Category Archives: Funds

2024 Canadian University Coaching Awards Announced

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The following 11 Men’s and Women’s University Rugby Coaches have been selected to the 2024 cadre attending the Crusaders International Academy Accelerator Coaching program from May 20 through May 31, 2024 in Christchurch New Zealand. Each will have their program fees plus room and board paid, and travel costs subsidized. These coaches follow the group of 7 coaches who went to the Crusaders program last year.

SELECTED COACHES

Selected by the Canadian Rugby Foundation and funded by its University Rugby Supporters Fund and For the Love of the Game are:

  1. Simon Chi, Head Coach, University of Calgary Women’s Rugby
  2. James Flemming, Head Coach, University of Ottawa Men’s Rugby
  3. Chris Jones, Head Coach, McMaster University, Women’s Rugby
  4. Jessie-Ann Gibson, Assistant Coach, University of Guelph Women’s Rugby
  5. Jessica Joubarne, Assistant Coach, Carleton University Women’s Rugby
  6. Zak Scovoranski, Assistant Coach, Mount Royal University Men’s Rugby
  7. Lancelot Satge, Head Coach, University of Montreal Men’s Rugby
  8. Jay Shaw, Head Coach, University of Waterloo Women’s Rugby
  9. Brent Wood, Assistant Coach, University of Calgary Men’s Rugby

and selected by the BC Rugby Union and funded by the Gerald McGavin Coaching Award Fund of the Canadian Rugby Foundation are:

  1. Darcy Patterson, Assistant Coach, University of British Columbia Women’s Rugby
  2. Jon Mergui, Assistant Coach, University of British Columbia Men’s Rugby

Congratulations to all eleven coaches!

PROGRAM DETAILS

The Canadian Rugby Foundation University Coaching Award is an initiative of the Foundation’s University Rugby Supporters Fund to further develop university-level coaches’ program leadership, coaching expertise and technical ability. The focus of this initiative is on university coaches as we and our lead donors believe the men’s and women’s university rugby pathway is critical to the success of our senior teams and programs. The major goals of this award are for the coaches to 1) continue to develop their coaching careers and credentials, 2)  use their learnings to enhance the technical skills of their university student-athletes and coaching colleagues, and 3) share that information with rugby coaches in their local and provincial rugby communities.
This award is administered by members of the Foundation’s University Rugby Initiative committee consisting of Mike Holmes, Doug Tate, Dave Lougheed, Colette McAuley, and Jeff Chan.
What the Award Entails:
Eligible coaches are head or assistant coaches with a CUMRC-eligible Men’s Rugby program or a U SPORTS Women’s Rugby program with their World Rugby Level 2 Coaching Certification completed or committed, and we will be working to get their Level 3 training and certification accelerated. The selected coaches attend a 13-day program at the home of Crusaders Rugby in Christchurch, NZ (https://crusaders.co.nz/) Nine university coaches selected by the Foundation, and two selected by the BCRU will join 14 international coaches in a program organized by the Crusaders International Academy. The Crusaders are widely regarded as New Zealand’s top Super Rugby club (7 consecutive championships through June 2023), furnishing multiple players to the All Blacks, and most recently the All Blacks head coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson.
S&C Initiative
On a side note is another initiative from the University Rugby Initiative related to Strength & Conditioning that Dave Lougheed and “For the Love of the Game” is leading. Although the varsity rugby programs at many of the universities in Canada have excellent support from their Athletics department, the same cannot be said for the majority of teams.
With the goal of making Canada’s national rugby teams among the fittest in the world, we will be embarking on a pilot with Men’s and Women’s university rugby teams to establish a national strength & conditioning and fitness tracking system using TeamBldr which many teams are already familiar with, and to provide access to third-party S&C experts where university resources aren’t available. Tracking results will of course be available for each team, but will also used for talent identification and an indicator of commitment to improving and maintaining fitness by Rugby Canada for its national age-grade and senior teams. More details will come as details are ironed out.

Remembering Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi with New Fund

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We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi Memorial Award Fund in memory of Regina’s Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi.

The Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi Memorial Award Fund was created by Paul’s family to honour his memory and his love of rugby. The awards will recognize leadership and provide support for elite players to compete at a higher level.

About ‘Koby’

Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi

Paul was an athlete who excelled at any sport he played, but it was through rugby that he found a camaraderie like no other. A brotherhood.

Paul joined the Campion Grads when he was 17 and was fortunate to have an exceptional group of veteran players who mentored and developed him both personally and as a player. Whenever Paul was going through dark and tough times in his life, it was his rugby brothers who stepped up and came through for him. They were all there for each other. As a former teammate/mentor of Paul’s stated, “He who sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother.”

In his last few months, Paul reminisced fondly about his rugby days and the Grads. He shared many stories about his rugby brothers and had many laughs. He also talked about the opportunity he had to play for the Prairie Fire and travel to Halifax and reflected on those days as some of the best times of his life.

The family wanted to honour Paul’s memory by providing two annual awards to support the game that meant so much to him.

As this is a newly established endowment fund, award amounts and timing of distribution will be dependent on raising the minimum requirements for disbursement. Applications for both awards will open at that time, and deadlines will be provided. Ideally, the Kobayashi family would like to grant two separate awards: the Koby Leadership Award for Campion Grads players only, and the Koby Excellence Award open to all Regina Men’s and Women’s Rugby Clubs.

Koby Leadership Award ($500)

  • Awarded annually to a current member of the Campion Grads RFC through a nomination process

Koby Excellence Award (Amount TBD)

  • Awarded annually to assist a current Regina Rugby Club Men’s or Women’s player who could benefit from financial support to travel for a provincial or national level rugby competition. Players planning to travel to participate in a recruitment program or I.D. camp can also qualify.

More details on the two awards are here. 

For any further inquiries or clarifications, please email kobymemorialfund@gmail.com

To make a donation towards the Paul ‘Koby’ Kobayashi Memorial Award Fund, go here: 

For the Love of the Game Joins the Foundation to Create a New Endowment Fund

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The For the Love of the Game Fund at the Canadian Rugby Foundation was established in January 2024 to act as the endowment fund for the registered not-for-profit organization “For the Love of the Game Experience Ltd.” founded in 2015 by former Canadian international Dave Lougheed. The mission of For the Love of the Game is to “inspire excellence through experience for athletes, coaches and their passionate supporters”.

For the Love of the Game has already partnered with the Foundation on a number of initiatives including sponsorship of the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship and the Canadian University Coaching Awards and continues to support initiatives through the Canadian Rugby Foundation that align with its mission, vision and values.

Please visit www.fortheloveofthegame.info for more information about For the Love of the Game.

Fletcher’s Fields Launches 2024 Summer Celebration of Rugby (SCOR)

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We are pleased to support the Fletcher’s Fields 2024 Summer Celebration of Rugby, marking the final season to be played at the historic Fletcher’s Fields in Markham, Ontario. The Foundation’s partnership with all six shareholders of Fletcher’s Fields Limited helped launch the Foundation to new heights at the end of 2021, and we are only too happy to continue our partnership with this summer’s celebration.

The official media release announcing  the Summer Celebration of Rugby

2023 Lt. Colonel W.D.C. Holmes Awards

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The third annual Lt. Colonel W.D.C. Holmes Awards were  presented at the awards banquets at the U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship in Victoria, BC and the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship in Langley, BC.

The Lt. Colonel W.D.C. Holmes Awards are presented by Foundation Chair Michael Holmes in memory of his late father Lt. Colonel W.D.C. Holmes, who won the sword of honour at RMC in 1942 before embarking on a distinguished career in the British Army during and after World War II.

A total of 16 rugby student-athletes from the qualifying women’s and men’s rugby teams were recognized for their off-field contributions to the game of rugby at their university and community in the past year, with their tuition accounts or Athletic Financial Awards (AFAs) enhanced with $500 cheques from the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s W.D.C. Holmes Award Fund. Examples of factors to be considered could include organizing community events involving the team, mentoring younger players, volunteering with their home rugby club or at the community in which the university is located, volunteering as a club executive or an official at any level, and providing off-the-field leadership on the university team.

