In their passion for lacrosse, friends Cassie Chan and Jaime Richards have turned heads.
Whether it is while playing on boys teams or standouts on their Burnaby bantam girls squad, the pair have made the sport their own.
Add the provincial team to the list of acchievements.
The pair were among 18 players selected to represent B.C. next month at the bantam girls national championships in Calgary.
The process to earn a spot on the roster pitted them against 64 others in a series of round-robin games, with coaches evaluating from the stands.
“They were watching us over three days, how we played together on our teams and how we played (individually),” said Chan, 14. “I was just thinking I had to play as hard as I could. It was about pushing to do my best.”
An offensive player, Chan demonstrated plenty of what it takes to wear the ‘Team B.C.’ logo.
Richards, a netminder, faced a different challenge.
“I was so nervous because all the goalies were real good,” she said. “I needed to stand out as best I could.”
It’s what she’s done since she first picked up a stick six years ago, quickly deciding that netminding was a good place to be.
“My first season I played out and halfway through the season I got to try (goaltending),” said Richards.
A Cariboo Hill Secondary student, Richards played peewee with a boys team and practices with the A2 boys.
“They shoot a lot harder and they stick handle better, but girls can be just as serious.”
For Chan, as part of her preparation she turned to a teacher at Burnaby Central – New Westminster Salmonbellies captain Curtis Hodgson.
“He helped me on my shots, and gave me tips on shooting lower and do more fakes and dekes,” said Chan.
The B.C. team, coached by lacrosse Hall of Famer Chris Gill, will head to Calgary with big ambitions. A year ago, Ontario won the bantam title with a 4-3 overtime decision over B.C.
At the 2014 peewee provincials, both carted off hardware even though the team missed a top-three finish. Richards was named a Warrior Fair Play recipient, while Chan earned a place on the peewee all-star team.
An accomplished high performance soccer player, Chan also serves as the captain to her Burnaby girls lacrosse team. It’s all going to help when the real games begin, she said.
“I think we definitely won’t be backing down, especially when we play the top players from other provinces,” she said. “It’s who wants it more.”
