Playing on for 'Cat'

It was as if she was looking down on them from heaven.

Softball coach Chris Davies had no doubt his longtime assistant Catherine “Cat” Wheatley had a hand in the game last Thursday when his Richmond Islanders 2000B girls took on the Fleetwood Force at London Steveston Park.

Just two days earlier, the girls received the tragic news from Davies that Wheatley — who had been volunteering with the team for 10 years, nine of those years as assistant coach — had succumbed to critical injuries sustained in an April 6 car crash in Ladner.

Given the circumstances, Davies had offered to postpone the game, but the girls refused, opting instead to play in 22-year-old Wheatley’s honour.

And despite trailing late in the ball-game, the Richmond girls battled back to claim an emotional 7-6 victory.

“It was a pretty touching moment. The girls and the opposition all wore something pink in Cat’s honour,” said Davies.

“They played in a tournament on the weekend as well; they all wanted to play and win in Cat’s memory. They didn’t win, but I told them that playing in her honour is what’s important, as she’d be looking down on us.”

Davies said the girls, having known Wheatley since they were six years old, were “devastated” by the loss of their mentor.

“My daughter was very close to her; she trained my daughter to pitch,” said Davies.

“And if the girls had any boy issues, for example, she was there for them. She was their role model. She was very close to these girls.

“About two years ago, I lost my younger brother and this has hit me just as hard. She was just 22 and was starting to get her life together.”

Davies said, beyond the 2000B Islanders and even outside the Richmond Girls Softball Association (RGSA), Wheatley was also well known.

“She ran pitching clinics and helped with a whole bunch of teams; it’s a pretty close-knit community,” he said.

“She stopped playing when she was 18 due to a leg injury, but before that, she had played and coached in the provincials and played in the Canada Cup.

“She’s been involved with the RGSA since she was 12, volunteering her time.”

Last year, added Davies, Wheatley, a Cambie secondary grad, had gone back to school, studying recreation leadership at Langara College and was competing in her new love,  bodybuilding. She was also a personal trainer at a local gym.

Al Groff, RGSA president, said Wheatley was “just one of those kids that the girls took to. . .It was great for the girls to have someone like her, rather than a chubby, bald guy,” said Groff.

“She could get that little extra out of people. She had an edge about her, but it was a competitive edge.

“It’s definitely a very sad loss. We really appreciate the young women that come back to the association and she will be missed very much by that team.

“But I’m sure she will be looking down on them and helping them along.”

A message of condolence to Wheatley’s family, posted on the RGSA website, refers to the loss of a “member of the RGSA family.”

On the same website, some of the players, identified by their jersey numbers, posted their own tributes.

2000B Islanders #5 wrote, “Cat, thank you for teaching me that even though I’m small, I can still be strong. I’ll miss you and you will forever be in my heart,” while Islanders #12 wrote, “Cat you will forever be my role modeI. I will miss you & you will never be forgotten.”

A message on FitBodyBC.com told of how “Cat” had taken part in four bodybuilding shows in recent years and was training and prepping for the B.C. Championships 2016, which she had qualified for.

“May you rest in peace, I will never forget your BEAUTIFUL SOUL….I will miss you greatly, Godspeed my sweet friend, the world will not be the same without your bright light…Love you always xoxo,” the post read.

Earlier this month, the News reported how a 33-year-old male driver from Richmond had died after his car-travelling westbound in the 9600-block of Highway 10 in Ladner - veered left and went off the road into the ditch.

Wheatley was a passenger in the car.

The driver has yet to be named and Delta Police said this week the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

A celebration of life service for Wheatley will take place this Sunday, May 1 at 1 p.m. at the Richmond Funeral Home, 8420 Cambie Road.