November 2, 2023 – Women’s Rugby

The following women’s rugby student-athletes were honoured at the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Rugby championships hosted by the University of Laval (Colette McAuley, Canadian Rugby Foundation Board member shown making the presentations):

GUELPH – Emily Clark

Year: 4, Program: Marketing Management, Hometown: Mississauga, ON

Emily is an exceptional athlete that has been identified for both 15s and 7s at the National level. Her contribution to the program on and off the field with community and youth programs is indicative of her passion for the game.

LAVAL – Corinne Frechette

Year: 4, Program: Sports Intervention, Hometown: Nicolet, QC

Au-delà de ses performances comme athlète, Corinne s’implique dans la promotion du rugby et sport aux filles de la région. Dans la dernière année, elle a travaillé avec Fillactive, un organisme visant à promouvoir l’activité physique chez les filles de 12 à 17 ans. En plus de cela, elle aidé à coordonner les activités de l’Académie Rouge et Or pour des jeunes de 6 à 17 ans à l’été 2023 en plus d’être entraîneure-chef de l’équipe de rugby du Cégep Limoilou à l’automne dernier.

QUEEN’S – Siobhan Sheerin

Year: 5 , Program: Arts & Science, Hometown: Toronto, ON

Siobhan is the heart and soul of our program – she is the kind of teammate that will push you to be your best every single session.

I couldn’t think of a more worthy recipient from our squad.

OTTAWA – Teri Davis Ewan

Year: 2, Program: Sociology, Hometown: Mississauga, ON

Teri Davis Ewan, is a second year student-athlete currently taking sociology and part of the University of Ottawa’s women’s rugby team. She is originally from Mississauga, Ontario where she graduated from Streetsville Secondary School. In her community, she worked at an early child development daycare where every day aiding toddlers in their cognitive development while also keeping their constantly fleeting minds entertained. She has continued to work with young children and finds it very fulfilling working with kids and supporting crucial development at such a young age. Teri is a constant supporting force in university and club rugby, bringing big smiles and positive energy to every practice and game no matter her role within the team.

St Francis Xavier – Katherine Culligan

Year: 4, Program: Health Sciences, Hometown: Halifax, NS

Katherine is a co-captain of our team and was the 2023 recipient of the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award. She is a three-time U SPORTS academic all-Canadian, and volunteers her time both on and off campus, running an Intro to Rugby clinic in Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation in northeastern Nova Scotia and running a family literacy program through the Antigonish County Adult Learning Association at the local public library.

She has also been involved with fundraisers for KidsFirst Antigonish, a non-for-profit organization supporting women and children in need, and she has volunteered time helping coach the Halifax Tars Rugby Club minis program. On campus, Culligan is president of the STFX Health Society which she has volunteered with in each of her four years at the university. She is the co-chair and student-athlete representative for X-Women rugby on the STFX Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. A member of the Elite Leaders program with the STFX Leadership Academy, she has volunteered weekly at the STFX Learn to Skate program for the past two years, and she led a clothing drive across campus as part of an X-Women rugby alumnus’ initiative.

UBC – Payton McNeill

Year: 5, Program: Kinesiology, Hometown: St. Albert, AB

Payton is a deserving student athlete for this award. She provides countless volunteer hours running the Vancouver Thunderbird mini program out of the University of British Columbia. She builds the curriculum, provides guidance and mentorship to other mini coaches, coaches and organizes jamborees/play days. She is instrumental in building a community culture where these mini players attend UBC home games and engage in on field half time shows. Payton is also a strong leader in Indigenous education participating in this work within the UBC Women’s Rugby Program and beyond.

UPEI – Mia Fradsham

Year: 5 , Program: BSc., Hometown: Marshfield, PE.

Mia plays the scrum half position and was a co-captain of the Panther this season. This is well-deserved recognition as she is one of the most dedicated Panthers I have and has been very active within her community to help grow the game at the grass roots level.  Mia dedicates almost all of her spare time to rugby, whether it’s as a player or coach.

Mia is involved in rookie and junior rugby on PEI.  She volunteers her time coaching with the Charlottetown RFC rookie rugby program, the Charlottetown Rural High School AAA girls team, helped coach the girls PEI U17 Abbies at the Atlantic Championships and has been assisting at the Canada Games 7’s training sessions.

