International Basketball Federation
When the Canadian women’s national 3×3 basketball team is on the court, Paige Crozon’s five-year-old daughter, Poppy, can often be heard cheering for her mother in the stands, shouting “Lightning fast, mom!” or “Shoot him!” From the margin.
When she’s not able to physically join her mother at basketball tournaments around the world, Poppy supports her from behind the screen.
“I was so lucky to have you cheering me on,” Crozon says. “She humbly gave herself the title of ‘Coach.’”
Crozon gave birth to her daughter in the fall of 2018.
Just half a year later, FIBA introduced women’s 3×3 basketball to the world stage, and Crozon found herself back in the thick of the sport, traveling to a different destination around the world every two weeks.
Crozon says that while she is grateful for the structure and flexibility that 3×3 basketball provides for allowing her to continue competing as an athlete and a mother, balancing national team player and mother has its challenges.
“I’m a single mother working two full-time jobs and training for the Paris Olympics in 2024. With the travel involved in my sport, it can be difficult to be away and take a lot of time away from work.
In their first season, the women’s 3×3 team was self-funded, with each player contributing more than $20,000 from their own pockets in an attempt to earn Canada a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. They just missed the cut.
To pay the bills and stay connected to basketball, Crozon accepted the roles of assistant coach for the University of Lethbridge women’s basketball team and general manager of the Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League in addition to coaching as a national team player herself.
The Canadian women’s 3×3 national team has come a long way since then. In 2022, the team won the Women’s Series title and the 2023 season saw them win six stops in the FIBA Women’s 3×3 Championship.
Bobby was able to join the team on the road for three tournaments last season.
However, Crozon says that with financial support, she will be able to achieve more balance between training, working full-time, and raising her daughter.
This year, Crozon is one of ten Team Canada athletes to receive the Murphy Family Award from the Canadian Olympic Foundation.
The Murphy Family Award, established by Glenn and Stacey Murphy, gives Team Canada’s most promising athletes the peace of mind to focus fully on their training, a welcome relief from outside financial demands.
Recipients have well-established experience in their sport, a high international ranking, and a strong possibility of representing Team Canada at the next Olympic Games.
“Supporting the Murphy Family Award will free up more time for me: to train with my daughter, and to give back to my community by providing opportunities for young people who typically face many barriers in sports,” says Crozon.
“I hope to show other young girls that the strength within us is greater than any obstacles we may have in front of us. The past few years have been challenging in so many ways, but I am so proud to show my daughter the courage and resilience it takes to achieve your dreams.”
Canadian boxer and Olympian Tamara Thibault and powerboater Katie Vincent join Crozon on the list of 2023 winners of the third edition of the Murphy Family Award. All three female athletes share a drive to represent Canada as women in sports and pave the way for young girls to look up to.
Thibault, whose dream of becoming a boxing champion became possible when women’s boxing was first added to the Olympic program in 2012, says donor funding opens doors not only for her, but for women in boxing in general.
“Donor support is crucial because all of these elements — the training, the travel, the competition — are necessary to get where I want to go and bring women’s boxing with me,” she says.
“This additional funding will allow me to continue breaking barriers and elevating women’s boxing in Canada, not only for me but for the young athletes who will come after me.”
“I want to continue to advance Canadian women in sport and make our nation proud. It has always been my dream to become an Olympic champion, and although bronze sounds very good, I want to win gold,” says Vincent.
“With the support of the Murphy Family Award, I believe I will be able to get closer to that dream.”
The Canadian Olympic Foundation is proud to announce the 2023 Murphy Family Award winners:
Catherine Beauchemin-BenardOLY – Judo (Montreal, QC)
Charlie Kavanagh – Boxing (Saint John, NB)
Maud SharonOLY – Weightlifting (Rimouski, QC)
Big Crozon — 3×3 Basketball (Humboldt, SK)
Sarah DouglasOLY — Sailing (Burlington, Ontario)
Kirsten Edwards — Kayaking (Port Moody, British Columbia)
Ana Godinez Gonzalez — Wrestling (Burnaby, British Columbia)
Amy Legault — Triathlon (Lille Peru, QC)
Catherine PlouffeOLY – Basketball 3×3 (Edmonton, AB)
Tamara ThibaultOLY – Boxing (Shawinigan, QC)
Katie VincentOLY — Canoe Sprint (Mississauga, Ontario)
