A Coffee with Katherine Plouffe, Canadian Olympic Women's Basketball Player!

Join us for a coffee and chat with Katherine Plouffe, Canadian Olympic Women's Basketball Player!

Katherine Plouffe grew up in the Mill Woods neighborhood of Edmonton as the youngest of five children. During her youth, she was a multi-sport athlete who played both basketball and volleyball alongside her twin sister. After high school, Katherine was recruited to play college basketball in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while her sister moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, to play for a different university. Katherine earned a starting position during her freshman year and eventually graduated with a degree in Communications and a minor in Psychology.

Currently, Katherine competes on the National Team in the 3x3 league. She teamed up with her sister Michelle and teammate Paige Crozon to form Team Canada’s 3x3 squad after the format was introduced at the 2020 Olympics. Within their first year, they reached a top-three world ranking and now compete globally on the World Tour from May through September.

In addition to her athletic success, Katherine is dedicated to community impact through the Plouffe Hoops Camp, which has served youth in Edmonton for ten years. She also supports the Adeara Recovery Centre and remains a vocal advocate for the growth of women’s basketball worldwide. Her career has taken her to extraordinary locations, from international malls to palaces, and she continues to share her story of pushing through adversity to inspire the next generation. 

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Transcript

0:01

Hi, I'm Katherine Plouffe and you are listening to Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. Good morning Cam. Good morning, Jennifer. How are you this morning? Well, I'm good, because you know what? It's really warm outside. Like it's warm. Like it was freezing forever, and now it's warm. Can I say it's unseasonably warm? Yeah, something's happened. Anyway, yesterday I met a lady, and we were chatting, and I said, it's very warm, and she goes, yeah, it's that El, El, that girl's name, you know? El, El, and I said, you mean El Nino? And she said, yeah, that's it, but I didn't know Nino was a girl. I didn't either. I didn't either. So anyway, it's El Nino, I think. I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't even know what that is. Listen, I'll go back and refer to the farmer's almanac again. Yeah, that's right. By the way, did I tell you that this is the last year for the farmer's almanac? Yes, we said that on the podcast. 2026? No more farmer's almanac. Unbelievable. What are we going to do? Friends have been asking, can you get me one? So I've been buying them and yeah, I keep them as a souvenir or something like that. Anyways, welcome everybody to another edition of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. And we are coming to you live from beautiful Downtown Acheson, that's right, in the heart of Downtown Acheson at The Wall Coffee Roasters. The Wall Coffee Roasters and we can actually announce it now because you confirmed. We confirmed. Yes. They have breakfast sandwiches now. Breaking news, there's breakfast sandwiches at The Wall Coffee Roasters. I know, last time it was a rumor and the rumor has proven to come true. So now it's truth. And anyway, so if you hear noise in the background, like coffee whirring, people screaming, no, kids screaming, not adults. There's no kids today. There's no kids in here yet. And if you hear those, it's because we're live in the coffee shop. We are. Yes, we are. And you know, today I feel I'm going to need an extra shot of something from The Wall Coffee Roasters.

Because I have a 9: 2:02

15 p.m. hockey game. That's right, you got a late hockey game with your son tonight. It's minor hockey week here in Edmonton. I don't know how I'm going to stay awake. That's just not even right. But anyways, you'll be tired tomorrow. I know. You'll be dragging in here tomorrow. Good thing we're doing the podcast today. I know, because you'll probably come in late. I will. I'll sleep. You'll come in at like one or something like that. Unlikely. And no, probably not. But anyway, so hey, it's great and I'm excited. And we need to tell you some very important things. First of all, that Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam is brought to you by Wing Snob. Wing Snob, where the wings, Cam, are fresh, never frozen. 16 flavors, four rubs, unbelievable. Plus you can get parmesan fries and cornbread. Some of the best wings you will ever have. And that's the truth. You're not even kidding about that. That's not just because they sponsor us. Because we've had their wings. Amazing. Multiple times. I'm kind of craving their wings right now. Are you really? A little bit. Well, maybe we'll have to, after this, hit up Wing Snob. Just saying. But they are. It's the best wings you've ever had, folks. I'm not even kidding about that. 10 locations here in the city of Edmonton. One in Calgary, one coming up north somewhere, don't know where, but it's coming up north. And if you've never had Wing Snob, I'm telling you, you're missing out. And I better confirm this, actually. Do they still have the game day special? I don't know, we better confirm that. We better talk to Mike Chadi. That might have been a 2025 thing. That could have been, yeah, I'll have to talk to Mike Chadi. But I'm telling you folks, Wing Snob Wings, the best wings you're ever gonna have in the entire world. And that's the truth, I'm not even kidding about that. So check them out at www.wingsnob.ca. That's right. And we also have another wonderful sponsor, Mprint. M. Not Im, Mprint. That's right. They are the most amazing printers, if you need anything printed. If you need, you know what I was thinking the other day, that people might need printed, oh what's that? Wedding invitations! I