 VICTORIA – Morgan Warner

Year: 5, Program: Political Science, Hometown: Lacombe, AB

Morgan is a 5th year student graduating this year with a degree in Political Science.  Morgan has been an incredible teammate during her years at UVIC, giving back to the team, university and community. She is involved in rugby at the high school level and community level, looking to make rugby more inclusive for people with mixed abilities and young female athletes. At the university Morgan took on a fundraising role and worked with all the varsity teams to raise money for the Vikes Championship Breakfast. Morgan is very deserving of this award and we cannot wait to see what she does next.

November 16, 2023 – Men’s Rugby

 The following rugby student-athletes were honoured at the 2023 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship (CUMRC) hosted by Trinity Western University in Langley, BC (Mike Holmes shown making the presentations):

CALGARY – Zane Clark

Year: 4, Program: Arts, Hometown: Calgary, AB

Zane has quickly asserted himself as an integral part of our club culture and executive. While Zane has always been a contributor on the field, he unfortunately suffered a concussion early in the year which cut his season short. Zane turned this into an opportunity for him to quickly become one of our most important members. Zane does everything behind the scenes that makes our program a success. Whether it be booking travel, dealing with the logistics of organizing a large club or just filing paperwork with the school, Zane takes on every job, no matter how difficult or non-glamorous it might be and tackles it with incredible enthusiasm.

 GUELPH – Adam Ford

Year: 4, Program: Marketing Management, Hometown: Rockwood, ON

Adam has grown into a tremendous leader for our program serving on our leadership team and as one of the forward captains. As a local to Guelph, Adam has grown up playing for the Guelph Rugby Club and has recently began coaching at the U18 level and his former high school JF Ross, hoping to help players like him fall in love with rugby and follow in his footsteps.

MEMORIAL – Simbarashe Mandoza

Year: 4, Program: Engineering, Hometown: Harare, Zimbabwe

Simbarashe came to Memorial as a result of an exchange of Tweets, having played on the Zimbabwe U20 team. This year he represented Memorial as part of Engineers Without Borders, and in addition works with, and cares for autistic children.

 OTTAWA – Ali Awada

Year: 3, Program: Criminology, Hometown: Ottawa, ON

This athlete has been selected for his contributions to the local rugby community through officiating. Often, Ali is asked to officiate junior/2XV games before he plays his own club games; and at uOttawa he steps in to ref our 2XV matches throughout the year. Additionally, Ali is a standing member in our leadership group at uOttawa.

 QUEEN’S – Eric Godden

Year: 5, Program: MSc Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hometown: Toronto, ON

Eric is our Captain this season and has played on the first team since his first year. He has been a member of our leadership group for the past three years. He is an outstanding leader, rugby athlete and an incredibly mature young man. This year Eric spearheaded our indigenous engagement initiative which consisted of education session for the team with our indigenous initiatives department and we engaged a local Mohawk artist to design a jersey for us based of our values. This jersey was worn for our game v Guelph which was on the day of truth and reconciliation, and these jerseys were then auctioned with all profits going to the Quinte Mohawk School meal program. This program is ongoing with the athletes led by Eric going to engage with the local community starting with the Quinte Mohawk school.

TWU – Fynn Murphy

Year: 3, Program: Human Kinetics , Hometown: South Surrey, BC

In being such a student of the game, Fynn Murphy not only gives his time to his teammates and his program, but he is also able to share his knowledge and love of the game by coaching the D.W. Poppy Secondary Junior Boys team, training his team 3 times a week, along with games from January to June. He also has been lending his wealth of knowledge to the D.W. Poppy Rugby Academy. Fynn was also an outstanding leader in the TWU Rugby Program’s Mission Trip to Paraguay last Spring.

UBC – Relmu Wilson-Valdes

Year: 3, Program: Kinesiology, Hometown: Nelson, BC

Relmu has proven to be an outstanding assistant coach for Grade 9 students at St. Georges, exhibiting noteworthy qualities in his role. His proactive approach in following up with both coaches and athletes underscores his commitment to the young athletes. Notably, he has displayed clarity, patience, and inclusivity in his coaching style, contributing to a positive and supportive environment for the team.

