Ucluelet Secondary School’s senior girls basketball team have shot their way into B.C.’s provincial championships for the first time since 1989 and now need the West Coast communities they represent to step up and support them to get there.
The team battled through injuries and illnesses to place third in the North Island Championships earlier this month, securing a spot in the Island Championships last week.
They needed to place in the top three on the Islands to score a spot in the provincial tournament and bounced their way through victories over St. Andrews and St. Margarets, finding themselves heading into the finals with a provincial spot in hand.
While they lost to Pacific Christian in the finals, they were already celebrating as the second place finish earned their first provincial trip in over 30 years.
“They’re an amazing team,” the team’s manager and coach Ornella Cirella told the Westerly News of Duncan Christian. “But, we played really hard and fought really hard. We didn’t win that one, but it was a good game regardless.”
She added that emotions were already running high heading into the finals as the team knew the provincial spot was secured.
“Most of us started crying. We couldn’t believe it. It was just so exciting,” she said.
She added the team showed unwavering positivity throughout both the North Island and Island tournaments and USS’ athletes and coaches were ecstatic to earn the provincial berth.
“It was just amazing how they pushed and played and just gave 100 per cent. They did so well. They never gave up. They played 100 per cent and never gave up, no matter what the score was,” she said.
“They had a really positive attitude the whole time. That was the key. The reason we did so well was because everybody supported each other and had a really positive attitude the entire time. If one girl started to feel down about something, another girl would push her back up. It was a team effort for sure.”
With the provincial spot secured, the team now needs to sort out how to cover the costs of travelling to Langley at the end of the month and is hoping the West Coast will help them raise the estimated $4,000 they’ll need to cover fees, travel and accommodation costs.
The school sent out a call for sponsorships and donations last week and anyone willing and able to help out is encouraged to contact the team’s head coach Emily Collins at ecollins@sd70.bc.ca
“This is a monumental achievement for our athletes, who have demonstrated incredible dedication, perseverance and teamwork. Our team represents the heart and depth of the West Coast,” the call out reads, in part, adding that the team’s athletes represent communities across the peninsula.
“As you can imagine, attending the 4-day Provincial Championships in Langley comes with significant costs, including travel expenses, accommodation and tournament fees. We are reaching out to our wonderful community to ask for your support in helping our team make this dream a reality .We are looking to fundraise $4,000 to cover these expenses. Your financial contributions will directly support the West Coast’s female athletes in representing our school and our region on the provincial stage.”
Cirella is hoping the community seizes the opportunity to support their local athletes and noted that the earlier donations and sponsorships come in the better because arrangements need to be made in short order.
“It’s such a positive thing for the community,” she said. “It brings the community together. A lot of people can feel proud that we’ve got these athletes and they’re peoples’ daughters, cousins, granddaughters and friends. We can all feel prouds that we’re sending this amazing team to Langley to compete in the provincials.”
