Pay It Forward

A valuable part of being a member of a sporting community is the ability to be inspired and the opportunity to inspire others.  As a member of the Cougars basketball team, I personally know that each and every athlete on our team has been greatly inspired by others throughout their basketball careers. Coaches, teammates, and relatives have all provided inspiration in some form or another to almost every member of our team (coaches and training staff included).  I speak on behalf of my teammates when I say that we have all been blessed to be part of such a great community. Our team has enjoyed success throughout the year, and has grown tremendously as a family in the past 6 months. In understanding our successes and privileges for being a member of such a great team, it is now our turn to inspire others in the basketball community.

Throughout the year, our team has been driven by hard work, commitment, and belief in ourselves. With our season now in playoffs, it is clear that our community has been very strong and successful. Our top priority at the moment is to get better everyday so that we may take this season as far as possible. Despite all of the success that we have had this year, improvements can be made to our community to help strengthen it even more.  

This year, we had a U15 girls basketball team come and watch one of our games. After the game they were invited into our team room to discuss playing basketball at a post secondary level. We gave the girls feedback regarding schoolwork, work ethic, and the joy of playing basketball at a higher level. This simple event was nothing strenuous for our team, but provided the young girls with a unique opportunity to meet players that offer them inspiration in their basketball communities. This off-season, and next season, the Cougars can do a better job of inviting youth teams to participate in activities like these. This will not only invite others to join in and enjoy the atmosphere of our community, but also provide an opportunity for our community members to apply our leadership skills. Everyone in our community has been inspired by someone, and now it is our turn to help inspire others. This will help strengthen our community now and in the future. 

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Qunicy Adams 

Cougars Community

I have been a member of several sports teams throughout my life, but none has felt more like a community than the Mount Royal University women’s basketball team. I joined the team last September and have been enjoying my experience ever since! A large part of our team’s cohesiveness is the fact that most of the athletes are new to the program. The new faces on the team have allowed each and every one of us to be more open to new relationships and experiences. Both the athletes and coaches have made a solid effort to interact with each other before, during, and after each practice and game in order to continue to grow the relationships within the community. Each member of the team has a great respect for one another both as players and as individuals. Currently, our team is ranked second place is the ACAC South division with playoffs just around the corner. The mutual respect among community members and the dedication to hard work and commitment has allowed the team to grow more cohesively and improve the standings in the ACAC compared to last year.

Although it may seem that the only members of the Cougars basketball community are the players and coaches, this assumption could not be more wrong. Without the support of athletic therapists, event organizers, fans, and facility crews, the success of games and practices would be completely reversed. It is necessary to recognize the important role that these people play in the success of the community, and I believe the basketball team, including myself, and the coaches can do a better job of showing their appreciation to these members of the community. In order to improve the quality of the experience for all members of the community, I believe it would be beneficial to have an appreciation night for all of the “behind the scenes” members of the community. All of the players and coaches already feel appreciated and well respected in the community, but the encouraging fans, sound crew, film people, event planners, and promotions people need to have a least one night per season dedicated to them!

It wouldn’t be hard to organize a night to show the teams appreciation for everyone’s hard work, but until that night is organized: fans, sound crew, event organizers, film makers, photographers, promotions team, and maintenance staff, this is my shout out to all of you on behalf of the cougars:  thank you for being so amazing and contributing to the success of our community! We would not be where we are without all of you!