VICTORIA – Andrew Easson

Year: 6, Program: Geography, Hometown: Oakville, ON

Andrew has been an unbelievable team captain for his last year as a Vike and consistently demonstrates all of the characteristics you would want to see from your program’s leader. A moment that stands out is when our first years joined us for the first day of camp this year, Andrew made a point to go and greet each one and introduce himself. Andrew is the first to volunteer when we need support, and has also organized a number of community initiatives over his university career. On the field, Andrew is the type of rugby player that through relentless effort, makes every player around him better. Although Andrew leaves us this year, through his leadership he has made an impact on this program that will be felt for a long time to come.

Supporters of the UVic Vikes Men’s Rugby Club Start New Fund

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Just as the University of Victoria Vikes were competing in the 2023 Coastal Cup to qualify for the 2023 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship, supporters of the team banded together with Coach Scott Manning to establish the new Vikes Men’s Rugby Supporters Fund. The Vikes Men’s Rugby Supporters Fund was established in October 2023 as a means for the University of Victoria Men’s Rugby program to solicit, invest and use fund earnings, donations and fund-raising proceeds for the long-term and short-term needs of the program. NOTE: The Vikes earned a Silver Medal at the 2023 CUMRC, falling to arch-rivals UBC Thunderbirds in the Championship Final.

Vikes Aspirations
As Coach Manning stated, “As a program, our vision is simple: we’re looking to ‘Grow a World Class University Rugby Program’. Every decision we make attempts to build off the legacy of Vikes Rugby already established and to close the gap between where we are now and where we aspire to be.

Over the past two years, we have made strides to close that gap. We’ve brought in qualified coaches (all former Vikes!). We’ve taken The Boot back from UBC for the first time in a decade. We’ve started multiple community initiatives. We’ve taken a roster of 50% first and second years to a BC Premier League semi-final (the top Sr. Men’s rugby club competition in North America). And we’ve recruited competitively, with 8 out of 24 members from the 2023 Canada U18 team choosing to join our program. The future is bright!

We want to be the #1 choice for Canadian rugby players to develop as players and as people. To be competitive in creating the best national varsity rugby program, we put a premium on creating the right environment, including coaching, tours, equipment, strength & conditioning, educational workshops and more. Your support will directly contribute to building that environment.”

The Fund
The Vikes Men’s Rugby Supporters Fund is the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s first hybrid University Fund. Donations and contributions to this Fund consist of two parts. The first is intended to address the long-term needs of the rugby team or program through an endowment funded by 50% of the donations and fundraising. These monies are invested in perpetuity, and only disbursements of the earnings of the fund are permitted. The second 50% of donations and fundraising contributions are intended to address the short-term needs of the program through disbursements towards annual operating expenses. There is no limit to the disbursements from this part of the fund.

As is the case with all of the Foundation’s funds, any donation to the new Vikes Fund is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. These donations may be made on a one-time or monthly basis, by cheque, bank wire, credit or debit card, PayPal, or stock transfer.

Further details on the Vikes Men’s Rugby Supporters Fund, and a link to make donations to the Fund are here:

Rugby Legend Honoured with New Kevin ‘Lunk’ Wirachowski Award

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Friends, colleagues in the rugby, local, international, and business community,  and family of Kevin Wirachowski recently established a new Canadian Rugby Foundation Award Fund to create a lasting legacy for the man variously known as “Lunk’, ‘Lunker’ and ‘Lunkster”.

 

The Kevin ‘Lunk’ Wirachowski Award Fund provides funding from its endowment for an annual award that furthers the broad objectives and purposes of Rugby Canada and the Canadian Rugby Foundation by assisting successful applicants with their post-secondary education, thereby helping to grow and develop rugby in Canada.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the Kevin ‘Lunk’ Wirachowski Award, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Active Participation: Applicants must demonstrate active involvement in playing rugby and a
    commitment to staying engaged in the sport. Applicant must be a current front-row player and actively engaged in developing their front-row skills
  2. Gender and Age: Applicants must be students actively participating in rugby in Canada. The award is open to all genders. Applicants must be between 17 and 24 years of age.
  3. Academic Enrollment: Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time or part-time degree (graduate or undergraduate), diploma or certificate program at a Canadian university, college or trade school, and be in good academic standing. The school program should commence in the academic year for which the award is granted. Students starting their studies in the fall semester are eligible.

