Olympic basketball hopeful’s daughter is along for the ride

As with any good team. Communication is key. Do you need me to hold it for you? It may not look like it, but this is part of Olympic hopeful Paige Croson’s daily training routine. 5 year old poppy helping to keep her mom moving. Yeah, let’s go, girl. Nice. This single mom focused on getting to the Olympics in Paris, her daughter along for the ride. In case we’re going to start like this every step of the way, Land it Poppy pitching in to help Paige achieve. Her Olympic dream? So like one hand at the bottom and the other hand on the side and then frog drop neck. Nice. So what’s harder making a three-point shot or being a single mom? We’re probably taking about 50,003 point attempts in my career and it’s my first time being a single mom, so definitely being a single mom. The technicality kept Paige from getting to the last Olympics, the 1st for her sport of three on three basketball. Now we go. Paige Poppy was there too, helping to provide perspective. Coming home to Poppy and she comes and runs up and gives me a big hug and then she tells me about the scrape on her knee, and that’s the biggest thing in her world besides. And now the push is on to get to Paris. Paige and her teammates prepping to play in a qualifying tournament in May, confident in their team’s chances. We just need to get our reps in and get our flow and we’ll be set. We have so many great pieces and we’ll figure it out. The entire team encouraged by the development of its smallest member. As we’ve seen Poppy grow for the last five years as she started playing 3X3, like, literally from birth. You know, so and win or lose, the real lessons learned on this court have little to do with basketball. Find something that you love, something that you’re passionate about. Find a great group of friends in the community within that, and then do that for as long as you can, at whatever level you choose. I think we’re at 2 this team already winning, no matter the score. Sometimes if you make bigger Bunny ears that is a little bit easier, but whatever your preference is. Collins, CBC News, Lethbridge.