Chestermere High School (CHS), student, Shaelynn Doughty received the Principal’s Award on June 4 for her academic, athletic and citizenship excellence.
“It was a really great honour to learn that I had gotten that achievement,” Doughty said.
Doughty has been athletic her entire life but didn’t begin playing sports seriously until middle school, when she was encouraged by a teacher to play volleyball for the school team.
After volley, Doughty got involved with the Chestermere Langdon Strathmore (CLS) Minor Basketball Association where she fell in love with basketball.
“It was the best thing for me, and then I decided to play both. It just went up from there and kept going,” Doughty said.
By the end of Doughty’s high school career, she was the only athlete to play all seven sports offered through the school, which included, volleyball, basketball, rugby, track, ultimate frisbee, badminton, and curling.
“I just kept adding sports, I liked them all, so I wanted to make it work,” she said.
This school year was extraordinary for Doughty because she had the opportunity to play at provincials with her volleyball team, and by herself where she competed in badminton and track.
“I’ve been playing with my volleyball team since grade seven, and it was really great just to go out there, have fun, and play with this team that I’ve been playing with for forever,” Doughty said.
“We all really deserved it, everyone was really great,” she said.
She added, track and badminton were amazing because she got there by herself, and she learned how to be dependent on herself, get out of her own head, and do things that she never thought she would be able to do.
Doughty has many great memories from her time at provincials. However, one of her best memories is having her father coach her basketball team this year.
Originally, she was supposed to play basketball for a team in Calgary. However, for her last season, she wanted to play with the same teammates that she has always been with.
“My dad decided to step up and coach us this year. We ended up winning gold, and that’s one of the best things that I’ve ever done throughout high school,” she said.
Although Doughty enjoyed playing all seven sports, basketball was her central focus and played everything else because she thoroughly enjoyed it.
Doughty has faced multiple challenges throughout her sporting career, including balancing hectic schedules, and various injuries.
“My knee and ankle went this year. I wear a knee brace now, I’ve been slowly trying to get rid of it, but it’s very persistent, and very hard, it’s been a process,” Doughty said.
It’s extremely difficult to recuperate from an injury during the season because the muscle that is injured is always being used.
“The injury doesn’t have enough time to heal, it’s a constant thing you have to deal with until you take a break,” she said.
Since Doughty exerts herself throughout the entire school year, her summers are spent relaxing, and going to chiropractor appointments to heal her injuries.
Moving forward, Doughty is planning to take a gap year and focus on coaching basketball.
“I’m going to coach basketball for CLS next year, I have coached before, and I really enjoyed it,” Doughty said.
Former Athletic Director of CHS, and Doughty’s JV basketball coach for two years Brian Utley said Doughty is not just a participate but a key member in all seven sports.
“She is a rare athlete who patriciates in many sports. In this age of sport specialization, it is refreshing to see a student athlete complete and excel in numerous sports,” Utley said.
Utley added, “She was hard working, competitive, coachable, and a great teammate.”
Without support from Doughty’s teachers, friends, coaches, and family, it wouldn’t have been possible for her to get to this point.
“There’s been so much support through the community, everybody who has helped me, my parents, my coaches, everybody has put so much time into making me be able to do this,” Doughty said.
She added, “I had a lot of amazing teachers and understanding people in my life who have really helped me to balance everything.”
Although it was difficult at times for Doughty to balance school, sports, and social life, it was worth it for her as she learned many life lessons.
“I pushed myself to be able to go to two or three practices a day, I pushed myself to go to school and that’s something that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life,” Doughty said.
She added, “It’s taught me even when I’m tired to keep going, and when I don’t feel like doing it, to keep going.”
Not only has being involved in sports taught Doughty many lessons, but it also created lasting friendships with all of her teammates.
“You’re all working towards something, you have to be a family because there’s no other choice, you have to be together in one, or you’re not going to win anything,” Doughty said.
She added, “Learning to do that, and being with those girls, seeing how much of an impact you can make is one of the best things about playing sports.”
