Athletics have been a major part of my life and have had a huge impact on where I am today. From a young age, I was always involved in a variety of athletics and extra-curricular activities that kept me busy and active. By time I started high school, I had fallen in love with basketball and was playing competitively both locally and provincially. This lead me to my first two years of university, where I played for the Thompson Rivers University Women’s Basketball Team. During my high school and early university years, I was privileged to have some amazing opportunities through basketball. Ultimately, I ended up at university right after high school because of basketball. On top of that, basketball provided me with many opportunities to work with youth within the community. Here are some of my favourite parts of my athletic journey:
2015 BC Provincial Team:
In 2015, I played on the BC Provincial Team and travelled to tournaments all over Washington, and to Portland and Las Vegas! The picture to the right is me and my dad at media day (he was clearly very proud).
2014 BC Summer Games:
In 2014, I went to Nanaimo for the BC Summer Games and won a silver medal for the Okanagan!
2016 BC Winter Games
In 2016, the BC Winter Games were coming to Penticton! The Winter games does not have basketball as it is a summer sport; however, it does have netball. The Okanagan did not have a netball team to compete in the games, so, they tracked down my coach from the Summer Games and asked if a group of basketball players would be interested in trying it out. We said yes and ended up winning a bronze medal after only three practices. This was by far one of my favourite experiences that basketball brought me.
2018-2022 University Basketball:
I played basketball at Thompson Rivers University for the 2018-19, and 2019-20 seasons. I travelled all over Canada and visited various universities to compete! I made lifelong friends and memories during this experience and learned a lot about myself.
I have focused and shared this journey on my portfolio as I think basketball is a big reason in my decision to become a teacher. I was constantly learning on this athletic journey and in turn, got to be a role model in the community to young aspiring athletes. Throughout my basketball years and even post-university basketball, I have had the opportunity to coach, play, and ref for kids constantly. Teaching something that I love so much and watching kids fall in love with the game is really special to me. Coaching gave me insight into what it is like to teach and I would not have had that opportunity if it were not for my athletic journey. I am hoping to coach an elementary school basketball team during my long practicum or sometime during my first few years of teaching!