Sixteen senior girls high school volleyball teams were in North Delta last weekend to compete at the Pink Ribbon for Camille tournament hosted by Seaquam Secondary.
The tournament was in honour of Camille Gregory, a Seaquam graduate and a volleyball player on the school team who passed away from cancer in 2012.
"Camille was a triple threat – smart, social, and athletic," said Seaquam volleyball coach and tournament organizer Todd Clarke. "She was brilliant, but more importantly, she was a kind, caring person."
Gregory was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, but was able to maintain straight A’s at the University of British Columbia (UBC), complete a co-op position with Bayer Pharma, cycle through Europe and make her way to London to cheer on Team Canada during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. She was accomplished in athletics and academics, earning a degree in Honours Chemistry from UBC just days before she passed away.
The tournament featured several of B.C.’s top senior girls volleyball teams. Senior 4A schools competing included fourth-ranked Oak Bay of Victoria, which won the tournament, sixth-ranked South Delta Sun Devils and eighth-ranked Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers. Other highly ranked teams were the number-one Sa-Hali Sabres (3A) of Kamloops and the third-ranked White Rock Christian Academy Warriors (1A).
Games were played Friday and Saturday at Seaquam and North Delta Secondaries. Spectators were asked to donate a $2 admission, with all money collected donated to the B.C. Cancer Society in Gregory’s name.
Her parents, Julie and Nick Gregory, were in attendance at the tournament, hoping participants were "inspired by Camille’s spirit, as a person who never let anything stand in her way of being her best."