Where Are They Now? Carrie Dormire and Maureen Batiste

Where are they now? (This interview was conducted in Fall 2005.)

Carrie Dormire and Maureen Batiste: Cal State Northridge 1992-1996

Women’s basketball players at Tulane and the University of New Orleans have moved to other colleges to prepare for the 2005-06 season, due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Let’s go back in time to 1994. Los Angeles had two NFL teams, though both teams were playing their last season in 1994.

Baltimore was just screwed out of an expansion NFL team by the jerk commissioner and a jerk NFL owner.

Thank you to Norman Braman the only NFL owner who made the right vote, for Baltimore.

Magic Johnson was named head coach of the Lakers.

The Lakers would miss the playoffs for the first time since the 1970’s.

The Kings would again trade away my favorite player, Jimmy Carson.

The Mighty Ducks were in their first season.

The jerk Donald Fehr and the stupid baseball owners couldn’t come up with a labor agreement thus forcing the cancellation of the World Series.

1994 also saw one of the most powerful earthquakes ever hit the LA area. The epicenter was Northridge. The earthquake hit at about 4am on January 17, 1994. Cal State Northridge suffered a lot of damage and was closed for a few weeks until officials could inspect all buildings and declare them safe. An entire floor of an apartment complex in Northridge was destroyed and many lives were lost. A parking structure at CSUN was destroyed. Luckily no CSUN basketball players lived in that apartment complex and nobody was hurt in the parking structure.

Two former Cal State Northridge women’s basketball players talk about their experiences playing basketball, going to class and finding new places to live after the earthquake.
Carrie Dormire and Maureen Batiste played together at Northridge for four seasons (1992-93 through the 95-96 season) Carrie and Maureen talk about their experiences trying to play basketball after the earthquake and what they have been doing since graduating from Northridge.

LA Women's Hoops would like to thank Carrie and Maureen for taking the time to do this interview.

Carrie Dormire is one of the greatest players ever at Cal State Northridge. She set many records while at CSN and she can still be found in the records books, even though it’s been seven years since she last wore the red and black of the Matadors. Now married and going by her married name, Carrie Boyce is a 4th grade teacher in the Bay Area.


Where were you living in Jan. 1994?

I was asleep in my dorm room right by the college. It was on Zelzah and I think it was a dorm/ apartment. Most of us lived there that were on the team. Only some softball players lived in the dorm that crashed down an entire floor.

Where were you when the January 1994 Northridge earthquake hit? On the road with the team? Or in Northridge?

Our team was in Northridge when the quake hit. The men's team was out of town. I remember because my boyfriend at the time Josh Willis was on the men's team.
Was there any damage to your place? If so, where did you live after the earthquake?

There was damage to my room. The windows broke, and the ceiling cracked around most of the edges of the room. FEMA came in and said we couldn't live there for awhile. The building was shut down. I stayed at my boyfriend's house in La Crescenta for awhile. Most of my teammates got to go home. I think we all had to find new places to live after that.

How helpful was CSUN helping you find a new place to live?

I don't think CSUN helped us at all. FEMA helped us out.

The CSN campus was closed right after the earthquake. Do you remember where you practiced? Was it tough to practice and focus on basketball with all that was happening?

We practiced at some shady places I remember, like high schools. We also practiced at other colleges and JCs I think.

It destroyed our focus. Not to mention we were still having aftershocks almost daily. I still get that scared feeling if something underneath me shakes.

How did the earthquake affect the team? Did the team become closer? Did the team pull together?

I don't think it brought us closer. We were always very close. Most of us still are. We just didn't win much. We kept losing just like before. At least people felt a little sorry for us now because we had an excuse.

Talk about how it felt going back to classes on campus? Worried about aftershocks? Worried about the structural integrity of the buildings?

I remember watching our new Science buildings going up in flames that night because of the earthquake. I remember the hissing of gas lines, and the crashing of glass. I remember our library had just finished installing this new robotics system and it was now ruined.

Going back to class was scary but ok. It gave us a sense of being back on schedule. It gave us some hope. It was confusing trying to find where your classes were now at.

We were scared to death of aftershocks. We would all run out of the room if one hit. I hated my classes being on the bottom floor, but I also hated some of them being up a couple stories too. I felt like the buildings that were strong made it through the quake, so if I was in one of them I was ok for the most part.

Do you still keep track of the CSN program?

