Chargers women shoot for national title
Just last week, the Camosun College Chargers women were jumping for joy as they won their first-ever gold medal at the BCCAA Provincial Championships hosted by Capilano University. This week, the Chargers will be among the top eight teams in the country who will be travelling to Cegep de Sainte-Foy (Quebec) to shoot for the CCAA National Women’s Basketball Championship title.
“It was such an honour to be recognized, especially since the league is so talented this year,” exclaimed second-year wing/post Carmen Lapthorne (Mt. Doug) who was recently named BCCAA Player of the Year, BCCAA First Team All-Star and BCCAA Athlete of the Week. “But most of all, I’m excited about winning provincials because the team worked so hard all year. I went through the heartbreak of losing in the final last year, and didn't want myself or any of my teammates to have to experience that feeling again. It’s an amazing feeling to win a provincial title, especially winning it with such an amazing group of women and coaches!”
After a week of celebrating, Lapthorne and her fellow Chargers co-captains third-year point/wing Kate Carson (Spectrum) and fourth-year post Ashley MacKay (Claremont) have been focused on regrouping the Chargers squad to tackle their next task – winning Nationals. “We are all very excited to go to nationals and hope to bring home another banner for Camosun,” commented Lapthorne.
Meanwhile, head coach Brett Westcott, who picked up his second consecutive BCCAA Coach of the Year award, is keeping calm and collected. "I find it hard to get excited about things off the court,” he said. “But I am sure once we get on the plane and arrive at the event I will realize the girls have done something big. Our goal is be well-prepared for our first game and not to fall victim to stage fright. It is a long way to go and a lot of money for a holiday so we do not want to waste this opportunity. We need to get off to a good start so we do not dig ourselves an early hole. We have played in front of big hostile crowds at VIU and UNBC so doing it again will not be a concern. We just have to keep doing the things we have done from the start of the season. If we work hard and cut down our mental mistakes, we will have a chance to surprise a lot of people."
Being a highly superstitious team, the Chargers will be taking their favorite rituals with them to Quebec. “We seem to be quite the superstitious team which I'm not sure is a good thing or not,” commented Lapthorne. “As a team, after our pre-game talk, we push Kate Carlson around in a circle and yell a lot and then bang the walls to get pumped up! Also, almost all of us have certain songs we need to listen to before the game and a couple of us need to braid each others’ hair!”
With their rituals and game plan in hand, the Chargers (seeded #4) will take to the court on Thursday, March 19 at 3pm local time to take on hosts and 2008 CCAA National Champions, the Sainte-Foy Dynamiques (#5).
“Qualifying for something like a national tournament is something you hope happens every year,” added Coach Westcott. “But the reality is for many people it is a one-time thing. I just hope the women enjoy the event and come to the gym ready to compete every day."
Find more on the Championship, teams and players, competition schedule and statistics
Contact
Bonita Joe
Camosun College Chargers Athletics
joeb@camosun.bc.ca
250–220–2506
Last updated: September 23, 2015 5:17 pm
