They wear the ‘C’ on their uniform.
So the Cochrane Cobras varsity girl’s volleyball team has spent the season finding definitive ‘C’ words.
They’ve channelled that crusade into two championships so far, the most recent coming Nov. 15 in Brooks as Cobras won the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association South Central Zone 3A high school varsity girl’s volleyball title with a combative 2-1 win (21-25, 31-29, 17-15) over Airdrie’s George McDougall Mustangs in the final. Cobras won the Rocky View Sports Association Division championship Nov. 4 in their gym against Mustangs, a team they’ve challenged four times this season and will most likely confront a fifth time in the Nov. 20-22 provincial tournament at Cochrane High.
“The running joke all season long,” relates Cobras varsity girl’s volleyball head coach Landon Thompson. “The big ‘C’ on our chests, on our jerseys and our jackets – this weekend it was ‘contribution.’
“Every single player made a contribution and we’re a collective team. We cooperate. We’re caring. We compete and we challenged each other.
“Just rambling off a number of ‘C’ words throughout the year, and at the end of the season you put all those ‘C’ words together and it means championship.”
They have one contest left to complete their ‘C-word’ challenge, it’s on their home floor and they didn’t cruise into the provincial championship clash as hosts. They conquered the competition just as they’d contemplated.
“Absolutely,” Thompson continues. “These girls didn’t just want to host provincials without earning it. They wanted to earn the bid. And they sure did.”
All that’s left is to compose Cochrane Cobras’ provincial championship chapter. Twelve teams are in Cochrane, six each from the North and South regions, playing for the provincial banner.
“They’re calm under pressure,” Thompson surmises of his team’s composure. “They find a way to play their best when it counts the most.
“Going undefeated throughout the regular season is one thing. To have a weekend with ups and downs like we had in Brooks, it was pretty inspiring.”
