A veteran of Canada's women's basketball program and current team captain, Gaucher says some things are more important than stats.

When women's basketball team captain Kim Gaucher was 20, she hoped she'd still be playing in her 30s—and that she'd have gone to four Olympics and four world championships. Now, at 32, Kim laughs at her younger self's enthusiasm and reflects on what she's learned since then. "Your window as an elite athlete is so short," she says. "When I was younger, I was always concerned about my stats and how I played. Now I want whatever is best for this team." That's hard-won wisdom; a ten-year veteran of the program, Kim has been on teams that didn't qualify for the Olympics. But past failures make their current upswing that much sweeter: last year, they won gold at the Pan Am Games and took the top spot at the FIBA America tournament. Could a podium-topping performance in Rio be next? We think so!

Kim’s Quick Questionnaire

1. What's your good-luck charm? My husband, Ben.
2. What song do you play to pump yourself up? Inner Ninja by Classified
3. What food is your guilty pleasure? Ice cream
4. What's your biggest fear? Getting hurt
5. What's your favourite quote/mantra/affirmation? “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming” — John Wooden
6. If I weren't an athlete, I'd be… several pounds heavier
7. I'm proud to be Canadian because… Where do I start? We are awesome!
8. Someday I hope to… See basketball as Canada's #1 sport—oh, and not live out of a suitcase.
9. Right now I'm reading or watching… New Girl
10. One thing you probably don't know about me is… I find Mapquest really hard to follow; I am often lost.