Exchange students from France, Chile savor Highlands girls basketball playoff run

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Camille Gigon and Augustina Gutierrez-Collado became fast friends when they met in August and joined the Highlands girls volleyball team.

“I had never played (volleyball) before,” Gigon said. “But it was a great experience for me. I got to learn a new sport, and I got to meet a lot of the girls.”

Added: Gutierrez-Collado: “That was a whole different experience for me, too. I wasn’t that good, but I joined the team to meet new people and have fun. Now I know a new sport that I can continue to play.”

The foreign exchange students — Gigon from France and Gutierrez-Collado from Chile — stayed connected this winter as members of the WPIAL Class 4A semifinalist Golden Rams girls basketball team.

Highlands fell short of reaching the WPIAL title game, but it has second life in the PIAA playoffs Saturday against District 6 champion Penn Cambria at 3:30 p.m. at Mt. Aloysius.

Gigon and Gutierrez-Collado will share a competition arena in the spring on the track and field team.

“We have so much in common,” Guttierrez-Collado said. “It’s been great getting to know her.”

Gigon and Gutierrez-Collado couldn’t have been further apart Dec. 18 when France and Argentina met in the World Cup final.

Gutierrez-Collado is from a town on the border of Chile and Argentina, so her allegiance was to superstar Lionel Messi and the team of her neighboring country.

The match was an intense back-and-forth affair that was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation and overtime. Penalty kicks were used to decide the title, and Argentina won 4-2.

“That was a big deal for us,” said Gigon, who lives a three-hour drive west of Paris. “I was sad we lost.”

Said Gutierrez-Collado: “My family, we love soccer. My dad played soccer, and my brother plays. It is huge in Chile.

“Camille and I, we watched the game together. We were screaming and fighting a little bit, but it was really fun. After the game, we had (basketball) practice. But the game went to overtime and penalty kicks, so we texted coach (Shawn Bennis) that we would be a little late.”

Gigon and Gutierrez-Collado are making the most of their time in America and at Highlands, both in and out of the arena of competition.

Gigon, who had experience in basketball with a club team in her home country, is one of the first players off the bench for the Golden Rams, who are 16-9 heading into Saturday’s game. She led the team with 11 points in the December matchup with North Catholic.

“The game here and at home, there are differences like positioning and defense,” Gigon said. “We also don’t play sports through school. It’s all with clubs.

“But I have enjoyed learning a different way of basketball and learning from the coaches’ point of view. It is fun seeing the different schools and the crowds and the rivalries. I was pretty nervous my first game, but now I am comfortable and confident. Just overall, the girls and everyone else have been so nice and welcoming to me and to Augustina.”

Gigon said her family and friends in France were able to watch some of the Highlands games online, including those broadcast on the TribLive High School Sports Network.

“They make fun of the way the announcers pronounce my last name,” Gigon said with a laugh.

For the record, it is pronounced Zhee-gone.

Gutierrez-Collado, a guard, mostly played in JV games this year with a few varsity minutes. She came to America with experience in basketball through a local club.

“The rules are different, and here, it’s at another level,” she said. “The girls here are way better than the girls I’ve played in Chile. We don’t have this (WPIAL playoffs) in Chile, but this has been a really great experience. I am never going to forget this.”

Guttierrez-Collado said her family and friends at home saw a game or two broadcast online.

Bennis said both girls have brought much to the team.

“A lot of times, exchange students join a sport to be a part of a team as an extracurricular activity with the school,” Bennis said. “We’re very fortunate that both of these girls came to us with some (basketball) ability. Camille is a forward, and she said she wanted to be more of a guard. We try to help her with as much guard stuff as we can, but we use her more as a forward with the height she has.

“I preach family and playing for each other and being happy for each other.

“Those two, they don’t really have bad days. They help keep the team motivated with great attitudes. Augustina doesn’t like early practices, but we have to get her going a little bit. But they’ve really taken to the girls, and the girls have taken to them.”

In addition to Gigon and Gutierrez-Collado, two others have given the program an international flair. Maja Ingebrigtsen (Norway) and Ella Hiltermann (Germany) have filmed the games throughout the season.

Gigon and Guttierrez-Collado have immersed themselves in the American culture, from sporting events and TV shows to movies, books and everyday life interactions.

“I’ve been to a couple football games with the Steelers and Pitt. It was fun,” Gigon said. “I’ve been to a lot of events with the University of Pittsburgh, basketball, too. I am going to go to Washington, D.C., with my host family. I’ve never been there. I am so excited to see everything.”

Gigon said her English has improved.

“It was pretty bad when I came. I couldn’t really speak English well, but I could understand it,” she said. “I would just speak with people and also watch movies and TV shows.”

Gigon probably would admit that Gutierrez-Collado’s English was a little better when she arrived in America.

“I’ve gotten used to more of the language with everyone speaking it to me and hearing it everywhere every day,” Gutierrez-Collado said. “I’ve added a lot to all that I was already able to speak.”

While Gutierrez-Collado isn’t a fan of American football, she said she loves hockey and has followed the Penguins.

“We don’t have hockey in Chile, so this is a different and fun experience. I’ve been to some Penguins games,” she said.

She said her favorite player is probably Sidney Crosby, a sentiment shared by millions, both in America and internationally.

Gutierrez-Collado said she wants to travel in the spring with her host family. The destination, she added, is a work in progress.

“There’s a lot I want to see and places I want go,” she said. “This whole experience from August to now has been an amazing. I’ve always wanted to be an exchange student, and this I will never forget.”

Gigon agreed.

“I am so grateful and thankful,” she said. “I have learned so much about myself.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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