Time can be difficult to quantify. The seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months have a way of relentlessly moving forward, whether you’re ready for it or not.

But for Canadian 3x3 Olympians Katherine Plouffe and Kacie Bosch, the challenge lies in how to measure its impact—both on and off the court.

The last time we checked in with the 3x3 Women’s National Team, they had wrapped up the FIBA 3x3 Women's Series Championships Semifinals - a return to competition following a historic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“A lot has happened in a year,” said Plouffe, a veteran of the team. “We had some goals that we achieved as a team, which was really cool. We extended those goals even further…some we achieved, and some we didn’t.”

For Bosch, reflecting on the journey to Olympic qualification brought a mix of emotions. The highs and lows—from missing out at Japan’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament to earning a berth in Hungary in the last possible game, and competing in Paris—created a whirlwind that was difficult to process.

“Leading up to things, you're anxious, you're excited, you are tired. You have the emotional highs and lows,” Bosch said. “And then you go to the Olympics, and you experience things for the first time. The games are good, the games are bad up and down again…and then not getting a [Olympic] medal kind of feels anticlimactic.”

“All this, and then you just continue on.”

Bosch reflects on what happened when she returned home from the Olympics to her home life, saying that getting back into her routine of teaching at a small rural school in Southern Alberta meant she didn’t have the time to process what had happened over the summer.

“I had one moment where my university consultant, who is the person who watches me as I teach and is my guidance through that, she was like, ‘oh, how are you doing?’ And I just immediately started bawling,” Bosch says. “I was like – I have no idea what's going on.”

“And she's like, ‘oh, well, you just had this huge epitome of sporting success, and then suddenly you're back to normal, and nobody really knows how to process that except you and your teammates. They're really the only people who know what you're going through.’ I was like, oh, yeah, that's true.”

On the 3x3 court, time can be unforgiving.

With games lasting just 10 minutes or until 21 points are scored, decisions are made in split seconds. During the Olympics, the team had to adjust to a new rhythm—longer gaps between games and a gruelling seven-day tournament.

Katherine Plouffe called it a “beast of a tournament,” saying that even though they normally play 5-6 games in a two-day span. “Definitely the most tired I'd ever felt after a tournament,” she recalled.

Bosch credited the team’s chemistry for keeping them grounded with the unfamiliar schedule. “I think we are in a very lucky position in the way that we all get along so well, and we were living together for the first time, us four in the village…Me and Paige have our thing, the twins have their thing. So, even having them to lean on between games was good.”

In the months that followed, Plouffe and Bosch took time to reset. Plouffe launched a “stairs” community fitness initiative in Edmonton, encouraging people to stay active. Bosch returned to her daily teaching schedule and coached junior girls’ volleyball in Lethbridge, Alta., finding a welcome distraction from basketball.

Perspective comes back to time – you can only move forward but not back.

Now, the two Olympians are ready to suit up again. After a productive training camp in Edmonton earlier this month, Canada’s 3x3 Women’s National Team will head to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the FIBA 3x3 Women’s AmeriCup 2024 from December 12-15.

“A lot of sessions in a small amount of time, which is good to emulate for a tournament,” Bosch said about the teams’ training camp. “It's always nice to get those quality reps in with the team before you get to Puerto Rico, just to work out kinks and get a baseline knowledge and feel for each other.”

For Plouffe, the momentum from Paris is an opportunity to grow Canada’s 3x3 program to new heights.

“I hope the [3x3 Women’s] program uses the momentum from even this last Olympics to build,” said Plouffe. “It just had way more exposure, and hopefully, it just shows that another stream of high-level basketball exists, and people choose to take the opportunity to pursue it.”

Plouffe hopes that more women are going to try out and play 3x3. “The more competitive athletes come into the program, the more it will elevate the program, hopefully far beyond what we did,” she said.

As Canada chases its fourth straight AmeriCup medal, Plouffe, Bosch, and the team know that every moment counts—and the time to move forward is now.