn’t help but reflect on the challenges I faced, the moments I wanted to give up, and how those very experiences shaped me. It was honestly something I never anticipated that I would receive. I am still asking the question, ‘Why me?’”
Alcide’s modesty aside, she’s left her mark on Fayetteville. She still has the second-best Razorback marks ever for both of her main events, 12 years after graduating, holding school records for high jump indoors and out for 11 years..
Alcide concedes the school has left its mark on her as well. It was there, she explained, that she first caught the coaching bug.
“It has been pretty easy, honestly,” she said of the switch from competitor to coach.
“I fell into it as part of the Arkansas community service initiative. Coaching was a complete shift of perspective, where I wasn’t focused solely on my own performance, but more about bringing out the best in others. Coaching has taught me patience, adaptability and the power of giving back.”
Alcide has coached fellow left-hander Joy Edward, who went on to break her national indoor record for women’s shot put. She’s also coached several athletes who have gone on to enjoy success in combined events. In Tokyo, along with Olympic 100m champion, she is leading Aasia Laurencin, who has broken her records for the 60m and 100m hurdles. She is unreservedly happy to see the next generation achieving success, and she is looking forward to being able to support even more national records.
“I am extremely happy with where we are at in Saint Lucian athletics,” she insisted.
“Our athletes continue to raise the bar. I am still advocating, and continue to advocate for exposure. So I will continue to preach that athletes need to compete at a high level to excel at a high level. We are also losing athletes to the Jamaican system every year, so our local level of competition is declining. Quality programmes (coaching, grassroots, gym accessibility, proper training facilities) need to be developed for athletes to want to stay home to train.”
In addition to her title as Saint Lucia’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2013, Alcide was also named to the 2013 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Community Service Team and earned the accolade of US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association SEC Field Athlete of the Year.
She’s certainly no stranger to awards as an athlete, and it seems as if it’s just a matter of time before she’s earning further honours as a coach.