don't know why I was thinking that. It is that season. You know what? It's a good call. Yeah. No. I know. Right. Because wedding season is coming up. But they do business cards, they do brochures, they do pamphlets, they do booklets, they even wrap vehicles. They do. And I've said this a million times, they once wrapped a helicopter. I know. I know. Unbelievable. They do the most amazing work. Mprint, some of the finest printers you'll ever meet, and they are great people to work with. Don and Jan are amazing. They're here in Acheson, but they will go anywhere. They are the preferred printer of Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. So check them out! They do all our stuff and they're amazing. Check out online on our website and you'll see some of the stuff that they've done for us. That's right. Pretty incredible. So if any of your printing needs, go to www.mprint.ca Mprint, that's the letter M as in M. Good. Thanks for clarifying that. That's my Sesame Street days way back. But anyway, hey, I'm really excited about today. I'm actually very excited about today for a couple of reasons and I'll tell you why once we introduce the guest, but I'm just so, so, so excited. This is incredible. We have another tall guest with us today, Cam. Well, for me, that's a bit relative in that pretty much everybody's, but she is tall. She is super tall. I look up to her. Just kidding. But I do look up to her. Yeah. And I met her at a, we were at a gala, a gala and she was sitting next to me at the gala. And I didn't really know who she was. And then she told me, like I was in awe for the rest of the night. I was just in awe that I got to sit next to her. So you're ready to kick it off? Give it. Let's introduce her. I'm so excited. Our guest today, truly, I think is considered one of the world's best female basketball players. That's right. Yes. She is. Yes. So welcome, Katherine Plouffe. Katherine. Thanks so much for having me, guys. I know it's going to be a great time. It seems like a great time already. We're going to have fun It is. So Katherine, you are an Olympic basketball player. Yes, sir. Team Canada. I'm going to say that. Go Team Canada. You're not playing in the Olympics coming up in February, because that's winter. Is there a summer coming up? Or is that every two years? There is a summer every year. Every two years. Every year. No, that's a good point. There is a summer. Good on Katherine. See now here, this is going to be quite the podcast. I can tell already. OK, here we go. Anyway. It'll be 2028. 2028. Every four years. Every four years. And you'll be on that team. We'll see. Yeah. But yeah, I'm pretty sure you will. I think she will. Yeah, I think she will. I know. That's really cool. But you've been on past teams. Yes. Yeah, that's really awesome. OK. But before we get into that, we got to take it back to the beginning. Way back. Because we need to learn about Katherine. OK. So Katherine, tell us where you were born and where did you grow up? Wow, that's taken it way back. I won't say how many years. 17. Exactly. Well, I'm legal. So I'm 18. Let's say 18 to make her legal. Yeah. So I grew up in Mill Woods in Edmonton, so South Edmonton. Mill Woods. Yeah. Come on. Wow. So my family is still around the area. So grew up there through high school, went to a prep school before those were really a thing in 11th grade. Yeah. I came back for 12th grade and then went on to play college in the States. What high school did you go to? I went to Harry Ainley High School. Did you really? Harry Ainley. I had a ton of friends. Yeah. I went to Ross Shep across town, but I had friends. I actually had a girlfriend that went to Harry Ainley, but it didn't last very long. So you went to, we digress. You went to Harry Ainley. Were you playing ball all through high school? Yeah, I played basketball and volleyball. And volleyball. Yeah. Cool. Loved both sports. That was actually a great time to have a break from one to play another sport. So I just am definitely a believer in multi-sport and playing as many things as you can, for as long as you can. But definitely had a lot of basketball coaches that sewed into me and my twin sister throughout those years, and so. You have a twin sister? I do have a twin sister. Yeah, let's talk about that. So how many in the family? I am the youngest of five. The youngest of five, okay. So I have four siblings. So the twin is older? Yep. By how long? Five whole minutes. Five minutes? Which some I hear is a long time and some I hear is a very short time. You waited five, no, yeah, you waited five minutes to come out. I did, I did. I said go explore the world. Let me know how it is. If it's good, give me a call and I'll come. That actually sums it up. Yeah. So five, all sisters, brothers? Two brothers and two sisters. Okay. All tall? We were all tall. Outgrew our parents. All play basketball? At some point, yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's pretty cool. So pretty athletic family, for sure. Were you, did you like being the youngest? I didn't really have a choice, so I enjoyed it. Seriously. She's great. No, I know she, but did you like it? You hung out extra five minutes. So like, yeah. Yeah. I think there's some true things stereotypical about the youngest. Were you spoiled? You could say that. Yeah, you were. Yeah. You could say that. But I'm very grateful for my position. Yeah. No. Because being the first is tough. That's a tough goal. But anyway, yeah. Cool. Okay. So why, what got you into basketball though? Like did your parents, did they play growing up? No. Which is super fascinating. Yeah. I think my mom played in junior high or high school, but that was the extent of her basketball. And my dad played football for a little bit and I think curling and baseball. Yeah. But just had a unique, great combination of genetics for all the kids. So we were all quite tall and pretty athletic. But my oldest, I