 Selection Criteria:
The selection of the Kevin ‘Lunk’  Wirachowski Award recipient will be based on the following criteria:

  1. The extent to which the application, supporting letter and references demonstrate compliance with the eligibility criteria above.
  2. Contribution to the Rugby Community: Applicants should exhibit a recognized contribution to both the local community and the broader rugby community, showcasing their impact both on and off the field. Applicant must be in good standing with his or her School team, Club team, Provincial team, National Age-grade or senior team if applicable, and Community.
  3. Leadership: Demonstrated leadership on and off the field.

Further details on Lunk, the Award and Fund, and a link to make donations to the Fund are here:

Maria Samson Appointed Chair of the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship

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As previously announced on November 16 at the 2023 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship banquet, Maria Samson has been appointed the Chair of the CUMRC Organizing Committee effective January 1, 2024.

Maria joined the CUMRC Board in January 2020 while she was still head coach for the Mount Royal University (MRU) Men’s Rugby team, and a member of the Rugby Canada Board of Directors. She was a highly decorated member of the Canadian Senior Women’s team as the 2012 Women’s XVs Rugby Canada Player of the Year and a 2014 Rugby World Cup Silver medalist. She also counts time with the McGill University Martlets, SABRFC, Windsor Rogues, Fort McMurray Knights, Alberta Wolfpack, Calgary Hornets and Calgary Saints, as well as travelling teams the Dog River Howlers, Stars Rugby and Canadian Classics.

Since joining the CUMRC Board, Maria has also served as Vice Chair of Rugby Canada, and only retired as the MRU head coach following their 2023 playoff run. Her CUMRC duties kept expanding and included her roles as our social media creator, broadcast commentator, Instagram interviewer and tournament director at the 2022 and 2023 championships, our rules and regulations head, and beginning in 2023, CUMRC Vice Chair.

Maria takes the reins from Jeff Chan, the current Chair and co-founder of the CUMRC in 2017. As has been recounted numerous times, in 2015-16, Jeff had been frustrated by the lack of a national university championship in Men’s Rugby which led to all university programs eending their schedules after their conference championships. Working with fellow co-founders Mike Holmes of the Canadian Rugby Foundation, which became the lead CUMRC financial sponsor, Doug Tate, the long-time head coach of the University of Victoria Vikes, and Bishop’s University rugby alumnus Keith Labbett, the foundation was laid at the inaugural 6-team tournament hosted by the University of Guelph in 2017. Except for the 2020 COVID year, the CUMRC has met all but one of its goals:

  1. grown (from 29 to 33 teams competing to qualify, and 8 teams in the tournament);
  2. helped develop the calibre and depth of university men’s players and programs across the country;
  3. been recognised as a crucial step in the pathway towards Canada’s Men’s senior team; and
  4. established and maintained the national university men’s rugby championship.

The lone exception is gaining the endorsement of Men’s Rugby by U SPORTS as an official sport, (as is the case for Women’s Rugby) and as it has been the case with the OUA and RSEQ conferences for many years. This remains a work in progress by Rugby Canada.

It is now time for the CUMRC to take another step in its evolution, with Maria taking the lead, working with the University of Ottawa as the 2024 host, coordinating the University Men’s Rugby Coaches Association, and working with the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s University Rugby Supporters Fund to continue to develop university Rugby Coaches across Canada.

Good luck Maria!

Tattyannah Jackson Wins Inaugural Rick Bourne Rugby Award

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Following the announcement of the new Rick Bourne Rugby Award during his induction into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame, in June 2023, we are now pleased to announce the inaugural winner of the Award, Tattyannah Jackson of East Gwillimbury, Ontario.

