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Good old college try to rebuild Okotoks rugby

You can’t improve things unless you give it a try.

You can’t improve things unless you give it a try.

Rugby, like many sports, is down in numbers after nearly 18 months of inaction. In the hopes of boosting interest and participation, Try Rugby Day made a stop  at Wylie Park in Okotoks on July 25, and women’s rugby player Tara Fenner was there honing her game.  

“I played a little bit over the past two years, but COVID threw a wrench in everybody’s plans,” said Fenner, who played three years with the Foothills Falcons and since graduation, with the Foothills Lions’ women program. “This year, I am the only woman coming out to practices and what-not, so we are hurting for numbers.”

Another Foothills Falcon alumna was out there trying to promote the game. 

“It’s an opportunity to get kids out to the amazing sport of rugby,” said Callie Eagleton, a youth co-ordinator for rookie rugby with Rugby Alberta, which is hosting the Try Rugby Day events.

“We just want to build numbers and get as many people out as much as we can.  Our job is to get as many people as possible out to make it way better for next year. We want the younger generation to get more involved.”

Eagleton is a former Foothills Falcon and is currently with the women's Calgary Wolfpack, a top team in Alberta. She was a member of Canada's U20 national team.

Try Rugby Day in Okotoks had flag scrimmages with players as young as U7 to high school and men’s and women’s players.

Fenner was out to help out and get back on the pitch.

“It’s a great opportunity to get outside and get active,” she said. “But also getting people from the community who don’t know much about rugby interested and connected.

“Teaching them what it is all about, showing them there are women who want to play, men, U-19…

“I love it out here, there is nothing like a friendly touch game.”

Cassandra Steel is a Blackie area resident going into Grade 11 and has played with the Foothills Lions since she was 11.

“Once people start to learn rugby, they love it, it’s good for you,” Steel said. “People need to learn about these smaller sports.”

Steel is presently playing for the Junior Lions, which has played a pair of tens games, including on July 24 at the Calgary Rugby Union.

Steel was out to help young athletes develop a passion for the sport.

Steel, a scrum half with the Lions, knows the importance of having a role model. She was inspired to play rugby by Blackie area’s Carmen Izyk, who is now playing at Queen’s.

“Carmen was a good friend and was then a role model for me, both mentally and physically,” Steel said.

Hubert Buydens, a former Team Canada player, was out teaching at Try Rugby in Okotoks.

“We are trying to expose people to rugby and attract them to the Foothills Lions,” Buydens said. “Right now, we are at about half the number of registrants province-wide pre-COVID.

“We have just got to keep going.”

Buydens knows about talent from Okotoks. He played football at the University of Saskatchewan and then Team Canada rugby with Okotoks standout Jeff Hassler, who is now playing the game in the United States.

The Foothills Lions men’s team is roaring this season, having played the past two weekends in tens games and will play 15s in early August.

“We’re playing, we have played the last two weekends,” said Lions player/coach Kaden Mior. “Right now, we have good numbers.”

Anyone interested in any of the Foothills Lions programs can go to flrfc.org.

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