Rugby players young and old from near and far came out to Shirley Macey Park last Saturday (Aug. 14) to play in the Bob Cowie seven-a-side Gibsons Pigs rugby tournament.
"Bob Cowie was a young rugby player from our club who passed away in 1994," said Pigs' player and tournament organizer John Rainer. "We already had this tournament going, so we went ahead and named it in honour of Bob. As rugby players, we remember our own, and it's a good reason to get together."
About 25 players from the Coast, Princeton, Squa-mish and Vancouver came out to play in five-minute matches in the sweltering heat. Between games, players were found laying in the shade, dowsing themselves with water from a hose or cooling off in the sprinklers at the park.
But the heat didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Whether giving each other a hard time on the field, joking off the field or enjoying a drink in the beer gardens and a little roast pig after their match, it seemed everyone was having a great time.
"As a club we are about fun, fraternity and friendship, and we named this tournament after Bob in honour of those things. It's an important part of who we are, and whenever we get together, we just try to enjoy ourselves," Rainer said.
Locally the Pigs are dwindling and Rainer is looking for more adults to join before the rugby season officially starts in September.
"We sent out an invitation to this tournament to all of our contacts, and most of these players are from off Coast," Rainer noted.
He hopes more locals will get involved in Pigs rugby this year and help keep the club's motto of fun, fraternity and friendship going strong.
The club currently runs practices on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Shirley Macey Park in Gibsons. Rainer notes more players are always welcome.
He is also looking at starting a Tuesday night practice in Sechelt; it has yet to be confirmed.
If you would like more information, or want to join the Pigs, contact Rainer at 604-740-7163.
