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Foothills Lions taking talent to universities

Rugby: Grade 12 students among recruits to top level post-secondary programs

X marked the spot on the Maritimes for a Foothills Lions rugby standout.

“I’ve been looking at quite a few universities and was looking at universities out of Alberta,” said Blackie’s Aurora Steel, a Grade 12 student at Highwood High School. “Because I’ve lived in the same town my whole life so I wanted to go out and see different parts of Canada and everything.”

The Antigonish, Nova Scotia based St. FX should offer the desired change of scenery along with a terrific academic and rugby package that was too good to pass up.

“They were one of the few universities that had a rugby program, there was not very many,” Steel said. “I was hoping to get a rugby program and since they have one and they’re strong education wise, they’re persistent about us learning.

“That just kind of filled in all of my requirements.”

Steel plans to forge an education in human kinetics with a goal of working around sports as a trainer or physiotherapist.

She received some strong feedback on the school from her Highwood High sports performance teacher Keegan Vosman, who happens to be X-men alumnus. Additionally, former Foothills Lion Teagan Mucz is a second-year member of the rugby squad at the Nova Scotia school.

“Teagan texted me and told me if I have any question I can go to her,” Steel said. “And that I should love it out there.”

Her rugby dreams were stoked at Highwood after watching older brother Tyler Steel play for the Mustangs during her Grade 9 year, leading to her joining the ‘Stangs rugby team and later that year finding her way into club rugby with the Lions.

“I absolutely fell in love with the sport just watching it and when I got to Highwood I was like ‘I’ve got to try this,’” she said. “I got into it and then found Lions after the high school season ended and it just never stopped.

“Before (rugby) I only ever danced so everything I did was individual so working with a team it felt a lot better for me. Everybody is insanely competitive, I kind of fall right in that category, and everybody is nice to be around. The rugby family is friends with everyone.”

Steel credited her junior Lions coach Nathan Marquardt, a long-time Lions player and club leader, for aiding in her development on the pitch.

“He’s definitely helped with my mental game,” she said. “I tend to be hard on myself, but he’s always been reminding us that we can do stuff that we think we can’t and he brings everyone closer as a team and then we all perform better together.”

Another Lions standout, though very new to the sport, is heading to the opposite coast for university rugby.

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Grade 12 student Kaitlyn Lumby is one of the latest recruits to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds squad for 2020-21.

The versatile athlete and former Foothills Stingrays (now Okotoks Mavericks) swimmer and provincial level cross-country and track athlete at STS, has proven to be a quick study in rugby after debuting in the sport in 2019.

"I touched my first rugby ball inOctober of last year and I played my one year playing anniversary in March, I've only played one fifteens season and played two sevens tournaments and that's it," she said. "I've been able to pick up sports kind of quickly.

"The joke among my team is that I can catch the ball, throwing is not the best, but I can run straight."

Lumby, who plays the wing and centre positions, signed up for the Lions winter academy and made her debut in competitive action in Foothills’ annual sojourn to the Las Vegas Sevens Invitational last year.

The Thunderbirds are the defending Canada West champions.

Lumby's journey to UBC started with her sending a highlight video to the Thunderbirds, earning an invitation to a talent identification camp last summer in Vancouver and impressing the coaching staff.

"Right now I've been communicating and doing calls with a nutritionist and have been fully brought on board as one of the members of the team," she said. "Obviously with COVID they've lost most of their season so they're kind of starting (next) season early and bringing the recruits in."

With family in the Lower Mainland and a personal connection to the sport, her parents having met while playing rugby at Simon Fraser University, the move west seemed like a natural fit for the graduand. Lumby is enrolled in the bachelor of science in food, nutrition and health with the intention of pursuing the dietetics program.

Steel, who said she’s seen action at virtually every position in fifteens rugby with a focus on scrum-half and fly-half, expects to be in a battle for playing time on the X-Women’s team.

St. FX has proven to be a female rugby powerhouse with 21 Atlantic University Sport conference championships over the past 22 years along with six national championships.

“Out east, they have quite a few at scrum-half and fly-half so honestly I would be happy with any position that they put me in as long as I get to play,” she said. “I’ve only had a couple phone calls with (St. FX head coach Mike Cavanagh) and he just said he’s super excited for the fall and he can’t wait to meet all of us rookies.”


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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