think watching my older siblings play sports, mostly my two oldest siblings, there's my older sister is six years and my older brother is eight years older. Okay. And so I was just in the gyms with, watching. Yeah. As a sibling, you have to go. I mean, I wasn't watching all the time. I was running around in the hallways. That's what sibilings do. But, the young ones take off. Yes, they do. Yeah, they go explore. Well, yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Yeah. I was in the gyms. Had a fun time. Yeah. So that's where you grew up? Yep. Getting tagged along to all the things. Were you a good student? Like, did you like school or did you just want to play sports? No, I actually like school, but I was like the things that would get me, you know, approval and accomplishment. I don't know if that's a great thing, but we're working through those. Yeah. Yeah. So high school. Okay. So you finished high school. Then what? Where did you go after high school? I went to Marquette University to go play basketball. Where is that? Marquette's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Come on. You went to Milwaukee. Yeah. Really? Have you been there? No. Laverne and Shirley though. That's where they filmed that show. They worked at the Milwaukee, at Schlotz or whatever it was called. Yeah. In Milwaukee. Yeah. I think Happy Days was Milwaukee too. Yes. Sorry we digressed. But that's all we know about Milwaukee. So yeah. Nice city. Cool. Yeah. Were you recruited? Yeah. Was it a scholarship? Did they come looking for you? Yeah. I was recruited to go there. I had a connection, a coach. I don't know. It was a referral. Yeah. Referral. Yeah. Coach connection. Yeah. But coming in my grade 12th year. Yeah. Had two options. It was Marquette or another school. Yeah. It was definitely a God intervention moment because I was going to go to the other school and then he shut that door. And I went to Marquette. So, it worked out. Cool. What was it like to leave Mill Woods? Yeah. And go to Milwaukee? Well, it was interesting because I had my 11th grade year, my twin sister and I, we got invited to go to this prep school. So that was the first time we were really... Right. I had the experience of living away from home. Our parents didn't go. We were with a billet family. Yeah. And kind of had to figure things out in a new place with new people and new coaches and new teammates. So that was a taste of what that would be like essentially. But it was a great experience. It was a lot of new things, a lot of growth and change and figuring out my role on a team, myself as a person. It was just a lot of growth during those four years. So very grateful for it. Not easy. Like it was not an easy thing to do. But I really was grateful for the opportunity and knew I had to earn that every year. Like every time I went to training. Did you like living in the States or no or yes? It was, I did, yeah. It was at first shocking. It's not so far and not so different, but it was different enough at that age. But it was good. I got to be in another culture essentially where people are more direct, which is good. Americans can be more direct. We love Americans, but they're just a little straightforward in everything. They say it like it is. Yeah. Canadians, we're sorry about everything. I'm sorry. It's true. I'm sorry. Okay. So I have a question. Did your sister, did your twin sister, Michelle, go with you to that school or was she somewhere else? No, we went to different schools. So that was the first time that we really spread our wings. Separated. Yeah. Which was very on purpose. Really? Very much so. So as twins, what's that like? Like was that? It was a fascinating experience. Yeah. Because they say twins have a very unique bond. I'd say we do. Yeah. We definitely do. Someone described it to me like this. She was a mom who had twins herself, and she had just explained it in terms of when you're younger, and especially when you're toddlers and stuff. You have someone at the same developmental age as you, so you can communicate in only ways you could, and then it just continues on through your whole life. So there's this- Did you guys dress alike? Did you fool people? We fooled people on accident, which we still do. But our mom was definitely not one to dress us the same because she didn't want to mix us up. Yeah, because she didn't want to make us look the same. We were colored coded for sure. Did you try and pull the wool over your mom and dad's eyes sometimes? Did you try and mess them up? They probably knew though, right? They knew, yeah. What about boyfriends? Did you ever fool boyfriends? I hear stories about twins, girls that fool boyfriends. That would cause way too much drama in our relationships. She was like, no. We didn't need all that. Yeah, you go break up with them. I'm not even going out with them. No, you go break up with them. Yeah, okay. He'll never know who it was. Cool. Okay. So you went to different schools. Went to different schools. Yeah. We, Michelle went to University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Okay. And I was in Marquette. So when we, that was our first time living in two different places. So we had to figure that out to communicate with each other. Like we had to, on purpose, we call or text each other, which was funny. Purposeful. Yeah. So when we went to our first year there, we left end of August and our birthday is September 15th. Okay. Just so you know. Yes. September 15th. Send presents. Yes. And we didn't call each other until our birthday. Because it was just like, oh, I should probably call my sister, it's her birthday too. That's funny. So that was kind of funny. And then we got better at that. But did you have a little fight over that? Did you have a little tiff? Call more. No. Like, what have you forgotten me? Like, what about me? Listen, they're living their best lives. That's right. Yeah, I