For Jenna Phillips, whether it’s in the arena or on the field, athletics is where she feels most comfortable.
And, between the pipes representing B.C. at the 2016 Female Box Lacrosse Nationals in Calgary in the midget category this week, she’s starting to shine.
Her team is 4-0 in tournament play as of Thursday, and the Burnaby Central Secondary student collected a 24-save shutout along the way.
“After that game, I felt amazing,” Phillips told the NOW, during a break in the tournament.
While a bagel is impressive, the 15-year-old has her eye on something bigger. Phillips wants to avenge a loss at last year’s tournament in the final that saw her team lose to Ontario to a penalty shot in overtime of the final.
They have already beat Ontario in round-robin play, with Phillips stopping 40 shots en route to being named game MVP.
“If we win, it means we’re the best team in Canada,” she said, noting she’s not just playing for herself but for the pride of the province.
Phillips began playing lacrosse nine years ago, and while it remains her favourite, she keeps busy with other sports. She currently plays for a boys’ midget New West Salmonbellies team. Besides playing goal in hockey, she also plays third base for the Burnaby Oakeys minor softball team. It’s another sport the New Westminster resident excels at, according to her coach Tim Linklater. He described Phillips as a strong power hitter who also scores some big runs. But Linklater singled out her leadership skills.
He noted that within a few weeks of joining the Oakeys, Phillips’s team had voted her the assistant captain.
“She is a player that a coach loves to have on their team,” Linklater said. “She is very respectful, has a tremendous work ethic, she always shows up with a great attitude, she is very encouraging to her teammates and is very coachable.”
And the coach sees her accomplishments in the box leading to success on the diamond.
Linklater said the U16 Oakeys softball team has already started training with the intention of making a big impact at the 2017 B.C. Provincials next season, and Phillips will be a big part of that push.
While Phillips is occupied in the short term, attempting to win a national title, she has her sights set on following lacrosse wherever it can take her – maybe even playing for the senior Salmonbellies men’s team.
“I want to keep going with it as long as I can,” she said. “It’s my favourite sport in the world; I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
