Team Nova Scotia Athlete Profile – Eastern Shore
At the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, Nova Scotia’s Box Lacrosse
Women’s Team came fourth in the tournament. Flash forward to 2024, and Nova Scotia’s U17 Women’s Team came just shy of clutching bronze, losing 6-4 to Ontario at the Lacrosse Nationals.
But Alena Collens says this is their year.
“I think we’ll definitely be in a medal game. Ontario and B.C. I would say are the top two and then us and Alberta are pretty similar, but we beat Alberta last year, so I feel like we can beat them again,” says the 16-year-old from Porters Lake.
This is Alena’s fourth time playing for Team Nova Scotia and this year she feels the team is especially close.
“We spent lots of hours together every week for months, so I feel like we’ve definitely created a strong bond. We’ve built some great team chemistry on and off the floor and I think that’s what makes us so good,” says Alena. “We all support and trust each other. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team.”
Striving to be the best she can be as an individual, Alena says she also plays for her teammates, and that they are an inspiration to her. She is looking forward to all the memories she will make with them in the dorms and athlete village.
She is also looking forward to the competition and the honour of representing Nova Scotia.
“These games are super exciting because the provinces are so good. The games will be really fun to play in and will be challenging. I’m also super excited to meet other people who are also very passionate about this sport from across the country,” she says.
Alena is extra proud of making the team this year because she was competing for only one of three spots. For certain sports at the Canada Games, including lacrosse, smaller provinces are allowed a certain number of overage players who are born the year before their other teammates. Alena earned one of those spots.
“I remember first meeting Alena through the Sirens Lacrosse camps, and even then, she showed a genuine willingness to learn and grow as an athlete,” says Allison Burke, Head Coach of Team Nova Scotia’s Canada Games Women’s Lacrosse Team. “Her dedication, openness to feedback, and ability to lead by example make her development truly inspiring. Alena is a player that immediately catches your eye on the floor with her speed, aggression, and intensity on every play. I am looking forward to watching her compete at the Canada Games!
To get to the Canada Games level, Alena has put in a lot of hard work but says when it comes to lacrosse she doesn’t mind.
“It’s obviously summer and we’re teenagers, so I feel like you have to sacrifice or give up some things to make a practice or a game. But I’m pretty competitive,” she says.
Alena has had a competitive spirit for a long time. She started playing lacrosse seven years ago after watching her brother play, but before that she was a decorated jump rope athlete. She went to multiple jump rope nationals and got gold at the 2019 Rope Skipping Canada Nationals for the 10-Under, Female, Masters Over All.
Yet she decided to fully pursue lacrosse because she fell in love with the team aspect.
“I think I just like being on a team better because I really enjoy my teammates and I’m a pretty social person. And I also like the thrill of lacrosse.”
