The Charlatan (TC): What made you decide to come to Carleton?
Chantelle Rivest (CR): Originally for education, I was going to come for journalism because Carleton has one of the strongest journalism programs. I’m actually here for law as well and being in the capital city means you have easy access to all the resources here. Athletic-wise, I’ve always wanted to play hockey I’ve heard great things about this team, I’ve heard great things about the coaching staff and now being apart of it I kind of get to see all of it and even more.
TC: When and why did you decide to play hockey?
CR: (Laughing) When would have been a long time ago. I knew I always wanted to play university hockey, it was just a matter of actually when and where of course. I took last year off and went travelling, and being away from the ice for so long definitely had me motivated so much more this summer to make sure I would be here and on the ice. Why hockey? It’s a part of me, who I am. I’ve always played and my whole family plays. It’s the only escape I have. Some people are into music, some people can escape with art, but for me it’s sports.
TC: What is your best hockey experience so far?
CR: I’ve got two. One is being here and playing for the Ravens. It’s been a really cool experience so far. Obviously there’s going to be more to it since the regular season is coming up. But other than that, I went to an Under 19 Team Canada invitational camp in 2007 and that actually kicked off me wanting to compete at a higher level of hockey.
TC: What do you like best about hockey at Carleton?
CR: It’s a new program for me. It’s something new, it’s something different, it’s something exciting, it’s so organized, and everyone has been so welcoming. You don’t get the general rookie-veteran, first year-second year thing, everyone’s bonding and everyone’s into everything and the coaches are too. The coaches aren’t ghost figures that you just see in the dressing room or on the bench. That’s not how it is here.
TC: What goals do you have for the upcoming season?
CR: For myself as a new person on the team, I want to get to know everybody and get to know the systems, and learn to play with new people. I haven’t actually played at a very high level in a long time, being from a small town and some of the people I’ve played with, so I’m excited to play with a really strong, competitive, hard working team again.