The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Caitlyn Ticzon has moved up the ladder from being a rookie at Hapnot Collegiate to a signed player with the University of Manitoba Bisons basketball team. Ticzon played with the Hapnot Kweens through Grades 9 to 11 before moving to Winnipeg for her last year in high school in hopes of furthering her basketball career. Ticzon moved to Winnipeg to attend Fort Richmond Collegiate and play basketball for her Grade 12 year. Stronger competition and more experience played well in Ticzon's court as she landed a spot on the Bisons' team this Spring. The contract for the University of Manitoba basketball team came at a cost for the high school student. 'It was hard leaving family and friends behind, but...when I got to the school I was playing volleyball and made some friends. Sports was the reason I moved to the city,' she said, pleased with her decision. Living with her sister Ticzon was happy to have a familiar face around. '...I had family and friends to keep me busy. (So,) the transition wasn't too hard for me.' The promising contract guarantees Ticzon a spot on the team for her first year at the University of Manitoba. 'I got my letter on March 19 (and) once it was signed by (my) parents, it was official,' she said. Ticzon first got word about the letter when she met with co-coach Michele Hynes of the Bisons. 'I was really excited inside, but I didn't show it. The coach said I can act excited (now),' she said. 'My reaction didn't show it, but I'm really pumped about it.' Ticzon will be 18 years old for the start of the 2013-14 basketball season. Though she is currently in high school working on her Grade 12, Ticzon will begin training for the upcoming season. 'This season is done now, so I will train on my own,' she said, confident she will be able to keep up. 'I get (to) the gym quite a bit as it is and training starts (this) week,' she said. Ticzon will spend time in the gym twice a day to prepare for the season and says she might even play summer basketball like previous years. 'The differences from high school is huge,' she said, comparing both from Flin Flon and Fort Richmond, to the Bisons. 'The talent in the city and the pace of the game is a big difference. The speed of the game is just faster,' she said, 'The girls are more the elite players. They know the...game...inside and out.' Playing against athletes faster and stronger than her will help Ticzon improve her own game. '...I'm learning that way. They are all there (for) the same (goal),' she said. Expectations When Ticzon moved from the familiar halls of Hapnot Collegiate to Fort Richmond Collegiate she knew she was in for some big changes. 'Moving from Flin Flon to the huge school was a big jump,' she said, pointing that the atmosphere itself was different. Now making the transition from high school to University will be another big jump. 'I've got to get myself ready physically and mentally,' she said. Ticzon says she needs to gain weight, keep up hours in the gym, and keep up with the fast pace. 'I want to start my first year ready and make sure I'm prepared,' she said. Ticzon left her family and friends in Flin Flon as she moved to the city. A sooner move than most, her Dad Tony said they were all very excited. 'It's not too often a high school girl in a small town (makes) it through (to) University and (is) playing a high...caliber... level of basketball,' he said. A coach himself, Tony said 'that's a big accomplishment from a local girl from Flin Flon.' 'For parents like me,' he said, '(we're) so proud (that) she is achieving her dreams that way.