guess. Yeah, totally. Yeah, totally. Figuring things out. But now we're best of friends. So you're playing at Marquette. How's that going? You're doing well? Is the school doing good? Are you first year you red shirt? No, first year I was, ended up starting for most of the games. Come on. Okay. So I earned that spot after someone got injured and I kinda stepped up. They asked me to play totally different position. Yeah. What were you playing? You were playing? Well, in high school, I was playing a point guard. Point guard. Yeah. When I got there, they said you're going to be playing the center. I'd never played a center position in my life. That was always Michelle because she was a little bit bigger. Yeah. So I was a guard, she was a forward. So I had to learn a completely new position. I know. Wow. Which was really frustrating at times, but I was willing. That's the key here. Yeah. Yeah. You can suck, but if you're willing to get better, you'll get opportunities. I was never asked to play center. I was a point guard. I'm shocked. But I know. I was a point guard. I played basketball in high school, junior high and high school. But yeah, I was a point guard. But I, never did they say, would you like to, that was just out of the question. So I, but I could see where it would be frustrating. Yeah. It would be a bit of a change. Yeah. But very grateful because it helped me in the long run of having more skill set. So that was really fun. Our first year, we went to the NCAA tournament. Really? Did you? Or I think we got to the third round and lost in the game to go to the Sweet 16. Yeah. We played Tennessee. That's pretty good though, man. That must have been exciting. Yeah. Super exciting. Yeah. It was a really, really neat experience. We didn't make it back to the NCAA tournament my next three years. Right. So that was really the pinnacle of our team success. First year was the best year of my life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But after you're doing this, what did you get a degree in? What's your degree in? Basketball. She has a BA in basketball. Life experience. I took communication studies. So I originally went into kinesiology. Okay. It was like exercise sciences. Yeah. I was interested in the body and had a good science teacher in high school, and so it made me interested in learning about that. But in my first semester, they really weeded me out with the core sciences. So I was like, I am not that committed to this right now. I know. Science. I don't evem, I failed them, so it didn't matter. So I switched to communication studies and minored in psychology. Psychology was interesting for me. I liked learning why we think the way we do or how we develop the way we develop. Which I'm still interested in, just not in a school. Sure. Right. So you're doing this, you're getting ready to graduate. Was playing professional something that you wanted to do when you finished? You know what? I hadn't even thought about it when I started college. And it's very interesting because I see the kids and they have big dreams. And it's fascinating because I didn't ever say when I was a kid, I want to play professional basketball. I was doing it for fun. Right. And I was just willing to, I just wanted to take the next step, whatever it was. Sure. So when there was an opportunity, it's like, okay, let's do that. But there was no long, long-term dream or vision that was pulling me, which I think is interesting. Eventually there was. But it was just to really just do my best with whatever was in front of me. What did you want to do? Did you have any idea? Like once you were done school, do you have any idea? Well, when I was in college, it was when I was around the national team. So I started playing with the junior national team in high school. The Canadian junior national team? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Then with the senior team just after university. So I was around that environment where the women were playing overseas and they were playing professionally. A couple had gone to the WNBA, but I wasn't playing with them at that time. But I was around that association of people that made me aware that that was an option. Sure. Which is really interesting. Was women's basketball a big thing? I think it is now. Women's basketball has become a really big thing. WNBA, National Teams, all that kind of stuff. Was it becoming a big thing? Was it a big thing? Was it still in an infancy stage in terms of people knowing about women's basketball and stuff like that? Well, I think in Canada, we were just under a rock for a long time. In the States, it was. There's a lot of things, we were under a rock for anyway. But in the States, college basketball was big. It wasn't as big as men's basketball, where now it's very close to being similar watch viewership and stuff. But for the National Team, they were still growing. I think when I came to play with the Senior National Team, they had gone to the Olympics in 2012 and the last time, I joined the team in 2014 with the Senior Team, and the last Olympics was 2000. So there's just a bit of a drought there even with Team Canada. Right. But now we're back in it. But now we're back. So it's really grown since I was in college, since I was in high school. When I was younger, I didn't remember watching any women's basketball except for my older sister. She went to play in the States as well and I remember watching the little screen when they were streaming. The guy with one camera following the ball up and down the court. One camera from like 100 yards away. