Nicole Porter will only have to wait a few weeks before the arrival of a perfect home care package to help her feel more comfortable in her new surroundings.
The Grade 12 South Delta secondary student leaves for Columbia Basin College (CBC) in a couple of weeks where she will be starting goalkeeper for the women's soccer team and begin her studies towards one day becoming a French teacher.
Porter was recruited by the Tri-Cities WA area school while playing for the U18 Richmond Red Hot Selects Metro team at a prospects tournament in Seattle back in January. She soon followed with an official visit to the campus.
"It was a great school and the girls really made me feel incorporated with the team during my time there," said Porter. "They also asked me if I knew of any midfielders who would be interested in playing for them. I told them I know of a really good left-footed one."
That potential recruit happened to be Porter's close friend and SDSS classmate Sydney Elrick who was still weighing her post-secondary options. CBC head coach Matt Mills soon contacted her via e-mail and the the process began from there. Elrick made the nearly seven hour trek by car to the school in April and signed her commitment letter before returning home.
"Sure, you're nervous to be leaving home but knowing Nicole is going to be there too makes it a whole lot easier," smiled Elrick who has enrolled in general studies for now. "It's going to be completely different down there but at least it's a smaller school so we're not going to get lost.
"We already have our own apartment." Prior to heading south, Porter will be in Kamloops next week as the Red Hot Selects look to cap a dream season at the Provincial "A" Cup Championships. Richmond lost just once in 16 league games, then rolled through Coastal Cup playdowns, capped by a 3-0 win over Surrey in the championship game back in May. Porter had been playing at the Gold level in Ladner before landing a spot with the Selects for her final season at the youth level.
Elrick will also be competing for a Provincial Cup, taking part in the "B" championships in Kelowna as a key member of the Central City Breakers '94 Elite. Her success in fastpitch and baseball will delay her departure for CBC. She plays fastpitch with the South Surrey Thunder and is a member of the provincial women's baseball team.
