Trinity Western women’s volleyball star Sophie Carpentier did something she never thought she’d do.
She cut off her ponytail.
Last winter, the fourth-year left side—a three-time Canada West all-star—wanted to support a close family friend who is battling cancer. So, in an effort to both raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and donate her hair to Locks of Love, Carpentier cut off her 12-inch-long ponytail during an early-February men’s volleyball match.
“The fundraising itself was emotional and then when it came down to cutting [my hair] it got very real and became even more emotional,” says Carpentier, who has sported long hair for most of her life. “Although that part of the journey is over, whenever I miss my long hair, I remember why I did what I did. Shortly after the event, our family friend cried and said she couldn’t put it into words how thankful she was, not just for the money raised, but that her story had been shared and someone had done this for her.”
It was decided that the person who donated the most money to her cause would get to cut her ponytail. While TWU President Bob Kuhn was the winner, he handed the scissors to Spartans women’s volleyball coach Ryan Hofer to do the honours.
“There’s a sense of pride as a coach to see your athletes doing something greater than themselves,” says Hofer. “Being able to cut her hair was a bit unnerving, but it was also a bit of an honour to be able to do that for her.”
All told, Carpentier raised more the $2,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society.