Tattyannah Jackson

Tattyannah is a third-year student at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON majoring in Sociology and Psychology. Her background in rugby has been relatively short, but has rapidly developed to a starting prop position on the Queen’s University Gaels, a top-3 university women’s rugby program in Canada, and a selection to the Ontario senior women’s and Canada’s U20 team in 2023. Her earlier development has come through the high school system and the Aurora Barbarians RFC with coach Nick Daniels.

Of her experience at Queen’s, she says “My time at Queen’s has been a wild ride over the last three years. I’ve had to take the time to discover myself as a person and a player. This team has helped me come out of my shell, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My experience here has been one-of-a-kind, thrilling, and once-in-a-lifetime, and has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment.

On her selection to the U20 team this past summer, Tattyannah says, “Being able to represent Canada’s U20 program has been one of my most recent accomplishments. It was an incredible opportunity to meet other female rugby players and play alongside some of the best players in the country. It taught me a lot to be able to play with such amazing women, and it meant a lot to form new friendships within that community. Knowing that my efforts and hard work were ultimately worthwhile gave me confidence and dignity. Moving forward, my goal will be to continue in the Canada age-grade program, with the goal of one day representing Canada at the senior women’s level.”

Looking ahead, her aspirations in rugby burn bright. “ I’m resolutely focused on donning the U23 Canada jersey, an honour that would signify a remarkable progression in my rugby career. Beyond that, I am steadfast in my commitment to reaching the pinnacle of the sport: the senior women’s team. The thought of representing my country on the international stage and competing at a Rugby World Cup fuels my training and propels me forward. Each step I take, both on and off the field, is driven by the indomitable spirit that rugby instilled in me.

Rick Bourne Rugby Award

The Rick Bourne Rugby Award provides an annual financial award of $2,000 and aims to support students of any gender who are actively involved in playing rugby in Canada. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of Rick Bourne, a prominent figure in the Canadian rugby community for over six decades. Rick Bourne’s leadership, passion and generosity have made a significant impact on rugby in Canada, making this award a deserving tribute to his legacy. The awards will be funded from donations to the endowment fund and earnings on the fund’s assets. More details on the award are here.

“We had many impressive candidates apply which is hopefully a fantastic sign of where rugby is headed in this country,” said Rick Bourne. “The selection criteria for this award consisted of a candidate’s active participation in rugby, a commitment to stay engaged in the sport and an overall commitment to the rugby community positively impacting the sport both on and off the field. Tattyannah Jackson, this year’s winner, is a testament to Tattyannah’s commitment to rugby and we very much look forward to this continued dedication to the sport and watching Tattyannah’s rugby career well into the future.”

On being notified of her award, Tattyannah stated, “I am truly honoured and grateful to be the first recipient of the Rick Bourne Rugby Award. Rick Bourne’s legacy in rugby is inspiring, and receiving this recognition is not only a personal achievement but also a reminder of the values and dedication that make rugby a special sport. I am thankful for the support and encouragement from the rugby community, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the spirit of the game.”

 

Brooklyn Harrison wins 2023 Judy Seddon Memorial Award

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On what would have been Judy’s 67 th birthday, we would like to announce the winner of the 2023 Judy Seddon Memorial Award. This scholarship is awarded annually to a young woman who is involved in rugby in Alberta as an athlete, referee, coach or volunteer, selected on the basis of community service and academics, who is or will be enrolled in a post-secondary institution.

Brooklyn Harrison is a student at the University of Prince Edward Island entering her first year of a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biology and a specialization in Life Sciences. She is a multi-sport athlete who started playing rugby in high school. She overcame significant challenges while finishing high school and maintaining involvement in athletics. She was the head coach of the Calgary Rams’ U5 minis rugby program, volunteer coach at Lord Beaverbrook High School girls’ rugby program, and is now
joining the UPEI Panthers varsity rugby team. She is honored to represent Judy by giving back to women’s rugby.

We would like to thank all the applicants and their references for taking the time to apply, and encourage anyone who wishes to apply (or re-apply) next year to mark May 1st in their calendar when applications for the 2024 award open.

More information on the Award and the application process is here, where you can also make a donation to help support future awards.