Vikes hoops teams go shooting for a cure
UVic hosts Mount Royal tonight, Saturday
Neither University of Victoria Vikes basketball team need look too far for inspiration on Shoot for the Cure night tonight at CARSA performance gym.
Playing host to the Mount Royal Cougars in Canada West action, beginning with the women at 6 p.m., the Vikes take to the floor named after successful legendary and inspirational coaches Ken and Kathy Shields.
It was 17 years ago that Kathy Shields received a diagnosis that would change her life.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I knew little about the disease nor what it meant to live with the anxiety and fear of a diagnosis with no known cure,” Shields, who led the then Vikettes to eight national titles, told UVic officials. “I am a survivor but, as we survivors all know, we live with this disease every day with hopes that our next appointment, test, or scan will be good.”
Shoot for the Cure was introduced 10 years ago by Bishop’s University coach Rod Gilpin and has raised more than $1 million across the country. The funds from the awareness program assist the Canadian Cancer Society as well as local and provincial charities fight the disease.
“It’s great that we have the opportunity to do what we do,” Vikes coach Dani Sinclair, who played for Shields, said of the initiative. “We can have a huge impact within our team and in the community, but these types of things put it all into perspective as to what really matters. Anything we can do to help or help raise money is a bonus and we are happy to do that.”
The same goes for the Vikes men’s team, which like the women, will don dedicated pink jerseys for tonight’s clashes.
“Any time you are talking about cancer then you are talking about something that has affected almost everybody at one point, or knowing somebody who has suffered from the disease,” said men’s coach Craig Beaucamp. “This is just a little part of what we can do in that fight and that struggle. Every year we are more than happy to be part of it and to be linked with the women’s team on this cause is an added bonus.
“It’s a testament to the basketball community coming together,” he added. “That initiative has gained so much momentum since its beginning, it seems like every year it grows a little more — it certainly has here. I think for us to be a part of it, the basketball community and the community at large, is exciting. People can have more of an impact than they actually realize so we are proud to a part of it.”
On the floor, Sinclair’s Vikes (12-4) look to continue a torrid eight-game win streak against the struggling Cougars (1-14) and strengthen their playoff spot, which is already secured.
The Vikes are led by Amira Giannattasio, who recently surpassed the 1,000-point career plateau. But it has very much been a team effort.
“When I think back to when we were 4-4, the Saturday night against Saskatchewan where we just didn’t show up stands out,” said Sinclair of the current run. “We had a bye the following week and the chance to sit on that and talk about whether we stayed on that path and [would] be happy with mediocrity, or whether we actually wanted to make something of this.
“The schedule has probably been in our favour, too, but the girls have shown a lot of motivation from that point and have really come together as a team.”
The Vikes men are 9-7, but coming off a win last Saturday in which they posted 106 points. In Mount Royal, they face a Cougars team that is 7-9.
“We could still end up anywhere from fifth to 13th in our conference,” said Beaucamp. “There are nine teams that are two losses or less apart so these games at home are really important against a team that it is in the hunt just like we are.”
The two teams will also play Saturday with games at 5 and 7 p.m. at CARSA. It will be fan appreciation and Bell Let’s Talk night and the 2017 national champion women’s rugby team will also be honoured at halftime of the men’s game.