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah. So it's just really interesting that the production. It's come a long way. It really has. Women's basketball, it is a big thing. I mean, WNBA, very prevalent. It's got its issues, but nonetheless, it's pretty prevalent. And people are watching and it's on primetime TV, which makes women's basketball even at an amateur level, people are watching. They're going to check it out. Absolutely. Absolutely. Which is really exciting because, I mean, the ones that are good role models, that's great that they are seen. Yeah. There's a lot of ones that maybe are poor role models, but the ones who are good, it's great for young girls to look up to and be involved in community and stuff. So you had some dealings with the Canadian National Team. Tell us about the 2016 Olympics. How did that come about? Well, my first time I tried out for the team was in 2012. I would go back there because that was my first opportunity to be invited to the senior team tryouts. And Michelle and I were both there. And I was super nervous because I was just a young gun there. So I kind of gave myself an excuse. I already didn't think I would belong there, honestly. And so I was like, I have to go back to school, so I can't stay for all the tryouts, blah, blah, blah, I'm not available. And I would have got cut either way. But I got cut and Michelle made the team. So she went to the 2012 Olympics as well. So she's a three time Olympian, which is pretty flipping cool. Are you and your sister very competitive with each other? Definitely, like more internally. Yeah. That's been my, you know, like thorn is like always, to be competitive, I would compare myself to the best person I know, which is my sister. Okay. And so now, like, now I can, I'm her, I'm not, I think I'm her favorite teammate, but she's my favorite teammate. Yeah, I support her 100%. But in my young years, it was always, we were playing with each other, but like iron sharpens iron, so I'm very grateful for that. I don't think I'm the player I am, if we weren't playing together in a lot of ways. So she made the team. She made the team. She made the team, and I did not, and so it was really like. That was tough. I thought the whole world was like mad at me. I bet. Yeah, well, just where I was at, I was like, wow, everyone cares about this, where no one cares. It was me that cares, which is a life lesson. I was going to say, isn't that a great life lesson? Most of the stuff we think is so traumatic in our lives, and some is, and a lot of it is like nobody cares. Yeah, nobody cares, but you. Yeah, but you. So it's good to have those experiences. And yeah, so did you live it out, that you were disappointed, and then did you call her and cry, and like, why did you make it, and I didn't? Like, I'm just as good as you, and blah. No, I did that internally, and didn't tell anyone. The inside voice, see, that's amazing. You're a good person, yeah, cause me, it had been out there. Yeah, true. Just suppression on my end. It's not healthy. But anyways, but it really, I surprised her and went to go watch her at the Olympics. Oh, okay, where was the Olympics that year? London. London, okay. Yeah, and so I went with my mom there and surprised her. And when I was watching, though, I thought, wow, I really wouldn't get on the court. I need to be better. This is a whole other level. Yeah, I didn't feel bad. They're good, eh? Yeah, totally. I was like, oh, yeah, yeah. Even though I knew I got cut because I got cut, it's my own responsibility. So it really gave me a motivation to be like, okay, well, I need to get better. You can do it. So the next year I tried out, I made the team and then played in 2016 with Michelle. Where was 2016? In Rio, Brazil. Rio? Rio, I remember. Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So that was a great experience. I was just happy to be there. Wanted to, you know, see all the things. How did Canada do? Where did you guys? We did not do well. We think we did seventh or eighth. Okay. Maybe seventh. But it's tough. Just going to the Olympics. Yeah. It's like the experience, right? Yeah. 100 percent. Really great experience. Learned a lot, experienced a lot, and saw that we weren't quite at the level we needed to be at. Yeah. But, no. It was a whole team. Yeah. That's how you learn, right? That's how you learn. Totally. Yeah. And there's some good, I mean, basketball is very prevalent. We, North Americans don't realize in other countries how prevalent it actually is. 100 percent, yeah. I mean, US for sure. We know that, right? Yeah. But Canada is like, yeah. Yeah. When I went to play overseas after university, most every other country has a professional league. Right. So that's very interesting because they'd be like, why aren't you playing in Canada? And I said, we don't have a league. So where did you go? Where after you left university, where did you go play? My first year was in Romania. It was Romania. Yes. Really? Have you been there? No. Tell us. Do you know where it is on the map? Yeah. We know where it is. But tell us about this. Do we know where it is. People have asked me that before and I said, well, yes. I had to know. Well, obviously people don't. People don't. Cam. Sorry. Actually, I really don't. I know it's in Europe over there somewhere, but I couldn't tell you what it's next to or anything. She'll pull the map up for you after. Yeah. Well, later on, we'll look at the map. Anyway, so you went to Romania. Yeah. It was not the greatest basketball league to play in, but it's definitely like a foot in the door to playing overseas and getting that experience. Then afterwards, I played in France for seven years. Oh, in France? Yeah, which was a great league to play in. They're very competitive top to bottom. So once I got a foot in there, I kind of. So when you're in France, you played the season. Then when the season, did you come back home or did you stay in France? No, I would come back and play with the National Team. Oh, okay. Yeah. So I'd be eight, nine months over there and then come back. Did you learn French? I did. Yeah. I think you have to, probably for seven years. Because you're talking to French people. You'd be surprised, there's some English people who don't learn. Well, I failed French in