I don't know a thing about the program. I don't receive anything from the alumni, team, or school. I wish I did. CSUN doesn't advertise enough in Northern California.

How would you describe your playing career at CSN?

I had a great career! I broke lots of records and had fun for the most part. I wonder if any of those records are still there? It was fun getting so much playing time as a freshman, but I knew that coming in. All 4 years, I always got to play. I never had to be on the bench. I wouldn't have stayed at CSUN if I did. I was the first woman (I might have been the first person) to make 1st team all conference in basketball for women at CSUN. I made it my junior and senior year. That meant so much to me and still does. I loved playing for Coach Michael Abraham my senior year. He knew the game. I loved traveling all over. I look back on my career and smile. It was tough losing, but it really helped me grow up and become the woman I am today. Luckily the good memories with my teammates outweigh the bad by far. I love those girls still. We were so close with the men's team too. I miss those guys just as much.

What have you been doing since you graduated from CSN?

Since graduating I have been teaching 4th grade which I love. I coached girls basketball and volleyball for a bit at all different levels. I miss doing that now. I earned a Masters in Education a few years ago. I got married to Zack a fireman on August 14, 2003. We are expecting our first child February 18th which is so exciting. We are looking to buy our second house by the end of this year.

Maureen Batiste got married back in July to the brother of former Northridge teammate, Sarah Bell. She is a compliance officer for a hospital.


Where were you living in Jan. 1994? CSN dorm? Apartment? House?

I was living in housing along with some other teammates across the street from the campus. I don't recall any of us living in an apartment complex that was destroyed by the earthquake.

Where were you when the earthquake hit?

We had just come back off a road trip, so we were in our room when the earthquake hit.

What kind of damage was there at your place?

There were broken windows and the floors and hallways were rippled. Not to mention everything was out of the cabinets in the kitchen and the refrigerator had toppled over.If you had to move out of your place, where did you live after the earthquake?

After the earthquake, I literally threw my clothes and other items in 2 large boxes and went home, since at that time my family was living in Los Angeles. I know those of us who lived the L.A. area went home, but I don't remember what the others did that were out of state. Some of them went home with us (the players that stayed in the area) or some went with friends.

How helpful was CSUN helping you find a new place to live?

I was fortunate not to have to look for a new place.

We were able to return to our living quarters in approximately 1-2 weeks after the earthquake.The CSN campus was closed right after the earthquake.

Do you remember where you practiced? Was it tough to practice and focus on basketball with all that was happening?

If I remember right, we practiced in our gym which sustained only minor damage during the earthquake. Northridge athletic teams was a big family, so it was tough to focus knowing that some of our dearest friends (from other teams like softball, volleyball, etc.) had been trapped or the building that they were living in collapsed. Some of us even lost friends during the earthquake too.

How did the earthquake affect the team? Did the team become closer? Did the team pull together?

The team had already been a very very close knit, so we looked at it as just another hurdle to get through.

Talk about how it felt going back to classes on campus? Worried about aftershocks? Worried about the structural integrity of the buildings?

It was nerve racking to go back to classes on campus. If I remember right, some of my classes were in portable trailers so you felt everything, and you always thought it was another earthquake when it was just someone walking by. I definitely was not worried about the structural integrity of the buildings. The University didn't allow students to go into those buildings that were considered 'unsafe.' I recall one of the most exciting moments was when Pres. Clinton came to visit the disaster area and gave a speech at the campus in front of the Oviatt Library.

What have you been doing since you graduated from CSN?

Since graduating from CSUN, I continued on (in school) for an MBA and am now working at a Southern California Hospital as a Compliance Officer. I am a newlywed as of July of this year! No kids as of yet, but hoping to start a family early next year.

Do you still keep track of the CSN program?

I haven't been involved too much with the basketball programs or any other athletic programs since I left CSUN. There have been so many changes, I'm not familiar with anyone.

How would you describe your playing career at CSN?

My playing career at CSUN has taught me some great life lessons, that at the time (when I was playing) I thought were meaningless. Looking back over those years, I've learned that there is no challenge to hard to conquer. It has also given me a group of friends (e.g. Carrie Dormire, Michelle Chevalier, Kanika Means, Tannea Nelson, Sarah Bell, etc.) that I still keep in touch with almost 8-10 years later and are very much a part in each other's life. By the way, Sarah Bell (1994-1998 season) is now my sister in law. We joke about our kids meeting up in tournaments one day playing against each other or for the same team. It's been great!