Celine Quigley '19 Recruiting Profile

My name is Celine Quigley and I am a 5'7" guard with experience playing all positions, currently attending post secondary in Calgary, Alberta.

Living in a smaller community, growing up allowed me to try every sport in school and develop really strong connections with my teammates as we spent many hours together on the bus for weekend tournament travel (up to 10 hours one way). My final year of High school started with cross country running followed by basketball, ultimate frisbee and AAA soccer, all of which we attended Provincial championships for. This opportunity provided me with the framework to learn how to juggle athletic timetables with academics while maintaining a healthy social life and mindset. I also participated in an international exchange to Sweden which lit a fire within me to travel and experience other countries.

As a result of the Covid season 2020-2021, I stayed home and completed a year of online studies toward my Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology through Mount Royal University. During this time, without the opportunity to be a part of a team atmosphere, group training and team building, I learned how much I missed this part of my life and valued my coaches, teammates and the whole sporting community. Through this, I also gained a passion towards training athletes, as I was presented the opportunity to assistant coach a grade 10 girls High school basketball team. 

Upon completion of my Bachelor's degree,  I would like to pursue a Masters degree in Physiotherapy with a focus on skill development for athletes. I also have a passion for completing research studies around athletics, nutrition, and sports psychology. 

During my 2021-22 season at SAIT, because our roster did not have a lot of height, I was trained to play in all the positions. This was challenging but rewarding and has helped me to develop the ability to change gears as per the requests of the coach.  I am always willing to receive critical information from my coaching staff to make me into a better player, as I know I have much potential, and love seeing what I am able to push myself to do.

At age 12, I joined competitive club soccer in the position of defense.  I learned a lot from my coach about the defensive game and the ability to read players. We attended many Provincial competitions, winning the Calgary City Indoor Provincials in March of 2016. 

This training has transposed into my basketball game where I feel confident, and very effective as a defensive player, which my coaching staff in my 2021/2022 season at SAIT praised me for.  In addition, my experience in acrobat dance, as well as jazz and ballet has helped me with flexibility, agility and rhythm. I also understand the importance of mental toughness and how one's attitude is a vital contributor to the strength of one's mental game. Through my Bachelors of Kinesiology program, I have been exposed to sports psychology which has allowed me to read many peer reviewed articles about visualization, sports and nutrition, team encouragement etc.  I am very interested to constantly learn through podcasts and books, the importance of no matter what your role is on the team, encouragement is one of the greatest contributors to a team doing well. One study spoke of an NBA team who won the championships, and it was found that they were the team that had the most physical encouragement (ie. high fives, pats on the back, helping teammates from the ground etc.) than any other NBA team. After reading this, it lit a passion in me to be the most encouraging, uplifting and supportive teammate I could be, and to also educate my team on these types of topics. 

I am an aggressive yet composed competitor and feel I can be an asset to any team.