school. Did you like French food? You know what? It depends where you eat. I'm going to be honest. If you have the sport menu on the road, it is not something to write home about. That's for sure. But there's some great French cuisine. But tell us about culture shock. Yeah. Going to Romania. Yeah. That was quite an experience. This was 2014 and I was playing with the national team at the World Cup in Turkey. So I had gone right from Turkey to Romania. I didn't know my team. I didn't know my coach. I just showed up. First of all, I didn't know what Romania was going to be like. When I got picked up at the airport, my coach was Portuguese and the owner of the team was Romanian. Very intimidating. There's a lot of nationality going on here. I know. It's all over the map. It's a lot you know, you get a job where you get a job right Was this before Duolingo? Yeah, that's what Duolingo is about. Yeah. So on my way home, it's at night and I just see a horse and carriage go by and I was like, oh boy, where am I? I was like, okay, we can do this. We can do this. It was just we're going through the country. Yeah, sure. But when I got there, they said, okay, we're going on a two-game road trip tomorrow morning. We're leaving very early, just be ready. So it was very straight to it. You're going right in. Going right in. And I remembered that first road trip. I was new. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know the plays. I felt like I wasn't prepared. And my coach was like, it's okay, you're not going to play. But I was just like had a little breakdown. He was very patient with me. I'm sure he was like, who is this girl? I just hired for this. But he ended up being really, really good for me at the time. He was very passionate in his coaching. So lots of broken things. That's a lot of culture shock all at once. It was. That's a massive culture shock. Yeah. I'd say the thing that was very grounding for me was that I was like my faith, first of all, was really helpful because I knew things were going to be for a purpose and to help grow me. So I dug into that. Like I was connected with my teammates. There was a lot of Americans on my team, so a lot of English around me. I sought out community English-speaking people outside my team, which is really important to do if you're overseas, to find people outside your team. I think the thing about Romania, and maybe it's just because I'm older, of course Romania was the whole Iron Curtain for so many years. I was in Russia just a couple of years after the wall came down, and I remember still what it was like. It was like, wow. I don't know what Romania was like. What was your experience with the people? People were wonderful, but I felt like what they needed was they needed a Sherwin-Williams paint store because everything was gray. That's how I would describe Romania. And I thought if they opened a Sherwin-Williams, they'd have some color in the world here. It was just all gray. That is what I described it. So yeah, so I'm thinking Romania, and Romania had a very difficult, difficult history. Yep, lot of dictatorship. Not lot of ha-ha. Yeah, no, Ceausescu was very difficult. Definitely. See, I know. Yeah, you do, Cam. I just don't know where it is. But it could be like to the south of us, for all I know. But anyway, okay, so you're in Romania, you're playing, that goes good. You go to France. Yeah. That goes good. That goes good. I think my second year, I was player of the league, so. Come on. Yeah, our team did. MVP. Yeah, our team didn't do super great, but had a great year. Yeah. So that opened up some different opportunities. And you're coming back to play for Canada in the off season. Coming back to play for Canada. I got, after that season, I was invited to WNBA training camp. Yeah. So that was a good opportunity. Different level. Can you say the team? Phoenix. Phoenix. I didn't make the team. So. No, but that's even cool. Yeah. That's cool. So definitely a higher, higher level, different expectations. Yeah, yeah. In terms of professionalism. Sure. But really neat. Didn't have a desire to pursue that after my experience there, but really grateful for that. Yeah. And then moved around a few different teams in France year by year. So it's a lot of fun, really grateful. And now you're here. And now I'm here. Okay. And you're playing on the National Team. Yeah. And you're playing in the three on three league. Yes. Tell us about that. Well, that is a super fun story or journey really. So in 2018, I was cut from the senior women's fives team. And I had decided because I had played for a handful of years at that point. And just was like, okay, I'm ready to move on from this team. And Michelle and our teammate, Paige Crozon, they had heard that it was going to be a new Olympic sport for 2020. That's right. Yes. I remember that. Yeah. Yeah. Three on three. Yeah. Yeah. So and we had a friend from Edmonton who's playing on the men's side for the 3X3 World Tour, which is already going on on the men's side. And so Michelle and Paige said, hey, let's be Team Canada's 3X3 team to try and qualify for the Olympics. We need two more people. And Michelle said, okay, well, Katherine's in. Obviously. They told me this afterwards. She doesn't have a choice. She's just doing it. She's a twin, she's in. And then we had to find a fourth teammate, which we found. We didn't know her, but we showed up to our first tournament in Italy, meeting our fourth teammate. Okay. And this is how we had to piece things together because we were, we were just doing things on our own. We were a startup that made no money. So yeah, we wanted to be the team. We asked Canada Basketball Federation, hey, can we be a 3X3 team? Yeah. And they said, sure, go for it. We won't support you. Basically, we're giving you no money. You're on your own. Can I just say this about Canadian sports? I know. Yes, we want you. Yes, we want you to win. Yes, we want a