Since its introduction at Chatelech Secondary just three seasons ago, girls’ rugby is thriving on the Sunshine Coast with many team members excelling at the provincial level.
Four local girls were invited to play Fifteens rugby at the Provincial Rugby Championships (PRC) at Burnaby Lake over the July long weekend, all representing the Vancouver Rugby Union’s (VRU) teams that competed against regional teams composed of the best players from across the province.
Jessica Nelson played on the U18 team that won bronze after handily beating the Fraser Valley team that later took silver. Zoe Younghusband played on the U16 team while Cadence Tuplin and Cailey Nikodem played on the U14 team, which came fourth after a nail-biter bronze match against Fraser Valley West. Having so many young players excelling at the PRC suggests a bright future for Chat Girls’ Rugby.
Additionally two Coast girls, Tiffany Baldwin and Jessica Nelson, were selected to play rugby Sevens at the BC Summer Games in the Cowichan Valley over the July 19 weekend. They represented the Vancouver Coastal region that came fourth in this highly competitive tournament.
And two Coast girls were invited to try out for the BC Provincial Fifteens teams and will soon represent the province in national competition. Jessica Nelson was selected to play for the BC Girls’ U17 team and will be travelling to Winnipeg for the Rugby Canada U18 Western Championships in early August. Despite being eligible for U15, Zoe Younghusband was invited to try out for the more competitive U16 team. Her efforts were successful and she will be playing in the Rugby Canada U16 Western Championships in Kelowna starting on July 26.
It’s likely that none of these girls would be playing today without the efforts of coach Mike Clucas, a parent volunteer who started and coaches the Chatelech Girls’ Rugby team, and coach Brian Scarr who’s also done so much to facilitate and support the team. A special thanks also to Mimi Applebe, who’s coached the local PRC and Summer Games teams for years and has done much to encourage and make higher level competition more accessible to players from the Sunshine Coast. Congratulations girls, and thank you coaches!
– Submitted
