Canadian 3x3 basketball star Paige Crozon is built for balance and being the best

As five-year old Poppy cheers for her mother from the stands, Paige Crozon gets a pass from a teammate, whips past an opponent and sinks a three.

Canada's 3x3 women's basketball team is blazing ahead and is looking to secure a place on the podium. Crozon, at age 30, is a vet on the 3x3 circuit and so is her daughter. They've been a part of the team since Poppy was a few months old. 

This team, consisting of Crozon, Kacie Bosch and twins Katherine and Michelle Plouffe and coached by Kim Gaucher, has already created quite a buzz on the scene. An unfortunate rule from the International basketball Federation (FIBA) prevented them from attending the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 — at the time Gaucher was playing on the Canadian women's senior team. So they regrouped and set their sights on Paris. 

Ahead of the Olympics, I had a chat with Crozon about the growth of women's basketball in Canada, the strong squad she's on, her ability to balance being a single mom, her full-time work with Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League ,and being an ambassador for the growing game. If that sounds like a lot to manage, it is. She is balancing learning, winning and parenting at the same time. 

Crozon speaks with me so easily and from the moment we start chatting on the phone her humility and drive to constantly help others in her community astounds me. From the jump, she proudly tells me about growing up in Humboldt, Sask., where both her parents are from farming communities.

WATCH: Olympic basketball hopeful's daughter is along for the ride:

Olympic basketball hopeful’s daughter is along for the ride

8 months ago

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Paige Crozon is working toward earning Canada a spot in women’s 3x3 basketball at the Paris Olympics, and the single mother says her daughter has been a big part of the journey.

"[My parents] just always had the mentality of like, helping your neighbour, not for any kind of exchange, but just for the sake of if your neighbour needs help, that's what you do," she says.

Crozon is very self-aware and credits basketball and her teammates for giving her an opportunity to grow as a player and as a parent. She's cognizant of the opportunities she wants Poppy to have and how she can make them happen through her sport. 

She also credits her mentor, Mike Tanton, for lighting a spark in her with an approach that is contrary to a lot of society. 

When she applied for a few coaching positions she apologized for needing some special accommodations because of her daughter. What Tanton told her changed the trajectory of her life and helped her shift a narrative about motherhood and sport.

"In the Indigenous culture, we believe that it actually is a strength that you're a mom, and you have a totally different skill set," Tanton told her. "And how you approach everything is actually enhanced because of that role."

Tanton advised her never to apologize for that to anyone and to use that as a source of strength. Crozon says that  Gaucher also reiterates this and reminds her of it in practice as Gaucher has her three-year old daughter Sophie on the sidelines as well. 

I asked Crozon if they're developing a 3x3 squad for the Olympics in 20 years and she laughed. Building a community and being part of a sport family is the foundation of this team. 

Gaucher is no stranger to advocating for family and community. She has been an Olympian mom before. Just before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 she pushed the IOC to allow her to bring her breastfeeding daughter with her. She is also part of the MOMentum initiative in Canada, an online project led by double sculler Jill Moffatt and a team of other athletes. 

In addition to having a storied career, Gaucher understands how Crozon feels and has encouraged her to stand in her power.

"I've seen the trepidation on her face before when we've talked about long road trips, and she's like, afraid to ask," Gaucher says. "I encouraged her … it's like you have to push for it, you know? We have to make it known, like what we need, because nobody's going to guess unless they've been in these positions before."

It hasn't always been easy for Crozon, particularly as a single mother. Her parents help a lot and she spends her time between Lethbridge, Alta., where Poppy goes to school, and Crozon's work in Saskatchewan. But Crozon says that having Gaucher as her coach has been amazing.

"She's such a huge advocate for women and mothers in sport," Crozon says. "And she's just helped me, kind of like, find my voice and stand up for what I need as a mother." 

It may sound fairly easy, but the idea of mothering or parenting as a high-performance athlete is still fairly new. Just this year, USA track and field legend Allyson Felix partnered up with Pampers and launched a dedicated family and nursery space in the Olympic Village. It may seem like a very basic idea but it opens up a world of possibilities for athletes. While attending the biggest competition of one's life, you can't put that role of mothering on hold. 

Those athletes who have tiny humans that rely on them can continue bonding with their kids and sharing their athletic journeys while reaching for their dreams. 

Gaucher certainly appreciates this facility and when I asked her which famous athlete she would like to run into in the Athlete's Village she didn't hesitate.

"Allyson Felix," she said. "For the changes that she's pushed forward. She is an incredible advocate for change in this space for female athletes. And also for maternal health, the stuff that she shares, the stories that she's pushed."

Another thing that these moms want to push is the game they love so much. In addition to advocating for mothers in sport, 3x3 is also in an infancy stage in Canada. Crozon feels there is traction and momentum building.

"I think 3x3 is only going to continue to grow and get more popular, especially because it's so similar to the outdoor game that everyone has played growing up," she says.

Poppy and Sophie are growing up beside the courts watching how strong and powerful women can be as parents and as elite athletes. At the moment they might not realize how extraordinary it is to be surrounded by such strength and balance but maybe their moms might have some hardware to show them when they look back at their time in Paris.