gold medal. Yes, we want you to outperform. Oh, but by the way, we can't give you anything. I don't understand. That was the beginnings. Now, they're like totally on board. Oh, okay. Now, they're on board. In the best way. But sometimes it just takes a spark plug to... It takes to ramp up. And Canadians are a tad slower than the rest. But I'm grateful that we had those beginnings because it grew us in a lot of ways. Not ideal, but we made it happen. So, we played 2019, had a few different teammates to come join us as a fourth teammate, third and fourth teammate throughout that season. We did great as a team. We ended up being top three in the World Tour. Wow. The first World Tour. That's pretty cool. Yeah. And then there's some qualifications we didn't know about how to get into the Olympics. So we were a little bit unprepared for that. Well, yeah. That's okay. It was the start. Three on three basketball is so exciting to watch. I agree. I love watching it. I go to the three on three tournament at West Edmonton Mall every year to watch it because it's incredible. Like it is incredible ball. Like to me, I mean, I like basketball, but three on three, there's just something about that. It is fast. It is nonstop. It just goes. It's just incredible. It's good for the short attention spans. Yes. That's Cam. I didn't want to say it, but. I wasn't going there. I wasn't going there, but I just need to say that it is. It's pretty incredible. Yeah. Cool. So are you still playing on the team? Still playing on the team. So the World Tour is going to start up this spring again. So you go everywhere in the world? Where do you go? Everywhere. We've been a lot of places from like Mongolia, which is, wasn't on my list to go to. No, I've only been to Mongolian barbecue. That's all I've ever been to. But yeah, Mongolia. Mongolia, Prague, a lot of French tournaments, Shanghai, another place in China. So you're an actual professional team? Or are you an amateur team? How are you viewed? I say I'm a professional athlete. Well, yeah. Do you get sponsors for your team? Or does Canada sponsor you? Or who sponsors you? We're sponsored by, we play for Team Canada. So technically that's an amateur sport, but we're playing on a professional tour. Right. Are you allowed to get outside sponsors? Or you can't? Yep, individually. Yeah? Yep. So people, people, step up. I'm available for sponsorship. That's right. Yeah, cool. But that's an option for people to... And how long is that season? That is May, beginning of May through September. Okay. Beginning of September. So you're gone all summer basically? You're in and out of town. So we go for competition and then come back. Just depending on where we're headed to tournaments. I think that's so cool. It is. That's really cool. Really cool experience. Does it draw like big crowds overseas and stuff like that? Like, does it? It does. The interesting thing about 3X3 is they put the venues in where a lot of foot traffic is. Or iconic venues. Like West Edmonton Mall. Yeah. Yeah. So that was... I like playing there. That's a lot of foot track traffic area. We played in some other malls around the world. We've been to Romania a few different times, so that was fun to go back to. But we played in a palace. We played outside. A palace? Yes. That was in Romania, which it was interesting. Romania is amazing. Yeah. It's intriguing me more and more. I think it was a palace built for The Dictator. Right. Now it's a basketball, 3X3 basketball. I thought she was going to say somewhere in the Middle East. They're playing in a palace. Yeah. They have a lot of money out there. This is so cool. Is there a league website or stuff like that? Because I want to follow this now. This is pretty cool. All our games are streamed on YouTube on FIBA3X3. Yeah. They're all live. You can re-watch them. Then I believe CBC Gem has picked up our tournaments. They have a men's league, right? Yeah. So do the men's and the women's leagues play at the same time in these cities and stuff like that? Some of them. Yeah. There's different levels of competitions on the men's side because there's so many teams playing, and on the women's side, we just have one league or level. Right. So sometimes we'll cross over and play at the same time or one day different, which is great because I like watching their games. Great awareness. Great. Yeah. Brings people in. Yeah. It's cool. Men and women. That's awesome. So it's a lot of fun. Yeah. That's really cool. This is really cool. I know. I never realized it was that big. Like that's pretty amazing. Cool. But Katherine, you, I think both you and Michelle do a lot of work with community. Yeah. So that's how we met. Yeah. Tell us a little bit about that because I know that, you know, you run basketball clinics and other pieces. So tell us about why that's important to you to kind of give back. Yeah. A couple of different things. I am the product of a lot of people sewing into me. So I know it's not like I'm not a turtle on a fence post. I didn't get there by myself. So I highly value like the opportunity to be a role model and to sow into youth, young girls and boys. And also, I equally like to learn from people who are coaching or adding value in the community or different ways that produces like fullness of life. I'd say is the ultimate goal. It's not a gold medal, but it's fullness of life. And that often comes to gold medal in other ways. That's for sure. Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot comes from serving other people. And when we're involved in other people's lives, it's mutually beneficial where it really builds us and grows us. So Michelle and I started our camp in 2015. So this last year was 10 years that we did our Plouffe Hoops Camp, which we do in the summer time. Plouffe Hoops. Plouffe Hoops. I love that. Plouffe Hoops. Plouffe Hoops. Where do you do that? That's pretty cool. Where do you do it? Southside Edmonton. So we've been doing it at Harry Ainlay, our former high school. They've been great. For anybody? Girls, just girls, guys? Girls, boys. Ages 9 to 13. Come on. Yeah. So we originally started with high school girls, and then we had a niece and nephew and so they wanted to play. Had to lower the age. That's a good reason to change right there. You got to get the niece and the nephew in there. Yes. That's cool. They enjoy coming to that. They're going to be too old to be able to. Week long camp or how does that go? Just a weekend. Yeah, just a weekend. One or two day camp. Since we started playing 3X3, we've incorporated 3X3 principles of games and having a tournament during that, so that's a lot of fun. That's cool. Yeah. And then I like collaborating and being involved in different stuff that's going on in the community because I know there's great people already doing great things. I know people are like, you should make this a business out of basketball. And it's an option for some. I just think there are people already doing great things. Yeah, sure. Collaboration builds the community as well. Absolutely. That's fantastic. Yeah. And then, yeah, in other ways, we met at Adeara. And we had Lori on the podcast just a little while ago. Yeah. Yeah. She was great. So yeah, I got connected with them through just wanting to be involved in serving in a different way through ministry opportunities in the Edmonton area. So found connecting streams and they were going into Adeara. So that's been a blessing for sure. Yeah. I've learned a lot. I know. Wow. Hopefully I add value. So I love to hear. I love what you're doing. I just love it. And I have, I want to go back to some. And we're coming to a close here. But I appreciate the fact you're talking about some of the things that you didn't make, some of the teams you didn't make. And we talk about we always talk about, you know, the great stuff of making teams and having a dream and fighting. How do you how do you deal with when you don't make it? It's adversity. Yeah. How do you push through adversity? How do you push through that? Especially when you're younger? Yeah. You know? Advice, almost, right? Yeah. How do you how did that feel? What did you do? What was your because I think for a lot of people, that's their turning point of giving up. Totally. Yes. Totally. Right. Yeah. I think it's a big question because the reality is we all experience failures. We all experience adversities. Especially when we're in a culture of highlight reels and top moments. Oh, yeah. No kidding. Yeah. No doubt. The reality is we don't know the full picture and there's always a story behind the story. I think I had people who either normalized the struggle or encouraged me through those times. Also, there's something in me that knew that this is not the final answer. I'm not just stopping. Although I did make certain decisions to move on from certain things. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Which we all do. It had to be a reason of why I'm doing what I'm doing is the most important. There are certain moments where I had to ask myself, is this for accomplishments and approval and the pat on the backs? Is that why I'm doing it or is there something in me? Is there a greater purpose beyond just those things? Yeah, that's good. That's good. There always is and I'm reading a book called Inner Excellence, which talks about how high-performers can still pursue excellence, going through what you're talking about, which is all the struggles. It's not because they have a lack of struggles. That's the thing. Everybody thinks when you're playing at that level, it's all great. It's just wonderful. It ain't all wonderful. It's the greater purpose and pursuit that is not a tangible thing that we need to identify. For me, and this book talks about, if we pursue fullness of life, which is growth and having joys, having accomplishments, so to speak, but in milestones of the things we go through. If that's the ultimate goal, then failures will be lessons and information that we can use to get better and have those milestones. But if we stop at a gold medal, what's next? Another gold medal. It's too short-term. So the great ones, I believe, are always pursuing excellence, not perfection, but pursuing to be their best. Their best. I love that. That's fantastic. She almost spoke to my last question. Yeah, almost. Give it to me Jennifer. And it's time for the last question. So, give her. Katherine, best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you still carry with you to this day? That is good, Jennifer. I'd say identify the life you want to live, what that looks like, who you want to become, how you want to live your life. Don't fit it into a box of what you're currently doing. And keep that in front of you and reverse engineer that to go after the life you really want. That's good. That's good. That's really good. I know. This is great. This is, first of all, I know we were joking about it at the beginning, but now I actually do sit in awe of you. After this, I sat in awe of you at Adeara, but like I didn't know any of this. So it was like, it was like just an awe. But now I sit in awe. This is amazing. You're amazing and you do amazing things. And this is incredible. And I do. I think she's a great role model for so many. Absolutely. Like, and we need that. Like that just need, we just need that. And I know you're a person of faith and I know that plays a big role in your life. And I'm just, it makes me happy to know that you are there and out there and doing it. And that's great. Thanks Cam. And I love it. Thanks for doing this. Thanks Jennifer. Thanks for having me on. Yes, well thank you. Thank you. Thanks everybody for listening. We appreciate it. Hey, make sure you tell everybody about the podcast. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your enemies. 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