On Campus: MRU athletic director opens up about beating breast cancer
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“I’m going to die.”
That was the first thought that went through Karla Karch’s head after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005.
She was only 41. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was just five years removed from running the floor on a Sydney basketball court at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
In fact, she had the honour of donning the red and white in nearly 200 international contests before that. The Sydney Games served as the swan song of an illustrious career that took her around the world.
She never smoked, ate healthy and rarely drank, yet Karch was thrust into a battle against something much tougher than any 6-foot-4 defender or two-a-day practice.
Just over 10 years later, Karch remembers it vividly. After her diagnosis, she walked into the office of her new boss, Brian Fleming, and said, “You probably don’t want to hire me, I have breast cancer.”
But Fleming knew Karch. He knew of the eight years she spent in Europe playing against some of the stiffest competition in the world. He know about her two Olympic selections. He knew about her competitive nature. He knew she was a winner.
“This is something you’re going to beat. You’re going to be here a lot longer than you’ll ever have breast cancer,” he said.
Karch tells her story overlooking a basketball court from her office at Mount Royal University, where she’s held the title of Athletic Director for more than 10 years.
But, she doesn’t call herself a cancer survivor. She uses different terminology.
“I beat the (expletive) out of cancer,” said Karch. “I’m not just surviving from this, I’m living my life. I’m fulfilling things I want to do, so to me the word is just pedantic. I’m better because of what I’ve learned along the way about myself.”
She says she may not have been able to do it without a solid team around her. Going back to her basketball roots, Karch says that after forming a solid “game plan” she was confident she was going to come out ahead.
“When you think of sports, you surround yourself with people who have the same goals and who will support each other,” Karch explained. “I feel very fortunate to have come up through the sports world because it has helped me mentally. I thought whatever came my way, my team and I would beat it.”
They beat it so badly that her November 2005 surgery marked the last time Karch was within cancer’s deadly grasp. While occasionally the thought of “what if it comes back?” does pops into her head, she will never let it define how she lives her life.
“It’s not a cloud over my head in any way shape or form, but you always remember,” said Karch. “Cancer is the equalizer. It doesn’t discriminate and it’s been a part of my journey. Life isn’t fair but I’m okay with life not being fair.”
Cougar Athletics certainly wouldn’t be what it is today without Karch’s positive and competitive attitude. She was first hired in 2005 at Mount Royal College, in charge of the ACAC varsity teams that had a storied history in Calgary and throughout Alberta. Today, Karch oversees all facets of the varsity programs competing across Canada in the CIS.
The transformation of Cougars Athletics as a whole, isn’t the only impact Karch hopes to have on the university. She says that while hanging banners in the rafters is what every team strives for, the personal growth of the student athletes is what really matters to her.
“What’s most important is that the student athletes leave as better people,” said Karch. “Winning championships is a by-product of what we’re here to do. We’re lucky we can do it through sports. I grew up in this world and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Karch has also played an instrumental role in bringing some major events and fundraisers to Mount Royal. But there’s one specific fundraising event that is near and dear to Karch’s heart.
On Nov. 27 the Mount Royal Cougars women’s basketball team will take on the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves in the Eighth Annual Shoot for the Cure. Since 2007 the CIS-wide event has raised over $886,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
“Anytime we can talk about something like breast cancer or mental illness, we can educate and help one more person, that is a positive,” Karch says about the initiative. The event is expected to hit the million-dollar mark after this year’s fundraising. “It’s about recognizing there are things out there that are negative. Cancer isn’t a fun thing. It’s a fear of many people, and Mount Royal is proud to be associated with fundraising for the cause.”
Brendan Stasiewich is a MRU journalism student
WEEKEND WATCH
MRU Cougars
Home games to watch
Friday
Volleyball vs. UBC, 6 p.m. M, 8 p.m. W (Kenyon Court)
Men’s hockey vs. Calgary, 7 p.m. (Flames Community)
Saturday
Volleyball vs. UBC, 5 p.m. M, 7 p.m. W (Kenyon Court)
Keep an eye on these athletes
Tanner Olstad, men’s hockey
Notable: Olstad had his best statistical weekend as a Mount Royal Cougar this past weekend notching four points in a sweep of Regina, outscoring their opponents 15-5 in two games.
Jocelyn Froehlich, women’s hockey
Notable: Froehlich was instrumental in one of the best weekends the Cougars have had since joining the CIS, including Saturday’s torching of Regina, 6-2. The fifth-year defenceman set up four of the six goals.
U of C Dinos
Home games to watch
Friday
Volleyball vs. Saskatchewan, 6 p.m. W, 7:30 p.m. M (Jack Simpson)
Women’s hockey vs. MRU, 7 p.m. (Father David Bauer)
Saturday
Volleyball vs. Saskatchewan, 4 p.m. W, 5:30 p.m. M (Jack Simpson)
Men’s hockey vs. MRU, 6 p.m, (Father David Bauer)
SAIT Trojans
Home games to watch
Friday
Volleyball vs. Lethbridge, 6 p.m. W, 8 p.m. M (SAIT Gymnasium)
Men’s hockey vs. Portage College, 7 p.m. (SAIT Arena)
Saturday
Men’s hockey vs. Portage College, 2 p.m. (SAIT Arena)
Basketball vs. Lethbridge, 6 p.m. W, 8 p.m. M (SAIT Gymnasium)
Women’s hockey vs. Olds, 7 p.m. (SAIT Arena)
Keep an eye on these athletes
Justin Makasiar, men’s basketball
Notable: The veteran shooting guard set a career high in points last weekend, scoring 41 in his team’s first win of the season — a 90-83 decision over Briercrest College. A night later, he poured in 27 of his team’s 60 points in their 71-60 loss to Medicine Hat College.
Kendell Kuntz, women’s basketball
Notable: This sharp-shooting guard scored a career-best 33 points last Friday as her Trojans beat Briercrest College 72-64. Kuntz leads her team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game.
St. Mary’s Lightning
Home games to watch
Saturday
Basketball vs. Ambrose University, 6 p.m. W, 8 p.m. M (Glenmore Christian Academy)
Keep an eye on these athletes
Shania Baptiste, women’s basketball
Notable: Second-year post having a solid campaign.
Brad Hassall, men’s basketball
Notable: Second-year guard comes from Melbourne, Australia.
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