Some of her current teammates weren’t even born when Shelley Matheson (née Chaplin) first pulled on the green and gold as a 17-year-old.
Now 41, Shelley — better known as Chappers among her teammates — has competed all over the world, spent five years as a student-athlete at the University of Illinois, competed at five World Championships and is a three-time Paralympian.
Yet despite everything she’s achieved, she said the toughest part of life as a professional athlete is being away from her two daughters, which is why having three-year-old Hazel by her side at the recent Asia Oceania Championships in Bangkok was so special.
“It’s really hard leaving my kids,” she said.
“In a perfect world, we’d all travel together, but that’s not always possible.”
Her eldest daughter, Ruby, had just started back at school and stayed home for the tournament.
“I want her to have that stability, but having Hazel with me this time made sense, and it was so incredibly special.”
Having travelled with the Gliders before, Hazel knows the drill: a courtside seat and a front-row view of her mum in action.
“I want my kids to feel part of the community that has been so important to me since I was fourteen.
“The girls really gather around her and she loves it, she’s growing up with this team.”
“It’s like she’s got eleven aunties!” she laughed.
What Shelley hopes her daughters take from being around the team goes far beyond basketball.
“I love that my girls get to see that I work hard,” she said.
“I like them to see that things don’t always go your way, and instead of getting upset, we work out ways around it.”
Like many athletes, she once believed starting a family meant closing the chapter on professional sport.
“When I was in my late twenties, I thought I was supposed to have a baby, retire and move on. I never imagined doing both, and I didn’t even know it was a possibility.
“I don’t always recommend it,” she laughed.
“But I want other women to know the option is there, and you can definitely do both with the right support systems in place.
“I’m super fortunate that I have the support from my husband, Kieran, and our extended family, plus my work place (Medibank) and the Victorian Institute of Sport.”
Away from Gliders duties, Shelley continues to make an impact on the next generation. Alongside former teammate Leanne Del Toso, she co-runs Play On, a program designed to get for women and girls across Victoria involved in basketball.
“Play On is about community, confidence and giving women and girls a safe space to play basketball, whether they want to go to the Paralympics or they just want a Wednesday-night run - both matter.
“I just want to give back everything I’ve learned.”
